The Darkness: First Look
Written by Phil Hester
Pencils by Michael Broussard
Inks by Ryan Winn
Colors by Matt Milla
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Michael Broussard, Joe Weems, and Larry Molinar
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: 99¢; On-sale date: Nov. 2007

Though brief, The Darkness: First Look is a hint that there may be some good things to come from Top Cow comics.

After success of the video game version of The Darkness, another reintroduction to the series — which has already experience two previous launches — was inevitable. The Darkness follows ex-mafia hitman Jackie Estacado, who after being betrayed by his uncle, discovered a curse that has plagued his family for uncounted generations. The Darkness gives Estecado the powers of the damned but at the same time struggles for control of his very soul. Given the truly fantastical nature of the story and the Darkness itself, this story is probably best told in the form of a comic book.

While First Look cannot claim to be a great exposition at only 16 pages long, the short piece will surely wet the palette of any newfound fans interested in seeing how the story continues beyond the video game. A brief exposition gives us the origin of the Darkness itself, followed by a tease of what Estacado has been up to since the end of the video game. There’s not much to go on, but it’s enough to see the writers are looking to capitalize on the success of the game and hopefully introduce the universe of The Darkness to a new audience.

For fans of the pre-video game series, the sharp and colorful artwork will be familiar, but new fans be surprised by the difference between the looks of this series and the dark, predominantly unsaturated scenery featured in the game.

The story behind The Darkness has the potential to be a great story, but the series has seen some ups and downs over the past decade. First Look might be only be a small step, but it’s one in the right direction to giving the series a large following.