REVIEW: The Darkness vol. 1 #1

Story: Garth Ennis
Pencils: Marc Silvestri
Inks: Batt
Colors:  Steve Firchow
Letters: Dennis Heisler
Review: Art Bee

The shame  you only wish to see on my face is present only because I’ve realized in my time with HCB there is only one review of any Darkness title bearing my name (and at all). This will now be remedied. In December, 1996, my feet carried me into DNC Comics in Kokomo (it has long since closed down), and my eyes beheld an intoxicating title on the shelves. For me The Darkness #1 was like the first shot of heroin...purely addictive. The book had many features that grabbed my attention from the start.

This first issue kicked off a long-term intellectual property Silvestri had been sitting on for a long time. With Image well on its way to success, this issue unveiled that vision. The focal character of the series is the main attraction for me. Jackie Estacado is an enforcer for a large mafia family headed by Don Franchetti. Jackie is a cool, collected badass with little to fear. Here is one of my favorite exchanges in all of comicdom:

Bartender: “Mm. You know, this being the late twentieth century and all, taking advantage of the mentally retarded is generally frowned upon…”
Jackie: “She’s not retarded--!”
Bartender: “Jackie, I just heard you promise to get her a walk on part on the Simpsons.”   

The Darkness #1 paints a picture of Jackie’s life at the moment everything he knows gets tossed into the blender. In this issue we see his mafia family and another go to war, assassination attempts on his uncle Don Franchetti and himself, an attack of some angelic looking creatures, strange soldiers trying to kidnap him, and the emergence of something called the Darkness. What is Jackie to do? The Darkness’ advice…embrace his inner darkness.

In case you don’t know, the Darkness is an ancient power passed down the Estacado family line by the first born. Sadly, when the old wielder of the Darkness conceives a child, the Darkness immediately leaves their body for the progeny leaving the former wielder dead…instantly. The powers of the Darkness are vast and seem almost omnipotent, but all of its abilities are negated by light…of any kind. This presents the wielder a unique challenge to be proactive about.

The biggest reason this series has been so important in my comic collection is its spin on light vs. dark. Sometimes you find light in the darkest places. Sometimes someone who is evil can accomplish something good.

Some of Silvestri’s greatest work occurs in this issue and series. In my opinion Silvestri has one of the best talents for facial artistry. He has a very strong ability to create symmetry in facial features not easy to find, even today. Nowadays, some symmetry looks too perfect (like the software allows you to draw a face and mirror the better side). Also Marc S. shows us his attention to detail by giving so much of it. For instance: towards the end of the issue when the Darkness is manifested, we are given a lot of detail in not just the character and foreground but in the background as well.

Those who know me well are familiar with my fascination for anti-heroes. They typically have a character or image contrary to their actual role. This allows us to be blindsided by their occasional good or bad deeds. Normal super-heroes are just too predictable for me. I need my heroes to walk that gray line between good and evil to keep it interesting. They feel more real…like everyday people who struggle with morality.