The world of The Darkness will never be the same again, but is it still worth picking up?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

“THE AGE OF REASON,” Part Two

Hope Estacado is very much her father’s daughter. But Jackie Estacado was raised to be a hired killer for a crime family before he inherited the curse of the Darkness. As she matures to take care of her mentally unstable mother, what terrible rites of passage await Hope?

With one issue remaining in this volume there doesn’t seem to be time to waste, as the creative team crafts something that simply continues to prove how special their run on the book has become.  Despite all they’ve put the Estacado family through some of the revelations found here brought momentary happiness, which was much deserved in this eleventh hour.

David Hine delivers a rather simple script that delves into the lore surrounding Aram, explains the Doppelganger and sets the stage for a fitting and possibly final confrontation with the Ancient Ones.  It’s a straight forward journey that never quite leaves home, as it embraces the horror aspects and juvenile tendencies that has made this franchise a staple for quite some time.  Jackie is an imperfect human being, to say the least, and the author has a firm grasp on that fact so much so that when he utters a simple line of dialogue it perfectly paints why he was always destined to bare this burden.

When it comes to realizing a true vision for this franchise Jeremy Haun has become, in my opinion, the ideal candidate.  He expertly weaves his own style into some powerful renditions that are at times jaw dropping.  There are some moments where the mood of the piece feels slightly off but for the most part this were rare occurrences that did little to sully an otherwise excellent ride.

The Darkness #115 is without a doubt a key issue, there’s no denying that.  It’s also another a fine example why this creative team has been so successful with this assuredly aged property.  Highly recommended.

4.5/5