Our hero has descended into Hell to see his family restored, but should you really care if they reunite?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

The fate of Nicholas Blair… in the hands of Barnabas Collins! Despite Blair’s noble intentions, his attempts to help have only made things worse. Given the chance, will Barnabas send Nicholas back to hell, or allow the man one more chance to make amends for past sins?

As this complicated yarn continues I’m left in awe at what the creative team has brought to the table. Whether we’re dealing with werewolves, vampires or a hero trapped in a mirror the audience is afforded enough information to get through it. From the first page to the final panel the people behind this book continue to impress me, even as their tale seems slightly over the top.

Mike Raicht pens the script and this narrative following both an evil version of Barnabus Collins and a good half certainly has some legs to speak of.  The author has nurtured what felt like a few random arcs into a symphony of complications that are currently in the drivers seat of this engaging puzzle piece.  In truth I found some of the dialogue to be a bit rough around the edges but the scribe quickly and efficiently finds a way to make it all work, so much so that by the end fans will ignore the minor hiccups and embrace the larger successes.

The art by Nancho Tenorio is just as moody and detailed as fans have come to expect.  He effortlessly creates this world of monsters while evoking enough of their human sides to make their struggles understandable.  In particular he excels at creating a connection between the varying elements from the arc with the staple tropes of the original series, so much so that the end results yield something that can only be described as a new vision.

Dark Shadows #18 continues this odyssey in earnest while fans await whatever resolutions are coming their way.  As this quality storytelling continues the comic earns a recommendation.

4/5