CBR Exclusive Preview: Darkness #86

The Darkness #86
Story by: Phil Hester
Art by: Sheldon Mitchell
Cover by: Rafael Albuquerque
Publisher: Top Cow Productions
Cover Price: $2.99

Alkonost, Part 2 of 2!

In the hunt for The Sovereign Jackie and crew strike a deal with an insane Russian mobster and collector of the occult, but his supernatural enforcer wants to add a Darkness wielder to the collection. What is The Alkonost and how does it control even The Darkness itself?

Top Cow Pit artist Sheldon Mitchell (Pilot Season: Stealth) joins regular writer Phil Hester (Gen13, The Anchor) for a sinister two-part story. Featuring a cover by Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire)!

See the full preview here.
Source: CBR

Newsarama: Image & Top Cow November 2010 Solicitations

Some long-awaited collections, new number 1s, and of course continuing tales from Image and Top Cow are the highlights of this month’s solicitations. Scroll through to see what they have to offer for November 2010!



THE DARKNESS #89
story PHIL HESTER
art SHELDON MITCHELL
cover BANE
NOVEMBER 3
32 PAGES / FC / ONGOING SERIES
$2.99
Outer Darkness, Part 1 of 6!
With the threat of the Sovereign finally removed from his life, Jackie believes he can get some well-deserved rest. Beaten and worn down, Jackie simply wants some brief peace. But just as he believes he has a grasp on the true nature of The Darkness, Jackie’s world is opened up to another dimension all together. And with it, the Darkness War begins...


To see the rest, go here.
Source: Newsarama

Newsarama's Best Shots Reviews The Darkness #85

The Darkness #85 (Published by Top Cow; Review by Lan Pitts): If you really want your dose of anti-hero, then you need to get this issue of The Darkness. The thing is probably the best about Top Cow is the level of accessibility to new readers. If you've just heard about the Darkness character through his video game or word of mouth and not sure what's a good jumping point, I'd say try this issue. Jackie is on a mission to destroy his nemesis', the Sovereign, bodies that he uses as hosts. So, Jackie ends up in Russia where he crosses paths with a former human trafficker that may not be as harmless as he appears. Phil Hester continues to deliver some great, gritty dialog worthy of even the big two's son-of-a-guns. Stealth artist Sheldon Mitchell joins the gang as the new ongoing artist and it's stellar. He has an angular style that is in the same vein as Sean Chen and in some aspects, Frank Quietly. Top Cow has really been on the ball lately and with Artifacts coming up, this is a book that I'm sure will have some great moments in it.

Source: Newsarama

CBR: The Darkness Turns #85

Jackie Estacado has a big year ahead of him.

As the bearer of The Darkness, Estacado is one of the most important figures within the Top Cow Universe, as evidenced by his central role in "Artifacts," the publisher's upcoming 13-issue limited series written by Ron Marz and illustrated by a team of artists including Michael Broussard. But his own adventures can't be discounted either, as "The Darkness" writer Phil Hester has plenty of dark designs ahead for Estacado as the character moves towards his milestone 100th issue. Before that, however, Jackie has to settle his score against the deadly Sovereign.

"The Sovereign is an immortal king from an impossibly ancient civilization who, as punishment for some act of hubris, was cursed to live forever in the idols made in his image during his reign. So, he's basically a ghost that can inhabit and animate statues of himself," Hester told CBR News of Jackie's current nemesis.

Read the full article here.
Source: CBR

Comic Attack Reviews Top Titles in Under 140 Characters

Here you can find out what we at ComicAttack.net thought of this past week’s new books in 140 characters or less! Make sure to come back each week to see what we have to say about the latest comics!

Angelus #4 (Top Cow)
Infinite Speech: Angelus vs Darkness fight finishes up, and Marz even throws in a lesbian kiss… so a lot of fanboys became men after reading this.

Velocity #1 (Top Cow)
Andy: Velocity is hot and the story pulled me in. I dig it.
Decapitated Dan: My favorite Cyberforce babe is back. Amazing artwork and a fun story. Like her first mini series!
Infinite Speech: Marz and Rocafort start this long awaited series off pretty damn awesome but WHERE IS ELLIS?

