The first Top Cow Rebirth story arc for The Darkness concludes, but is it a strong finish or does it go out with a whimper?  Read on to find out

The official description from Image:

“THE CRACK IN EVERYTHING”, PART 5

The cracks in Jackie Estacado’s perfect life become gaping chasms and threaten to swallow him along with the sanity of his wife, Jenny. If that wasn’t enough to drive a man over the edge, the pressure within is nothing compared to the threat from the rival Bulgarian mafia faction closing in on Jackie’s territory.

The lives of these characters have indeed sunk to some dark and murky depths.  And as the new creative team wraps up their opening story arc, some revelations clearly point to an interesting future.  If you thought the Top Cow Rebirth was the shake-up, then this coming story arc is the proverbial aftershock.

The thing that works so well in this script is the fact that it revels in the guts of the story.  After last month’s issue I wasn’t sure how much further this tale could twist and turn before series writer David Hine would stop what he’s doing and change pace.  But rest assured he went even further this time, giving this opening story arc a twisted send-off worthy of the comic book.  My only gripe in this issue is the fact that I wish there would have been some level of closure by the final page or even some answers given considering that this issue is the concluding piece of this opening story arc.

Jeremy Haun again does an astounding job nailing a defining look that suits this series exceptionally well.  His style has grown tremendously in each issue, yielding visuals that are endlessly appealing.  Stiff characters, a world layered in darkness, and some interesting looking monsters allow a style that fits this book perfectly.

The Darkness has a dark but honest soul with stylized art that simply owns the experience.  Recommended.

4/5