The Darkness #4 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Michael Broussard (Pencils), Ryan Winn (Inks), and Matt Milla (Colors)

Since the third volume of The Darkness began earlier this year, I have been consistently entertained by Jackie Estacado and his rule over the people of Sierra Munoz thanks to the production of a Darkness spawned drug. Phil Hester has done some nice work crafting a story that feels familiar, yet original. The art team, lead by Michael Broussard, continues to craft some impressive visuals to help tell the story. While not the deepest book on the stands, The Darkness is always a solid, visually impressive, action-packed comic.

With this latest issue, Jackie Estacado finds his link to his Darkness powers fading because a woman he created purely out of the Darkness has been manipulated by a backstabbing scientist to harness it for his own uses. With his powers close to useless, Jackie is shot and falls right into the hands of the very rebels that have been seeking to overthrow his reign. It is in this situation he finds out more about the nature of the Darkness and his sense of revenge kicks in. As he says “My partner f—ed me and when I get f—ed, I f— back.” I’ll levae the rest of the story for you to discover, but needless to say, the stage is set quite nicely. Yes, I know it sounds a bit confusing, but the recap will catch you up if you haven’t been on board since the first issue. This is a good read all around and the ending ratchets up the stakes to a whole new level. If you are fan, or looking for something new, you can’t go wrong with this issue.

Phil Hester’s writing is entertaining as always and he does a great job making Jackie a guy worth rooting for (even though he is far from heroic). The monologues throughout the book, while occasionally a bit over-dramatic, give an interesting glimpse into Jackie’s head and the dialogue. They’re plentiful, while never feeling excessive. The interactions between Jackie and the attractive rebel, Marisol Yanez, have a charm to them and, while it is nothing you haven’t seen before, it adds a bit to both characters. Hester, while occasionally writing some wonky dialogue, always manages to make this book a dark and fun read.

Broussard and the art team, as usual, make The Darkness one of the better looking books on the stands. There are a couple of really impressive scenes in this issue almost worth the cover price, especially a Darkness induced hallucination in which Jackie speaks to a Darkness created wolf-hawk hybrid thing. There are some inconsistencies with faces from time to time and Estacado has some awfully pouty lips in a few scenes, but as a whole I couldn’t be much happier. The colors jump off the page and the use of shadow and darkness creates just the right mood for the book. Broussard’s work may not appeal to you if you aren’t into the Marc Silvestri style, but I think it fits perfectly.

The Darkness scores again with another entertaining issue as Hester and Broussard continue their run on one of the more under appreciated series out there. Give this book a look, you’ll be glad you did. (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny

First Born: Aftermath – Review

Ron Marz, Phil Hester, (Writers) Stjepan Sejic, Lee Moder, Ryan Sook, (Artists) Larry Molinar, and Dave McCaig (Colors)

The Top Cow event known as First Born was one of the more exciting events in recent memory. A classic story of good and evil that was really cast in all shades of gray, First Born impressed with some incredible artwork by Stjepan Sejic and an epic feel. With Sara Pezzini’s child at stake, the forces of light and darkness brought the eternal war to our world in an attempt to gain control the Witchblade wielder’s daughter. The trade is definitely worth the pick up if you are a fan of the characters and it also serves as a decent, action-packed jumping on point for those curious about the Top Cow Universe. With First Born: Aftermath, a one-shot consisting of three short stories, fans can get some idea of where the characters are headed in the future. Since each story really is a stand alone tale, I will give each a short review before giving my overall thoughts.

The first story, “Stragglers,” is quite short but effective thanks to the artwork by Stjepan Sejic. Basically, the gist of the story is that some teens head down into the hole where the main battle of the First Born event took place and are being watched by some of Jackie Estacado’s Darklings. There really isn’t a lot to say about such a simple story, but Ron Marz has some fun with the dialogue and Sejic creates a couple of really impressive looking scenes.

The second story, “Armies of the Night,” is written by the Darkness’ Phil Hester and tells of some Darklings that stumble upon a statue of an ancient ruler who holds a bit of a grudge against the Darkness. We get a brief history lesson on who the ruler was and how his encounter with the Darkness changed his life forever. The writing is both darkly humorous at times, but has a nice dramatic weight overall. A good outing by Phil Hester with this story. The artwork by Lee Moder is serviceable, but I wish it had a more serious look that reflects the story being told. Everything looked too much like a cartoon. Still a fun read though and, again, the art does the job well enough.

The final story, “Faith,” is also by Ron Marz and tells about the Magdalena. She faces off with an “angel” of light and finds herself struggling with her place in the world. The writing is strong and it also gives some nice direction for a character that shows up from time to time throughout the Top Cow universe. Ryan Sook’s artwork is solid, especially some of the facial expressions, and the color work is very well done. A good closing story for this one-shot.

First Born: Aftermath is really for those that follow the Top Cow Universe. While the stories could be enjoyed on their own well enough, it helps to have some experience with the characters and story elements. If you recently came aboard with Witchblade or The Darkness, two series that recently developed new jump-on points, check this out for some idea as to what direction those particular stories will be taking. A fun, solid read all around that hints at future plot elements for those interested.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny