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