This is so nice, @timwf! You have great control of the medium for this being your first charcoal drawing. To address your question about value -- I think your values look great here. The shadow on his shoulder is the darkest dark, so it draws you away from his face a bit due to the contrast. Not sure if you are done with this drawing, but in general I like to lay in my values with charcoal throughout the entire drawing. It makes it easier for me to make adjustments before getting too deep in the weeds/tertiary details.