The Ettatorial for the Week of 2-18-09
A decent week of releases this week, but I’m going to deviate just a bit for my pick of the week. How you ask? Well, the pick this week technically was released last week, but due to my missing it, and it selling out as well, I chose it this week since that’s the only way I could get it.
This week’s pick is The Darkness: Accursed Volume 1. It’s been a while for a Top Cow book to make it on to my reading pile, and this one popped on for a singular reason. This trade paperback, reprinting 6 issues of the new Darkness series cost a whopping $4.99*! An impressive feat, considering the individual issues cost $2.99 each, thus saving me close to $13 to check this out. I have to commend Top Cow for this, as nothing about this trade is cheap, as the production values and extra materials within are top notch just like their usual comic releases. This isn’t the first I’ve heard of Top Cow trying to reach out to new readers and old readers alike with cost saving measures, as these two stories explain. I applaud the effort, and appreciate it in this era of rising prices. On to the actual review of the material herein. While it’s been a while since I’ve read a Darkness story (actually, it’s been since the intial arc by Garth Ennis and Marc Silvestri), this trade did a fine job for the uninitiated reader. Everything a person needs to know is explained without being forced, and new readers should have no problem getting into the story. Writer Phil Hester (Green Arrow and The Coffin among many of his awesome works-not to mention a hell of a guy and fellow eastern Iowan) and penciller Micheal Broussard do a pretty good job telling an action-packed and well thought-out tale of this new status quo for Jackie/current holder of the Darkness. Jackie is now in charge of a whole country, and this story details his rise to power and just what he had to do to get it and just what he’ll have to do to keep it. Hester brings some truly inspired ideas to the story, making some creative and disturbing uses for the Darkness power, and those aren’t just limited to generic darklings, instead think more along the lines of chemistry, science, and religious power. And while the Broussard’s art is what I expected from a Top Cow book, (Not an insult, just the fact that Top Cow has a sort of house style) the art is serviceable to the story at hand, and actually has some dynamic moments reminicent of Silvestri’s early work. I can safely say that I enjoyed this book from start to finish, and actually will probably check out the next volume of the series.
*The cost of $4.99 for this trade seems to be exclusive to comic shops, as online retailers like Amazon seem to have this listed at $9.99. So if you’re looking to purchase this at the $4.99 price, and don’t know where your local comic shop is located, use your local yellow pages or the Comic Shop locator/dial 1-888-comic-shop to find one.
There you go folks, your pick for this week. We’ll see you back here next week, same time, same channel.
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