#IReadsYou Review: THE DARKNESS #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition

THE DARKNESS #1 25TH ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
IMAGE COMICS/Top Cow Productions, Inc.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Garth Ennis
PENCILS: Marc Silvestri
INKS: Batt (inking assistants: Joe Weems, Nathan Cabrera, Victor Llamas and various)
COLORS: Steve Firchow
LETTERS: Dennis Heisler
EDITOR: David Wohl
COVER: Marc Silvestri and Batt with Steve Firchow
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (November 2020)

Rated M / Mature

The Darkness created by Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl

“Coming of Age”

The Darkness is a long-running comic book series created by artist Marc Silvestri, writer Garth Ennis, and editor David Wohl.  The Darkness focuses on Jackie Estacado, a mafia hit man who inherits “the curse of the Darkness.”  The character made his debut in Witchblade #10 (November 1996) before making his solo debut in his own series.

In celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Darkness #1 (December 1996), Image Comics and Top Cow Productions, Inc. are publishing The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.  This one-shot comic book reprints the story contents from The Darkness #1 and also includes an interview, an essay, a five-page section reprinting select cover illustrations produced during the series first 16 years, and other material.

The Darkness #1 (“Coming of Age”) opens at night on the Lower East Side of New York City.  Tall, dark, and handsome mafia hit man, Jackie Estacado, has just executed his latest target in service of his boss, Don Franchetti.  This latest bloody move by the Franchetti mob starts a bloody skirmish with rival mobster, Don Tommy Marchianni.  Jackie, Don Franchetti's top enforcer, is caught in the middle.

But the young killer has bigger problems.  He is about to turn 21-years-old, and “The Darkness” is about to start calling for him.  And the “Angelus” is coming for him.

THE LOWDOWN:  I read the first 10 or 12 issues of the original run of The Darkness back in 1996-97, but I eventually grew bored with this comic book and stopped reading it.  I have to admit that I had high expectations for it.  After all, the writer was Garth Ennis, red-hot in the mid-1990s because of his DC Comics/Vertigo series, Preacher.  I was a huge fan of post-Marvel Comics Marc Silvestri.  I thought many the comic books that Silvestri drew for Marvel Comics looked awful because of his chicken-scratch drawing style.  But Image Comics-Marc Silvestri seemed like an entirely different artist, especially when Silvestri's pencils were inked by the great Scott Williams.

Yet every time I read The Darkness, I felt like Ennis and Silvestri were not really delivering on this concept's potential.  I understood that the universe of Silvestri's Top Cow Productions, Inc. was obsessed with some kind of angelic vs. demonic rivalry, similar to that of Jim Lee's Wildstorm Productions universe.  However, I didn't think that Ennis and Silvestri really understood where they could take The Darkness in terms of narrative.  In The Darkness, Ennis delivered a stillborn version of the usual outtakes from his ultra-violence wheelhouse.  Silvestri's art was an unimaginative spin on the grim-and-gritty riffs that everyone was stealing from Frank Miller's Batman comics.

I don't know if The Darkness every reached its potential.  Frankly, I didn't give a crap after I stopped reading the series, but on occasion, I would see an issue of The Darkness and wonder about it … I have to admit.

The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition commemorates an anniversary that is only important to Top Cow because … let's be frank … it does not have much to commemorate.  The original Image Comics creators, Marc Silvestri among them, turned their studios into vanity project factories that produced poorly written comic books that featured the kind of art that only the artists and their sycophantic fans thought was great.  This is something that can be said of many of the artists associated with Image Comics first decade, for instance Rob Liefeld and J. Scott Campbell.

It is only in the last 15 years or so that Image Comics has delivered on the promise that the birth of the publisher offered to both comic book creators and readers.  The Darkness represents a placeholder in the evolution of Image Comics.  After the fanfare for their first wave of comic book series faded, some of Image's founders moved on to offering exciting new concepts.  For Jim Lee, it was Divine Right, and for Silvestri, it was The Darkness.  At least, The Darkness ran much longer than Divine Right.

