Connect with us

Comics

Review: ‘The Darkness’ #109

Published

11 years ago

on

Readers will not see the twists and turns coming in The Darkness #109. Violent, gripping, and creepy, “The Darkness” series hits all the right marks to make for an entertaining read. Geared mostly for newcomers, readers will be able to jump into this series, without feeling left behind in the mythology.

WRITTEN BY: David Hine
ART BY: Jeremy Haun
PUBLISHER: Top Cow Productions, Inc.
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 2nd, 2013

When Jackie Estacado rebuilt the universe, he constructed the world in a way to benefit himself. He now has his childhood sweetheart, Jenny Romano, back from the dead. To keep his world from falling apart, Jackie has to protect Jenny and their daughter, Hope, from rival mob bosses and The Darkness. Jackie’s double, The Doppelganger, is causing all sorts of problems and trouble as he spreads the Darkness like a virus. With everything to lose, Jackie doesn’t know what to do when Hope suddenly manifests her own dark powers.

I really enjoy how David Hine keeps the fast pace flowing in the opening pages. Hine infuses all these genre elements – revenge, crime, and the supernatural – into an entertaining storyline. What’s also interesting is how Hine finds psychological qualities for readers to root for the bad guy. Jackie’s Doppelganger is killing off his enemies one by one, but he doesn’t believe any of his horrific acts are wrong. Like many mobster movies, the antagonist feels justified because he is sacrificing everything to protect his family. What matters most to Jackie is keeping his enemies away from his wife and daughter.
As the death count rises, Jackie must allow his Doppelganger to run loose and defend his self-created universe. Hine provides glimpses that everything Jackie is fighting for might be a lie. Because Jackie is blinded by his own devotion to his small family unit, he doesn’t realize someone close is actually going to betray him. Following the motifs of several mobster movies, Jackie doesn’t realize there is a traitor in the midst.

Readers will be glued to Jeremy Haun’s mind-blowing illustrations. When Jackie’s Doppelganger infects an innocent victim with The Darkness, the eyes start to ooze tears of blood. The victims appear slow and wobble in a trance-like state; similar to a zombie. Haun provides different character designs, in order for readers to distinguish Jackie and his Doppelganger. The Doppelganger appears in a flashy white suit, while Jackie is wearing a worn-out white shirt.

The panels where Hope manifests her newly-found dark powers are just awesome. Her skin looks fractured and splintered, as if to symbolize that Hope is “cracked in the head.” Hope whips out these long tentacles with green eyeballs and fangs. Hope’s dark powers are feeding off her emotional state, which Haun captures in the close-ups.

Readers should definitely be looking out for “The Darkness” #109. With the creative team-up of Hine and Haun, “The Darkness” series is becoming a truly enjoyable reading experience month in and month out.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 hours ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

Continue Reading