Jackie is the bearer of an ageless curse called the Darkness. This is an ancient unholy power that allows its user to create anything they desire, even sentient beings, but anything they make will crumble to dust in the light. The Darkness is quite deadly, allowing the user to call forth darkling minions to aid them, and even survive gunshots. The power can also be used to maul and feed on people. This power is is frighteningly powerful, however, it can only function in the dark.
Phil Hester’s been the writer for the current volume of The Darkness (starting at #65 using legacy numbering). He’s been taking Jackie on a much different journey than the previous Mafia-based stories, reviving and rejuvenating the series. Jackie is being explored as never before, really fleshing out the character and making him more understandable. Unlike the previous two volumes, which had a rather two-dimensional quality to them, the current volume is more engaging and I would put it on a par with Preacher.
The Hunting Party reunites Hester with penciller Michael Broussard. Not only does Broussard provide a good job of human faces and detail, but he excels in his representation of the Darkness powers and fight scenes. I really enjoy his interpretation of Jackie in full power, and I love his Darklings – the detail that Broussard builds into them is truly delightful. His art is nice and clean, yet has enough complexity to provide a good modicum of reality.
I’ve been a fan of The Darkness series since I played the video game, and subsequently discovered the comics. Like Batman, Jackie finds his power in the dark (albeit more literally) and has to walk a fine line to avoid being consumed by it. His is a tale of the darkness in which he must live, and the darkness in his soul. I enjoy these comics immensely, and sincerely hope Phil Hester will be staying behind the steering wheel for a while longer.
Read the full review here.
Source: Battlemouth
No comments:
Post a Comment