The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition, as a package, is nothing special, but – and there is a big but – reading it again did remind me that The Darkness still has great potential.  I enjoyed re-reading this reprint of the first issue, and I might reread a few more of the original issues.  I still think that The Darkness is an outside-the-box comic book concept that could be an exceptional dark fantasy comic book.  But will it ever be that?  Does it matter?

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Top Cow Productions' comic books will want The Darkness #1 25th Anniversary Commemorative Edition.

6 out of 10

This issue contains the feature “Say Good Night to the 'Good Guy'” by Henry Barajas and Claire Napier.  This feature includes illustrations; an questions-and-answer session with Marc Silvestri and David Wohl; a bullet-point presentation about the publication, licensing, and merchandising success of The Darkness.

This issue also includes a gallery of cover art produced by the following artists and art teams for The Darkness:  Marc Silvestri, Joe Weems, and Peter Steigerwald; Joe Benitez, Joe Weems, and Dean White; Nathan Cabrera and Victor Llamas; Greg Hildebrandt and Tim Hildebrandt; Michael Turner, Joe Weems, and JD Smith; Joe Benitez, Joe Weems, and Richard Isanove; Clarence Lansang, Victor Llamas, and Matt Nelson; David Finch, Jason Gorder, and Matt Nelson; Brian Ching, Victor Llamas, and Matt Nelson; Mark Pajarillo, Danny Miki, and Matt Nelson; Dale Keown and Matt Milla; Lee Bermejo; Dale Keown; Rafael Albuquerque; Todd McFarlane; Jeremy Haun and John Rauch

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


www.topcow.com
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #14

Justice League # 14
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Matt Banning & Sandu Florea

The Secret of the Cheetah Chapter Two (Spoilers!)
Action from stem to stern: they earned my money. Mr. Johns gave me two good stories for the price of one; a good deal considering my finances.

Super Cheetah and Cheetah are wrecking things until the San, Hara, blows her horn. Cyborg keeps the sonics going while the San cure him. Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aquaman go after the Cheetah. Cheetah is a bad chick. It takes a good plan by the three of them to take her out. She's fast enough to slice up the Flash. Then we get back to the girl-on-girl action. During the fight, we get the origin of the Cheetah. Wonder Woman dumps the kitty in the drink where Aquaman and a school of piranha take her out. Once again solid teamwork saves the day. Then, we find out that it was a part of some mysterious character's plan to get Cheetah locked up in Belle Reve.

Now to some boy-on-girl action; no sir, this story is not just about the violent action. Superman takes Wonder Woman on a date to Smallville. The story ends with another kiss between two of the most powerful heroes. Wonder Woman even does the little one foot in the air thing. Why is Batman watching? I'm glad we can see where his hands are. We not only get the good old violence, but we also get a dose of the soap opera. Give Daniel his props; The splash page with Aquaman and Cheetah is beautiful.

Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank

Shazam Chapter 7
What! Fourteen more pages for the price of admission. Yes, I counted. This basically develops Black Adam's character. I guess, Mr. Johns didn't want to leave us in the dark about how big of an obnoxious jerk Black Adam is. Shazam is still on his adolescent joyride. Black Adam finds his first ally, the sin Sloth. This backup story is on par with the main story.

I rate Justice League # 14 Buy Your Own Copy. #2 (of 5) on the Al-O-Meter Ranking.

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #13

Justice League #13
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Richard Friend and Batt

The Secret of the Cheetah (Spoilers!)

Johns is getting me interested in the League. Superman and Wonder Woman continue the Kiss. Where is this going? Do we want Superman running around all frustrated? We don't linger long on the love story. The next scene is a throw down between Wonder Woman and the Cheetah. Awesome splash page gets the action started. After a few good rounds, Cheetah knocks Wonder Woman the f.... out. Batman and Aquaman question Trevor about Cheetah to give us a little background information.

Back at the satellite, Superman gets some time alone with Wonder Woman. Yeah! he wants some of that Amazon loving. Who's going to be the artist for that Scene? Cyborg admits to not having a life. He needs to go out and find his own archenemy or two. All the other superheroes don't have enough time in the day to put all the criminals in jail and he's sitting around moping. The team tracks Cheetah to the Congo where she proceeds to throw down on the whole team. She bites Superman in the process, and we end up with Cheetah Superman.

