Dark Shadows #5
Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: Mike Raicht
Artist: Guiu Vilanova (cover by Francesco Francavilla)
Colors: Carlos Lopez
“The year is 1971. The place, Collinsport, a remote fishing village on the Maine coastline. At its heart lies the ancestral Collinwood mansion, home to the wealthy Collins family. A dynasty living in the shadows of a troubled past. At the old house on the estate lies the Collins family’s darkest secret – Barnabas Collins, a man two centuries out of his time, condemned by the witch Angelique to live for eternity as a vampire. As Barnabas struggles to keep his vampiric existence a secret, he faces an uncertain future living in fear of the supernatural forces that curse the Collins family across history.”
That is the solicit on the inside cover for this newest issue that is brought to us by Dynamite Entertainment! Writer Mike Raicht (The Stuff of Legend, The Pack) takes the reigns with this issue, and brings us a new story line, as well. We watch as Barnabas is plagued by nightmares of his victims attacking him. He then is visited by his confidant, Julia Hoffman. She is trying to help cure him through scientific means, but Barnabas is very skeptical. She vows to help him through it, but leaves disappointed in his lack of faith. He thinks he might still find an answer in an old book, but has failed thus far. Will he find a cure before his blood-lust gives in and he kills more innocent people? That remains to be seen.
Alright, well, this title has been around for five issues now, but this is my first read of it. I was interested from the beginning, but really got excited when the news broke that Mike Raicht was coming aboard. His work with Th3rd World Studios is nothing short of brilliant, and everyone that’s read his work there will have complete faith in him.
From an artistic standpoint, the book was very enjoyable. Barnabas was definitely right on the money, and the scene where he was dreaming and chomped down a girl’s neck looked perfect. Actually the entire dock sequence was pretty cool, and showed just how vicious Barnabas can be. The cover by Francavilla was awesome, too, and I’ve come to expect nothing but that from him. Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
