Only Garth Ennis could have penned the story of “The Darkness,†which tells the tale of Jackie Estacado, a sex-crazed mob assassin who acquires super natural powers. Gritty, sexy and blood-filled, “The Darkness†is a well-rounded series that consistently manages to surprise readers, with both drama and action.
Way before he cemented his spot in the industry on the Punisher series, Ennis strutted his stuff here and showed the universe just how wacky, off the wall and damn serious he could be, all at the same time. Available in trade paperback form, “The Darkness: Origins: Volume 1†collects the first six issues of the series and is obviously a great place to start for anyone new to it.
For those who have only begun to hear the name of this series over the past few years, here’s some news: it’s not just a great video game. It’s a great comic book series that inspired an equally as great video game.
Throwing standard comic book convention out the window, Ennis creates Estacado in the image of a villain, as he possesses good looks, charisma, money and doesn’t mind killing people to get his way. Nevertheless, there is something so inescapably intriguing about the character that you’ll feel forced to turn the page and see where his crazy powers take him. From dealing with not being able to have sex anymore to simply losing people in his life, Estacado is an amazing character who, in spite of his bizarre situation, is a good guy, but for all the wrong reasons.
Much like an anti-hero like Deadpool, Estacado is ruthless, but doesn’t forget to be a wise-ass at the same time. However, even Deadpool himself would be a bit grossed out with the ways Estacado takes care of his enemies.
Stay away from toilet bowls.
When this dude is combined with the mystical and deep story behind the origin of his powers, you end up with a story that has no real genre. Part sci-fi, part crime-drama, part soap opera, “The Darkness†has something for everyone.
That sentiment is furthered even more after the art work of Marc Silvestri is put into play.
A true talent that can not only draw a sexy, sultry female, Silvestri matches the tone set by Ennis and make his words pop off the page. Finding a way to mix action-packed splash pages with facial expression panels and quick-spot scenes that induce a breakneck pace, Silvestri and Ennis form a tag team that is something truly special.
With top-notch writing and visuals, “The Darkness: Origins: Volume 1†is a must own trade for any comic book fan that missed the series when it first came out and is a testament to the overall talent of Ennis and Silvestri.
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