We get a Justice League of America and the Superman crossover H"El on Earth preview. Man, I need a better job. I can't afford all of these books.

Mr. Johns is earning his spot on the flagship of DC Comics. Action, mystery, exotic locales, and sexual tension: what more can you ask for in a story? Not a dull moment and hot chicks kicking that ass.

If Jim Lee is not the artist anymore, then, Tony Daniel is the next best thing. The fight in Central Park and the waterfall in the Congo were worth the price of admission. The cover had me before I saw a page. Tony Daniel is a premier artist.

I rate Justice League # 13 Buy Your Own Copy.  #2 (of 5) Al-O-Meter Ranking

Albert Avilla Reviews: Teen Titans #0

Teen Titans #0
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Scott Lobdell
Pencils: Tyler Kirkman
Inks: Batt, Norm Rapmund, Jon Sibal

"Red Robin" (Spoiler Alert!)
The origin of Red Robin. Lobdell writes a wonderful story; this is a fascinating beginning for a Robin. Tim Drake is motivated to be a hero for different reasons than Batman and the other Robins. His determination to be the best at everything is important in his struggle to become Robin.

From the beginning, his family sees that Tim is destined for greatness and they support him. Despite Batman's efforts to dissuade him from the life, Tim continues in his pursuit of the mantle of Robin. Tim begins his own war on crime by stealing from rich criminals and giving to the poor. He runs afoul of the Penguin when he steals a fortune from Cobblepot. Batman saves him just as a hit squad arrives to kill him. Tim's parents are put in witness protection, and Batman takes Tim on as Robin.

Points that I liked about the story: Tim wants to be Robin, so it is not thrust upon him; he sees it as a step toward reaching his destiny. He feels that he is meant for greatness. Being Robin is not the be-all and end-all of his life. He forges his own destiny by designing his own uniform and choosing the name Red Robin. Lobdell is making Teen Titans his book with the creative direction he is taking this book.

The art is average. The characters look clunky; sometimes their movement does not seem natural. I do not like the dark gloomy look of most of the book.

I rate Teen Titans #0 Buy Your Own Copy.

Albert Avilla Reviews: Justice League #12

Justice League #12
DC Comics

Reviewed by Albert Avilla

Writer: Geoff Johns
Pencils: Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, David Finch
Inks: Scott Williams, Sandra Hope, Jonathan Glapion, Mark Irwin, Matthew Banning, Rob Hunter, Joe Weems, Alex Garner, Trevor Scott

The Graves storyline comes to a conclusion. We learn that the spirits of the League's loved ones are really spiritual parasites called Pretas, and with their help, Graves starts to take the League down. Steve Trevor frees himself despite being on the edge of death to help the most powerful heroes on Earth. Once Trevor shows up the League realizes that they are not fighting the spirits of their loved ones. The League uses teamwork to defeat Graves; they are becoming the team that we expected.

This is a very eventful story. Green Lantern decides to quit the team as a sacrifice to protect the team's image. It is a sign of the times when you risk your life to save the world, and you have to consider how you are perceived by others while doing it. Green Lantern plays it off like it’s not a major concern, but we know how important the League is to him.

The major bombshell dropped on us is The Kiss. I glad the cover wasn't just sales hype. Superman kisses Wonder Woman in a moment of shared loneliness and understanding of how much they have in common. There will be debate about who kissed whom, but that is not the purpose of this review. Is it a moment of weakness or the beginning of the affair that will rock comicdom? I hope it is not a hook up; I couldn't live with the drama of Wonder Woman being Superman's baby mama. They are both young people, and everyone should have that passionate relationship that burns hot and quickly. It would be shocking if this actually leads to something meaningful. There is definitely story potential here. The New 52, what are you going to do? Blow the roof off the mother or shoot blanks?

All that needs to be said about the art is Jim Lee.

I rate Justice League #12 Buy Your Own Copy.

I Reads You Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE #6

"The Jim Lee Project"
JUSTICE LEAGUE #6
DC COMICS

WRITER: Geoff Johns
PENCILS: Jim Lee
INKS: Scott Williams with Sandra Hope, Batt, and Mark Irwin
COLORS: Alex Sinclair with Tony Avina and Hi-Fi
LETTERS: Patrick Brosseau
COVER: Jim Lee and Scott Williams, with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado with Rod Reis
40pp, Color, $3.99 U.S.

