Writer: Paul Jenkins
Artists: Jae Lee (p+i), Jose Villarrubia (c)
Plot:
Jackie Estacado exacts revenge on mobster Tommy "the Lion" Leoni for burning down an orphanage.
Comments:
This prelude issue is an oh so tantalizing tease of what Paul Jenkins is doing currently in the Darkness regular series. It sets the mood beautifully, builds the tension, and gives enough resolution to allow the reader to be left satisfied, but wanting more. Isn't that what PT Barnum said? "Always leave them wanting more!" True the book is slight at only 16 pages of story, but it is supplement by Jenkins full script, some art in the style "The Making of Darkness Prelude," and a page of biographical information if you don't know who the hell the creators are.
Jenkins script is nicely evocative of the two characters. The first three pages are spent in an internal monologue by Jackie, who is presented as a somewhat world-weary and hard-boiled character, but also vulnerable to the darkness residing inside. His motivation for going after the mobster is perhaps a little simplistic, but in the larger scope of what is going on in the story this is hardly a major flaw. Tommy Leoni is a slimeball, who refers to himself in the third person, the true sign of a nutjob or villain. He is full of bravado and puff until things start getting creepy, which they do very quickly.
Jae Lee's style for this story is even darker than usual - this isn't American Gothic, it's out and out gothic. The sort of gothic that would make Stoker and Mary Shelley shudder. Lee's illustrations of Tommy are nicely grizzled, and although (deliberately) we don't get to see much of Jackie, he is a well-rendered character. The artist obviously has taken delight in the immense amount of work put into the background scenery and architecture - it comes alive so much so it could well be considered the third character in the story.
The colors provided by Jose Villarrubia are muted and assist the tone of the storytelling extremely well. The panel where the wires break and electricity goes outside the old jailhouse is particularly effective. Top marks should also go to the Top Cow and Dynamic Forces production team, who have put together a very slick and nicely packaged little book.
Final Words:
Consider this book an appetizer. It has a simple brief and executes it well (no pun intended!)
Win the Jae Lee cover to this comic: http://silverbulletcomicbooks.com/contest/
Buy this comic from Dynamic Forces: http://www.dynamicforces.com/htmlfiles/p-C96760.html
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