Black ops meets black arts in this comic book series, following a witch turned private detective. This volume collects together the first five issues and I'm so glad I had them all ready to dive into, due to the cliff-hanger ending that featured in each.

The art style was a perfect match for the macabre and gritty storyline, set in this dingy urban setting. It remained vivid in design and moody in its colouring, throughout.

This first issue was fast-paced, action-packed and set up a very interesting storyline with a strong female protagonist at its centre. It introduced a world very much like our own, but with fantastical entities lingering in its shadows.

The second issue delved deeper into protagonist, Asellan's, childhood, including information about the first time her abilities manifested themselves and the emotional repunctuations this had on her. It also continued to explore the predicament Asellan found herself in as the first issue closed, which entirely deconstructed her world view and introduced a new element that would form the focus for the following issues.

The third issue furthered informed both Asellan and the reader of the supernatural entities that roamed our world, and the secret service taxed with protecting humanity from them. There was a small point where I lost the gist of what was occurring, with so much new information imparted in such few words, but quickly found my way again before the issue's gripping conclusion.

The fourth issue opened with Asellan possessed by an undesirable entity and I struggled to see how she, along with her new acquaintances would get free without also killing her in the process. It was managed pretty quickly, but only proved to further complicate the already tricky truths Asellan believed about herself and the world around her. I highly appreciated the emotional elements present in this issue, and also how it provided more backstory for one of Asellan's new accomplices.

The fifth and final issue left me desperately longing for more, with the largest reveal so far presented right as the volume concluded. Each and every issue offered the reader action, gore, and bloodshed, but it was the perpetual new truths and mysteries that kept me so invested and also so eager to get my hands on volume two.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Cavan Scott, the illustrator, Corin Howell, and the publisher, Vault Comics, for this opportunity. Also, thanks to Jamie-Lee Nardone, the director of Black Crow PR, for originally reaching out to me about this title.

I read this really quickly because the story seriously sucked me in! The artwork does a great job of showing dark themes and settings while still being very clear and imaginative. The story itself is a really interesting blend of magic, sci-fi, and mystery. The main character was fun and I loved the secrets, plot twists, and cliff hangers. I definitely want to read more!

I can see what Shadow Service is trying to do, and it's a lot. I don't think it succeeds at most of those things.

Our main character, Gina, has the ability to cast spells. She thinks she's unique, and of course she isn't. In fact, Great Britain has it's own magic/demon-focused secret service, nicknamed MI666 (which is fun).

And that's where the cliches start tumbling over eachother. MI666 is of course military in nature - their agents use guns (sigh) with magicked bullits and wear black tactical armour (think The Initiative from Buffy).

The place seems to be run by a very old man trapped in the body of an 8-year-old boy, basically Number Five from The Umbrella Academy.

The MI666 HQ is inside a van, which is of course much bigger on the inside.

There's the usual Gina-gets-kidnapped-then-escapes-then-finally-works-with-the-team palaver.

What I did like is the idea that Gina's spellcasting creates insomnia, although this pretty much forgotten about later on in the book.

I feel like the art isn't competent enough to carry the book off, there are quite a few of wonky faces, and a lot of the design choices look a bit bland.

That said, I do like the demon designs, and Number Five is in contact with a huge Angel of Death kind of thing, which looks great.

The book is never bad, just a bit too derivative for me. Did really like that huge winged skeleton, though.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Witty and thrilling from start to finish. Surprisingly British and unsurprisingly supernatural, this was a fantastically fun read.

The characters were dynamic and intriguing and this comic’s take on magic and other supernatural creatures were superbly done. With great art and colours to boot, there’s literally nothing to fault in this comic. I am 100% on board with this and can’t wait to read the next vol to see what happens next!

Shadow service #1 is a Graphic novel with great artwork & detail. It is gory, and long enough to get you into the world it's unfolding. It ends with a opening for the next novel in series. It has witchery, demons, talking rodents, a secret service that has no problems with murdering things. Great all around graphic!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC so I could read & review this novel.

An excellent graphic novel with first class storytelling and really great artwork.

In this book the action of The Avengers, combines with the mystery solving of Rivers of London, the communication of Dr Dolittle, and the magic and spell-craft of Harry Potter.

The result is sheer excellence!

This is definitely a series that I will be following.