So two months after I read the fifth issue, I finally read Justice League #6 (entitled “Part Six” or Justice League Part Six”). This new Justice League comic book series, launched the last week of August 2011, is essentially the flagship title of “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero comic book line, which also began the last week of August 2011.

As the issue begins, seven superheroes: Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg, who are not part of a team and who are not all friends, have gathered to stop an alien invasion of Earth. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Cyborg, in a united front, try to takedown the leader of this invasion, Darkseid. Meanwhile, on Darkseid’s world, Batman attempts to rescue Superman, who is being tortured by Desaad.

For this opening story arc of the new Justice League, writer Geoff John’s offers what is simply just one big battle that allows him to introduce his new version of the Justice League team lineup. It’s a fairly good story, but, it is also really a single-issue (at most, two-issue) story stretched to six issues i.e. trade paperback size.

To be honest with you, dear reader, I am following this series for Jim Lee’s art. When I review issues not drawn by Lee, you better believe that I got those as freebies. Back to Lee’s art: what glorious art it is! Lee summons his inner Jack Kirby by delivering pencil art full of super powers on display and super-beings in motion. Lee brings out the Kirby bat on such delicious splash pages and spreads as the one featuring Wonder Woman stabbing Darkseid in the eye, Superman flying into Darkseid’s midsection, and the Cyborg boom tube explosion. Ahhh, I think I need a cigarette.

A-

There is a Pandora back-up by Geoff Johns (writer), Carlos D’Anda (artist), Gabe Eltaeb (colors), and Sal Cipriano (letters).

The New 52 Review: GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1

"Lord of the Rings"

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1
DC COMICS

WRITER: Tony Bedard
PENCILS: Tyler Kirkham
INKS: Batt
COLORS: Nei Ruffino
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Tyler Kirkham, Batt, and Rod Reis
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Kyle Rayner first appeared in Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #48 (cover date January 1994). He replaced Hal Jordan as the Green Lantern (of Sector 2814) and held that position until the events of the miniseries, Green Lantern: Rebirth. Now, Rayner returns to Green Lantern status – Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4. With “The New 52,” DC Comics’ re-launch of its superhero line, Rayner headlines Green Lantern: New Guardians.

As Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 (“Part One”) opens, something bad has happened on Oa, and the Guardian, Ganthet, plans on making something good come of it. He chooses down-on-his-luck commercial artist, Kyle Rayner, as the latest member of the Green Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, power rings that tap into different portions of the emotional spectrum are decommissioning and abandoning their owner/wearers. So who is the replacement wearer for all these rings?

Apparently, Green Lantern: New Guardians is a team book starring Kyle Rayner (the Green Lantern of Sector 2814.4?) and representatives of each of the Corps that tap into a particular portion of the emotional spectrum. I can see this becoming my favorite Green Lantern series, even as much as I (thus far) like Green Lantern Corps. Series writer Tony Bedard injects humor, giving the portion of the Green Lantern mythos that he will direct a tweak without tearing it down to build something new.

Unlike the artists of Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps, New Guardians artist Tyler Kirkham is not trying to emulate Brian Bolland. Kirkham honed his skill in a Michael Turner mini-factory, and while his style still shows the influence of the late Mr. Turner, Kirkham can draw and has an imaginative sense of composition. There are a few very nice splash pages and double-page spreads, and also a way-cool body shot of the Star Sapphire known as Fatality.

Green Lantern: New Guardians essentially says that when it comes to Green Lantern comic books, three’s company – not a crowd.

B+

September 28th
AQUAMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/aquaman-1.html
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/batman-dark-knight-1.html
BLACKHAWKS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/blackhawks-1.html
FLASH #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/flash-1.html
I VAMPIRE #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/i-vampire-1.html
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/justice-league-dark-1.html
SUPERMAN #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/superman-1.html
TEEN TITANS #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/teen-titans-1.html
VOODOO #1
http://ireadsyou.blogspot.com/2011/10/voodoo-1.html