readers of Dark Shadows comics in their various incarnations have had to either compromise their expectations a great deal or forego the medium entirely.
Thankfully, Dynamite has gotten it right. The book’s first story arc begins in 1971, immediately after the end of the series. Commencing with the narration, “My name is Dr. Julia Hoffman,” the series immediately embraces the format and fla- vor of the show. The opening scene is a quiet en- counter between Julia and Elizabeth Stoddard in the Collinwood foyer, a typical open for a Dark Shadows episode. Serious fans will be pleased to discover that Caroline Collins is still mourning the loss of husband Jeb Hawkes and that David Collins feels abandoned by the recent departure of Hallie Stokes. By name-checking a couple of lesser- known characters from the show’s final year, Man- ning lets us know that the series is intended as a full and faithful continuation of the original series. Manning’s initial 4 issue arc, perhaps not too sur- prisingly, deals with the resurrection of Angelique, the series’ most enduring villain. The plotting is tight and logical, and makes excellent use of the cast. Aaron Campbell’s art, employing thick lines and plenty of, well, dark shadows, may seem a bit
jagged to some but actually captures the facial features of most of the familiar actors rather well. The layouts are effective at presenting the often static quality of the program, punctuated with bursts of action and spirited dialogue. As of Issue #5, Manning and Campbell were replaced on the series by writer Mike Raight and a revolving group of artists. This seems to be stan- dard procedure at Dynamite where long-running creative teams are rare. The switch did not result in a loss of quality or tone, however. Subsequent artists have maintained a consistent look for the book, while Raight’s storylines have built smoothly upon Manning’s foundations, including his pro- clivity for re-introducing plot elements and char- acters from the series. A recent storyline included a conflict with The Master, the briefly seen Satanic figure served by Angelique and Nicholas Blair, culminating in the return to Collinwood of Nicho- las Blair facilitated by the shards of Blair’s magic mirror, last seen during the show’s “Adam” story- line! In short, both the Manning and Raight runs are characterized by an obsession for detail sel- dom seen outside STAR TREK fandom. And that’s a good thing. Raight also takes the opportunity to ramp up a few elements that the show was never able to showcase as effectively as some fans might wish. Action and vampire attacks are more explo- sive, magical effects are more awe-inspiring and Quentin Collins changes into a werewolf a lot more often. Some fans may see these changes as a vio- lation of the show’s spirit, while others may find them a fulfillment of the program’s occasionally unfulfilled potential for horror and excitement. Happily, the DARK SHADOWS license seems to have been lucrative enough for Dynamite to jus- tify a couple of spin-off series. A 5-issue DARK SHADOWS/VAMPIRELLA crossover was great fun for anyone who doesn’t take either franchise too seri- ously. Written by Marc Andreyko with art by Patrick Berkenkotter and Jose Malaga, the series teamed Barnabas and Quentin with Vampirella and her fellow Warren Publishing alum Pantha, to solve a series of grisly murders in New York City. Bernenkotter’s art is nicely detailed and dynamic. In particular, a violent battle between Barnabas and Vampi (a prerequisite to any comic book team- up) depicted in the first two issues is particularly exciting. While the TV series occasionally reminded us of Barnabas’ physical power, Jonathan Frid was no stuntman and the show wasn’t about to hire one. It’s fun to see the full potential of Barnabas’ powers unleashed across the page.
The plot itself is serviceable, but nothing we haven’t seen before. Most readers will not be
77
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116