“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Dark #1

If I see one “are you afraid” reference, I’m out of here.

The Dark #1

AAM Markosia (2013)

WRITER: Chris Lynch

ARTIST: Rick Lundeen

Professor Abbott invented “memetech”. Drink the solution, live the story in your head. One night, while he and his wife was mid-story their young son drank the formula and became trapped in his own story. Somehow his wife also ended up in a coma, but not because of the same stuff. Now someone else got their hands on the stuff, and Abbott is fighting back as “The Dark”, using the stuff to stop the bad guys while trying to find out who is abusing his invention.

What they got right: Your mileage may vary, but there is at least an attempt to explain how the stuff works, and how his AI, now in his coat, used the knowledge that can also be downloaded into our hero to boost his skills. There’s a limit to how much info he needs. I’m neural on the outfit.

What they got wrong: I’m guessing somewhere in the next three issues they explain how his wife ended up in a coma. The solicitations at Drive Thru Comics say he’s called The Dark but he’s never called that anywhere in the issue. (And it’s the same solicitations for all four issues and the digital trade.) We never get to see anyone in these story worlds, not even the kid currently trapped in it. Methinks there might be a more interesting story where Abbott has to travel into the kid’s mind to save him than this superhero story where he takes a roided dude down with a poem.

What I think overall: I’m kind of neutral on it. There’s some interesting ideas but some work better than others. The first issue was one of their weekly freebee sales, but I’m not sure I’d go out of my way to read the whole thing, even with the digital trade currently at $3.99, except to review it.