The best aspect is the rich and engrossing storytelling. I was pulled into the story from the very first panel. The story begins with a bang and then goes nuclear with monsters, magic, weird characters, and twists and turns. It is the kind of story that races along with high energy and adrenaline, but manages to take you along for the ride and it promises that there is more to come!

I also enjoyed the strong and courageous female leads.

Gina Meyers is a witch with a tragic past. She is a PI and earns her living looking for missing people on the streets of London. She uses her magic and the ability to talk to the animals and she scrapes by, living in a dingy London flat.

All this changes when she is kidnapped by members of MI666 and suddenly her supernatural world becomes a lot bigger and a lot more dangerous, with a lot more to be revealed about her allies, her enemies and herself.

I enjoyed this. It is the kind of graphic novel that you relish and save on your shelf to re-read. It would also make an excellent movie.

Definitely one for the favourite shelf.

And there is a talking rat.

Copy provided by Diamond Book Distributors and Vault Comics via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

I did not want this story to end. The art, storyline and characters are AMAZINGLY brilliant. Secret UK societies, demons, angels of death and a witch with the knowing gift. I wait for the next installment impatiently. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this. You will not be disappointed.

TW: Slight gore and domestic abuse, passing HP mention
Good for Great Britain, a comic with a mix between Doctor Who (It's bigger on the inside!), The ninja turtles (there's a rat, I couldn't help myself, lol) and supernatural but Dean can use magic.

The story is dynamic but somewhat diffuse in its background, I am sure that the pertinent introductions will be given in the following volumes.

With a palette that changes between neon and slightly Noir every few pages the story is not as graphic as it could be, despite the dismembered bodies and the scenes full of corpses and viscera, it does not give a feeling of intense gore, it merges with the story without disturbing the reader, I attribute it mainly to the color palette used in those specific scenes.

I like that we see a consequence to the use of magic different from the usual, although our protagonist falls into the category "special snowflake", I can only hope that the origin story that they'll give her will compensate it, and also hope that she can develop independent abilities to magic, because to be a supernatural detective depends a lot on her use of magic, and I can see a Korra-type incident in her future.

Yay for a Britain-set dark fantasy, with a young witch in over her head in working as private investigator. This clearly has some of the wackiness of stories with magic in them for the younger reader – a talking rat associate, super-powered baddies, et al – but it certainly is for the adult-only shelf, too, with semi-dismembered corpses being eaten on, yet with happily the right amount of bravura chutzpah and conviction about the diverse magic abilities to stop them being childishly daft. Well, until a Tardis turns up, that is. And Brexit. So yes, this has a couple of tiny lapses in quality, but on the whole it's very engaging, fast-moving fun, and this appears to be launching a fine title with enough about it to go on for a few more trades yet.

3.5 ⭐
Gina Meyers is a private detective and a witch. She's very powerful, although she has never received magical education.
She lives a lonely life, though Edwin is always there, taking care of her. He's a rat, not in a figurative way. She can talk to animals.
Gina's life has been difficult, since she was a little child. Now, she has to deal with the side effects of magic. Moreover, as if dealing with the cases weren't enough, she meets this peculiar group in charge of the magical creatures of England, the MI666.

This volume presents five issues, and it will be released on 20 April.

Thanks to Diamond Book Distributors/Vault Comics and NetGalley for providing me with this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

The art in this one was beyond amazing. The drawings, the colors, the complete deal.

The story had me from the first page, I have to admit, but it isn't all that new. I wouldn't call it boring under any circumstances. It was good. But as I said, the art was the thing that hooked me.

I'm looking forward for future volumes.

Magic, Monsters, and a private investigator/witch who is caught in the middle of it all. Gina Meyers is a private investigator just trying to get by but suddenly more monsters are appearing and people are looking for her. She finds herself entangled in theLondon criminal underworld, with literal demons unleashed. This was such a fun read! A great start to to the series and I can’t wait to read more. Gina is a great protagonist and I mean she even has a rat best friend, a literal rat. The artwork is amazing and the storyline is awesome!

*Thanks Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This novel gripped me from the first page all the way to the end. The art was beautiful and the story didn't dwell or wax poetic as is something typical with books that include introductions to new worlds. I was invested in the main character and I'm looking forward to purchasing a physical copy and reading volume two as soon as possible.

Trigger warnings: Gore and Domestic abuse

I received a free E-ARC of this book from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The artwork is amazing. Loved it. The story is something I won't remember, though the drawings, as noted, I loved.