The Darkness #103 Review

Welcome to The Darkness, a comic book series starring at times good but ultimately bad-boy Jackie Estacado.  Jackie is a mobster.  He once was a hitman but now he’s the boss of his own crime family.  Oh, and he also wields an ancient sentient artifact called “The Darkness” which gives him the power to create anything he wants as long as there’s no light in the room.  With me so far?  Good.

The official description from Image:

“THE CRACK IN EVERYTHING,” Part Three
At home, Jackie remains blissfully unaware of the rot growing under the surface of his perfect family life. But at the office, he’s painfully aware that the cold war brewing between him and the Bulgarian mafiya is about to boil over. Hot on the heels of THE DARKNESS II video game release, Top Cow proudly welcomes the new creative team of DAVID HINE (THE DARKNESS: FOUR HORSEMEN, THE BULLETPROOF COFFIN) and JEREMY HAUN (ARTIFACTS, BATTLE HYMN, Detective Comics)!

In the last few months or so the Top Cow Universe was destroyed and Jackie
Estacado used his powers to make a new one. In this new world he gave himself everything he ever wanted. He has a family, a successful enterprise and he was even able to separate himself from the Darkness.  But now things are starting to slowly slip away.

It’s not easy growing to like a man who murders for money but it’s been done well enough here that seeing things fall apart with the help of some thick but potent dialogue is painful to read. David Hine delivers a a clear narrative that feels more or less like controlled chaos. It’s a roller coaster ride, one full of dismembered body parts, artistic cussing, inspired chuckles as well as dreadful groans.

Jeremy Haun does an inspired job with his panels giving readers the real treat in this issue, the art.  It’s dark, detailed and moody which is perfect for a story that literally is about a man that is (or rather was) the vessel for the dark messed up chaos in this little universe.

Overall The Darkness #103 is an entertaining but at times messed up issue that is not going to be for every comic reader out there.  But nevertheless if you’re willing to take a chance it’s definitely a comic worth picking up.

4/5