The Darkness #2 & 3
Written by Phil Hester
Pencils by Michael Broussard
Inks by Ryan Winn
Colors by Mat Milla
Flashback Sequence by Dale Keown, Joe Weems
Letters by Troy Peteri
Top Cow Productions
Cover price: $2.99; Available now

From a personal standpoint, I am not what you would call a fan of The Darkness. Created over ten years ago, writers of the series have tried to evolve the Darkness character from being more than just the male counterpart of the Witchblade, with varying success rates. I think Paul Jenkins did it best in his run on the series, interjecting both new story ideas and giving Jackie Estacado some much needed humanity. After reading the latest issues of The Darkness, I have a feeling that this current series has the potential to be just as, if not better than, the Jenkins run.

For those who have not been following the series, this current Darkness series picks up with Jackie Estacado out of the mob life and settling into the role of local drug lord in a small republic known as Sierra Munoz. With the aid of a shady scientist named Kirchner, Jackie was able to create a narcotic out of the Darkness to keep locals in check but he also gained something far more important. He gained the ability to create a companion in the form of Elle, a woman created from the Darkness power. Things start to look up for Jackie until the United States catch on to his new empire and decide to bring it down: by force.

From a reader standpoint, I expect a lot from Phil Hester. His writing is top notch on Firebreather and it is no different on Darkness. Hester crafts a story that is very entertaining from beginning to end. It was packed with a lot action scenes involving The Darkness against the U.S. government, but also provides some necessary backstory on the relationship between Jackie and Dr. Kirucher. The back and forth between each story is very reminiscent of Lost in how they handle their storytelling, something that I really enjoyed. These issues were far from boring, yet still missing something.

I would have liked to see more of the Elle/Jackie dynamic that was present in issue two. Elle is essentially a newborn in many cases, evolving into more of a human being at every second. Her feelings and thoughts of Jackie are so strong and so human, that it takes Jackie by surprise, kicking him out of his normal comfort zone. He obviously has physical feelings for Elle, but does he also have emotional feelings for her as well? As a reader, you want to see your characters enter new territory on both an emotional and human level. It would appear that Jackie is headed in that direction and that could not please me more.

Plus, it raises a lot of new questions. If Elle continues to evolve, will she develop free will? If she does so, will she wish to remain with Jackie? How will all this change Jackie personally? The possibilities are endless and with the way that the issue ends, one can only hope these issues would be addressed in future issues.

The art by Michael Broussard is visually pleasing as always. I had previously encountered his art in The Darkness: The Butcher one shot and having seen it in more, I am very pleased with his art. He has a way of making his art look dynamic in all scenes, whether it is The Darkness going medieval on a helicopter or Jackie Estacado standing next to a large pool of blood. My only gripe with his art is that his women tend to look alike in many instances.

While still in its infancy, I have high hopes for this new Darkness series. If Hester continues to progress the Elle/Jackie relationship throughout the series, he could be on his way to writing some of the best Darkness stories out there.