By Phil Hester (Writer), Jorge Lucas (Art), and Felix Serrano (Colors)
Some Thoughts Before The Review: I was casually flipping through The Darkness #79 when, all of a sudden, I yelled… “Triple-H!?”
The Story: Jackie’s got a new team to work with…
What’s Good: Phil Hester sticks to a very familiar “team-gathering” formula with The Darkness #79 and it works surprisingly well. Each member of Jackie’s team is introduced and given an entertaining (slightly seedy) back-story in a way that wouldn’t feel out of place in an Avengers title. As you probably know though, The Darkness isn’t your average superhero book and it’s for that reason that the latest issue of The Darkness stands out. While Hester doesn’t do anything new with the formula he’s working with, he doesn’t really have to because the style and tone of The Darkness is enough to make his story feel fresh.
Jorge Lucas’ gritty, dark work is a perfect fit for the new Darkness arc. There’s times when a more exciting style works for the series (Michael Broussard’s comes to mind), but this is not one of them. Hester is building a story that’s a bit more grounded and Lucas’ work adds a lot to the tone Hester is going for.
What’s Not So Good: The whole “HHH” thing is a bit of a distraction. I don’t mind referencing if it’s done right, but the WWE star’s appearance really took me out of the story. While HHH is certainly a solid choice for the character his likeness is used for, Vike will always be HHH rather than Vike.
Conclusion: It’s a bit formulaic, but The Darkness #79 is entertaining as hell. I look forward to seeing what Jackie Estacado’s team can do.
Grade: B
-Kyle Posluszny