– 1 2 ▁and ▁ 1 4 – 2 6 , ▁and ▁cover ▁artist ▁for ▁issues ▁# 1 – 3 3 . ▁He ▁returned ▁to ▁full ▁art ▁and ▁writing ▁for ▁the ▁American ▁Fl agg ! ▁Special ▁one - shot ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 6 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 7 , ▁a ▁four - issue ▁run ▁was ▁released , ▁then ▁the ▁title ▁was ▁cancel led ▁and ▁rela unch ed ▁as ▁Howard ▁Ch ay kin ’ s ▁American ▁Fl agg !, ▁which ▁ran ▁ 1 2 ▁issues . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁new ▁project ▁was ▁a ▁rev amp ▁of ▁The ▁Sh adow ▁in ▁a ▁four - issue ▁min is eries ▁for ▁DC ▁Comics ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 6 . ▁R ather ▁than ▁setting ▁the ▁series ▁in ▁its ▁traditional ▁ 1 9 3 0 s ▁milieu , ▁Ch ay kin ▁updated ▁it ▁to ▁a ▁contemporary ▁setting ▁and ▁included ▁his ▁own ▁style ▁of ▁extreme ▁violence . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁interview , ▁Ch ay kin ▁stated ▁" The ▁reason ▁I ▁pulled ▁him ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁period ▁was ▁because ▁I ▁thought ▁it ▁would ▁be ▁commercial ▁suic ide ▁to ▁do ▁a ▁period ▁character ▁at ▁that ▁point ." ▁ ▁The ▁American ▁Fl agg ! ▁Special ▁one - shot ▁introduced ▁Ch ay kin ' s ▁Time ², ▁a ▁two - volume ▁graph ic - nov el ▁series ▁with ▁a ▁heavy ▁do se ▁of ▁jazz , ▁film ▁no ir ▁and ▁a ▁fant asy ▁version ▁of ▁New ▁York ▁City : ▁Time ² : ▁The ▁E pi