Newsarama Exclusive Preview: Darkness #85

THE DARKNESS #85
(W) Phil Hester (A) Sheldon Mitchell (Cov) Aaron Campbell

Alkonost, Part 1 of 2!
When Jackie’s mission to destroy all of the Sovereign’s host bodies brings him into the collection of an eccentric Russian crime boss, he and his crew are confronted with an evil that is all too human.

Top Cow Pit artist Sheldon Mitchell (Pilot Season: Stealth) joins regular writer Phil Hester (Gen13, The Anchor) for a sinister two-part story. Featuring a cover by Aaron Campbell (Sherlock Holmes, Green Hornet)!

32 pages Full Color $2.99


See the full exclusive preview here.
Source: Newsarama

Jazma Online Forum Interviews Sarah Queen

Richard Vasseur inerviews Sara Queen, and they talk shop on the Darkness/ Darkchylde crossover, Kindom of Pain.

Read the interview here.
Source: forums.jazmaonline.com

Jazma Online Interviews Randy Queen

Richard Vasseur from Jazma Online interviews Randy Queen. They talk shop about The Darkness Darkchylde crossover, Kingdom of Pain.

Check out the interveiw here.
Source: jazmaonline.com

Forever Geek: Darkchylde Returns

Reading last weeks team up has made me reconsider Ariel Chylde as a valid character, demonstrating elements of teenage vulnerability combined with a slightly battle-hardened view, she is still obviously in recovery in coming to terms with her role. The Darkness was an excellent choice to balance her with, allowing Randy Queen to highlight the contrasts in a manner not too pretentious, and following on the back of the Darkchylde/Witchblade crossover, it seems he may be establishing her in the Top Cow-er-verse. I wonder what happened to the promised movie deal?

Read the full review here.
Source: forevergeek.com

SciFi Pulse Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain #1

This is a book that I have been waiting for since I first learned about in late 2009. In the 90s I remember reading Darkchylde, loving every issue, and always felt that this title was an underappreciated series. So I was beyond ecstatic when I found out Randy Queen was going to brink her back.

Read the full review here.
Source: scifipulse.net

Broken Frontier Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain #1

The Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom Pain offers fans something we haven’t seen in a long time. I’m not sure if there’s an official term for it, but this comic mixes violence, horror, fantasy, and humor in just the right proportions. It’s very much like early Spawn or Darkness comics, before they started leaning heavily on the serious noir and graphic horror aspects of the characters. Randy Queen’s art and writing keep true to the mischievous nature of the characters, which makes for a dark but humorous story.

Read the full review here.
Source: brokenfrontier.com

CBR: Image Reprints Second Wave of Image Firsts

This Fall, Image Comics is re-presenting 10 first issues as an introduction to some of its most acclaimed titles. Each debut acts as a perfect primer to its corresponding ongoing series and collected editions. Starting September 1, 2010, and continuing through November, each reprinted first issue will be available for only $1.

"Response to Image Firsts has been phenomenal," exclaims Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. "So, we are expanding the line with a second wave of IMAGE FIRSTS. Image Firsts is a fantastic way for readers to discover new titles and for retailers to introduce customers to Image's unsurpassed backlist."

IMAGE FIRSTS: WAVE 2 shipping this September include:

IMAGE FIRSTS: THE DARKNESS #1
story GARTH ENNIS
art & cover MARC SILVESTRI
SEPTEMBER 1

To see the other Image Firsts titles, go here.
Source: CBR

Furious Fanboys Lists Darkness & Witchblade as Characters They Want to See in the Big Screen

Darkness: There are two genres most beloved by American audiences: mafia and super hero flicks. Directors can tap into both simultaneously with this Top Cow character, who wields dark constructs not unlike the Green Lantern. What differentiates him from Hal Jordan is that he’s a former mafia hitman on the wrong side of the law, but with a strict set of morals.

Witchblade: Back in the early 2000s, the Witchblade saga saw its televised debut, but as of yet, is still awaiting a theatrical adaptation. It’s been in the works for a while, but no progress has been announced despite its past 2009 and 2010 time stamp. Our primary suggestion is that they avoid considering Meghan Fox for the lead role since it’s doubtful that she can carry a movie on her own.

See it here.
Source: furiousfanboys.com

Image Addiction: Try Image Comics with Second Wave of Image Firsts

Berkeley, CA – 14 June 2010 – This Fall, Image Comics is re-presenting 10 first issues as an introduction to some of its most acclaimed titles. Each debut acts as a perfect primer to its corresponding ongoing series and collected editions. Starting September 1, 2010, and continuing through November, each reprinted first issue will be available for only $1.

