The Shadow Knows It's 1939. The lights are low, the moonlight is shining through the window. The den is all hers. The glow of the radio dial lights up her imagination. It's time for the most popular radio show in America. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" These words were accompanied by a haunting theme song, Le Rouet d'Omphale, composed by Saint-Saëns. On September 26, 1937, The Shadow radio drama officially premiered and imbued the character with "the power to cloud men's minds" - the ability to become completely invisible - a trait associated with the character for years after the show ended. The Shadow is one of the most famous pulp heroes of the 20th century. He has been featured in comic books, newspaper strips, television, video games, and at least seven motion pictures. Clad in black, The Shadow operated predominantly after dark, burglarizing in the name of justice, and terrifying criminals into vulnerability before he or someone else gunned them down. The character was a noirish anti-hero in every sense. The Shadow's secret identity was Kent Allard, a famed aviator. During World War I, Allard was both a flying ace and a spy who fought for the French. He was known by the alias of The Black Eagle, although later stories revised this alias as The Dark Eagle. After the war, Allard sought a new challenge and decided to wage war on criminals. Allard faked his death in the South American jungles then returned to the United States. Arriving in New York City, he adopted numerous identities to conceal his existence. One of these identities was Lamont Cranston, a "wealthy young man about town." Some of the numerous villains The Shadow fought included: The Red Envoy, The Death Giver, Gray Fist, The Black Dragon, Silver Skull, The Red Blot, The Black Falcon, The Cobra, Zemba, The Black Master, Five-face, The Gray Ghost, The Silent Seven, The Hand, The Brothers of Doom, and The Hydra. The Shadow originated much of the concept we have come to know as the modern superhero. For this image, I wanted to try to get kind of a Norman Rockwell thing. But not Norman Rockwell. My own take on the kind of images he created. I love the 30's, so I always take great pleasure in trying to recapture any of that feeling, and in the 30's, pulpzines and radio were king. A multitude of lights here. More than I usually use, really, including negative lights. Also the first time I've used an occlusion pass. The radio isn't any actual model, but a blend between a Philco and a Zenith, with a Zenith world wide dial. Back in those days, you could receive broadcasts from all over the world. During the second world war, many listened to war news from the BBC. The photographs are all of the same couple and their children. Took me forever to get the shadow of The Shadow on the wall, but I wanted something to show the magic of a child's imagination. Something today's kids seem to have lost to some extent.