Dark Engine #2 Review

With two issues in, can this new property thrive in the present day? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Sym is worshiped as the Eater of Hearts and the Dark Engine learns the pleasures of being a feared god.

To call this comic book weird would be an understatement, as its creative team continues to build their own modern myth. Whatever the inspirations for this tale may be there’s one thing I feel a hundred percent comfortable in saying: it’s made for a specific audience. And truth be told you have to try it to know if it’s actually for you but in my case I consider myself intrigued as I just can’t wait for the next installment.

Ryan Burton pens the narrative and ultimately the path that this script follows leads to more questions even as it drops some juicy tidbits along the way. From beginning to end I found that I was intrigued by the voice of the piece, as straight forward dialogue crafted some decent layers but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want a bit more. Even so the bulk of what I digested spoke well enough to keep me invested in these strange lands and the ultimate journey of Sym.

I think what really sells the authenticity of this piece ebbs and flows from the illustrations by John Bivens. Each panel is lavished with detail as the artist gives his audience a visceral experience that’s not afraid to embrace the abnormal elements within. He peels away the layers of this world without sacrificing the mechanics that yielded an arc that action enthusiasts can honestly cling to. And when the colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick are added in I’m left with few complaints.

Dark Engine #2 is not something I expected to like as much as I  did. It’s an odd odyssey with all types of adult subject matter but with enough historical resonance and scope to act as an epic that just tickled my fancy. To sum up: this comic book may not be the norm but nonestheless it comes recommended.