“Response to Image Firsts has been phenomenal,” exclaims Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “So, we are expanding the line with a second wave of IMAGE FIRSTS. Image Firsts is a fantastic way for readers to discover new titles and for retailers to introduce customers to Image’s unsurpassed backlist.”


See it here.
Source: imageaddiction.net

The Intelligent Monster Reads All Things Phil Hester

Phil's writing a ton of stuff these days, and while as a writer has really found his "voice" and his work all has that "Phil Hester feeling" (to paraphrase Barton Fink) the wide range of stuff guarantees there is something for just about everybody.

Phil's been writing The Darkness for Top Cow for a couple of years now and its been a great mix of action,crime, and horror. When they relaunched The Darkness Top Cow made the smart choice to just let Phil run with it and do something new and fresh with the book, striking a balance between giving the hardcore Darkness fans what they want but with a fresh perspective that appeals to readers who might have never been into the Top Cow universe stuff before. The first trade of Phil's run collects the inital 6 issue arc that establishes the new status quo, and with a price of only $4.99 is the perfect place to start.

Read the full article here.
Source: theintelligentmonster.blogspot.com

Nfamous Gamers Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde

Like life for the current Darkness bearer Jackie Estacado couldn’t possibly get any weirder right? Uh-huh, suddenly he is drawn into a world where everything is just about as ass backwards as you can get. It is a sort of living dreamscape that has been created by the unconscious mind of Ariel Chylde, also known as the Darkchylde. So why has Jackie been drawn here? And why is Ariel unconscious to begin with? The Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom Pain one-shot answers those questions.

Read the full review here.
Source: nfamousgamers.com

SciFiPulse.net Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain

This is a book that I have been waiting for since I first learned about in late 2009. In the 90s I remember reading Darkchylde, loving every issue, and always felt that this title was an underappreciated series. So I was beyond ecstatic when I found out Randy Queen was going to brink her back.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Darkchylde, the series was first launched in 1996 and centers on Ariel Darkchylde, a teen cursed with the ability to transform in monsters, but once she becomes herself again, the monster is set free to wreck havoc. As the story progressed she battled other monsters, learned more about the nature of her powers, and struggled with her place in the world. But enough with the past.

Read the full review here.
Source: scifipulse.net

Broken Frontier Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde: Kingdom of Pain

Art-wise, the Queens make a great team. With Randy on pencils, and Sarah on inks, color, lettering, and design, the book comes together very well. The majority of this issue takes place in an icy nightmare world where it rains blood, and the reader is definitely made aware of this. The contrast between cold blue ice and flowing red blood is explored in depth both through color and design. The sky and the ground stand apart like fire and ice, as do the Darkness and Darkchylde’s costumes. Randy Queen is a master at designing details on monsters, and we see that throughout this issue.

Read the full review here.
Source: brokenfrontier.com

Hollywood Jesus Reviews Darkness/Darkchylde

I can see why Randy and Sara became such huge hits. The writing and artwork here is tremendous. They do a great job capturing the essence of the characters, even if you know nothing about them.

Two things that sticks out here: Ariel telling Jackie “This isn’t about what we want, it’s about the GOOD in us being able to prevent a BAD that is coming” and “Things get cracked and broken, it happens. But they can still be beautiful again.” I think those lines really sum up the story. No matter how dark the world is, there is always a light that shines brighter.

Read the full review here.
Source: live.hollywoodjesus.com

Ideology of Madness: Collecting Artifacts: The Angelus

Just as Darkness bearers are male, Angelus bearers are female, but unlike the Darkness, the female bearers of the Angelus don’t maintain control over themselves. The Angelus takes control over them entirely, using them in her quest to rid the world of the Darkness. When Jackie Estacado became the Darkness, the Angelus tried to take advantage of the moment of weakness during the transformation to eliminate the Darkness once and for all. When Sara is possessed by the dark half of the Witchblade (during War of the Witchblades), she assaults and mortally wounds fellow Witchblade bearer Dani Baptiste (check my Witchblade entry for more on that). The Angelus takes hold of Dani Baptiste and tries something it’s never tried before – Dani is the bearer of the Angelus, but still maintains free will, much like Jackie Estacado and the Darkness.