Dark Ride, Volume 2: Family Horror

Dark Ride #5-8

by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan (Artist), Adriano Lucas (Artist)

Sam Dante is haunted by a mysterious death at Devil Land, but the bigger threat may be the dark forces that truly control his family’s legacy and theme park empire. His search for the truth will lead him down a twisted path through the depths of the park and his family's history, where all the bodies are buried.  

The critically acclaimed series from Joshua Williamson (Superman) and Andrei Bressan (Justice League Incarnate) continues in this terrifying journey deeper into The Scariest Place on Earth.   Collects DARK RIDE #5-8 and a short story from SKYBOUND X #25

Genres: Horror, Graphic Novels, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise is so fucknuts stupid that it shouldn't work, but it just does.
And now I'm completely invested in this storyline.



So something evil is amiss in the theme park, and the son of the creator, Sam Dante, is tentatively teaming up with the sister of the boy who supposedly killed himself in the park.
But the more they investigate, the weirder things get.



Sam also takes a supernatural ride down memory lane and finds out that nothing about his childhood is what he thought it to be.
There's some dark & freaky shit in that family tree!



The ending leaves you hanging off the cliff, so I'm definitely coming back for more as soon as possible.



Recommended.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This new title continues to intrigue, and Bressan's art suits the story superbly. I will definitely continue reading.


Darkness with claws.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid followup. We get a lot more info on the park and good old dad as well as the main characters mother. But I have to say this one felt a lot stiffer in pacing and didn't get me as excited. I think changing different view points and focusing on the park more over family drama would have done this one a favor, least one issue.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting to see the history behind this family a bit has me even more intrigued with what is going on and still very curious to see how this will play out. Reading these, you can really see how much Williamson loved theme parks and the horror genre.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow, the failson head of the theme park is shocked that there's something evil going on in the clearly possessed theme park. So like, it's hard to really connect with the plot here.

That said, the flashbacks nicely flesh things out and the pacing is superb. Art too. Dark Ride is honestly pretty dumb, but it's kinda good dumb.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow this comic gets more and more interesting, while remaining just as fun as when it started.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much of a wild ride (see what I did there?) as volume 1, but still manages to be engaging while offering a good amount of backstory.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this story and the Dante family.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume plays out like a schlocky horror movie - over the top gore, some cheap and some earned scares, and just enough investment in the characters to establish some stakes. It’s a little fluffy but plenty of fun.

I like how this arc deepens the backstory and focuses on the Dante twins. We learn about the dark origins of Devil Land through their eyes — but maybe we all learn about it a little too late??! I’ll be reading the conclusion for sure.

[Rahul Nadella · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are lots of twists and turns as Dark Ride explores the history of the Devil's Land amusement park. It keeps things moving while also adding more mystery and questions while also pulling back the curtain a bit hinting at the horrors going on. The visual contrast between the flashback and the present story is brilliant and I love how the art captures the thrills of the action in the story. Dark Ride proves that theme parks may not be great places for families. If you're a fan of the horror genre, this is a series you don't want to miss.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even creepier than the first volume. This one concentrates on Halloween and Samhain's mother, and in the process starts to very slowly gives hints and answers to what's going on. Ends on a major cliffhanger, too.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This builds on volume 1 satisfactorily with Sam finally realising the kind of deal that his father may have made with Danny the Demon; but the interesting twist is that whereas he thought that his mother, Rebecca, may have been slowly killed by his Dad, in some soul-killing way, as part of the Faustian deal it turns out that she knew and (apparently) suffered out of love for Arthur Dante and her two children. The sister, Halloween hardly features in this collection, so considering the cliffhanger ending with Sam's daughter Autumn in mortal danger it'll be interesting to see, in the next volume, who's side she chooses...

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Just what I wanted: more creepy demons running around a theme park and a dysfunctional family with capital FUN.

I don’t know what compelled me to start DARK RIDE. The plot sounded campy as hell (ha). Now that I’ve actually read books 1 and 2, the camp factor is there, but it’s also pretty damn scary and unsettling. The artwork is pretty and only amplifies the scary, unsettling tones. Creepy, bright-colored creatures smile at you. Black and white art highlighted with splotches of red are truly disturbingly cool. I could go on, but I think I need to call an exorcist because, when it comes down to it, WHAT THE F IS HAPPENING?!

On to book 3.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun read and really gives you the sense of horror here as we learn more about the deal that Arthur made and how its impacting his children and I love the sense of doom it feels reading this volume for all our characters and the way Summer is involved too, I feel like we maybe seeing a romance develop between her and Sam and I am all for it, but Danny D. evil is the stand out, he will give you the creeps and by the end.. ahh! Seriously so many jumpscare moments and the ending was just awesome with the fate of one character and what it means for the "Dante" family next!!

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family...

Sam is starting to see that there's more to his family's legacy than he thought. His sister has always 'drunk the Kool-Aid' and stood by his dad, but Sam watched his mother get sicker and sicker. The stories of murders and suicides within the park have been a thing, but it's starting to get....strange.
Now, his marriage is a mess and his daughter is WAY too into the horrors of Devil Land.

Maybe if he learns more of the truth, things will have a way of working out.
...or not.
--
Bonus: What is this dark pact that their father made?

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wake up. I'm in hell. I'm forever doomed to write reviews of the middle parts of 3-part series. What do you say in the middle? How do you even quantify the middle third of a story? Surely it's the least interesting. Surely there's lots more to say about the last third, or the first.

And doesn't picking up part two kind of say what needs to be said about part one? Yet, picking up part 3 doesn't say anything about part two other than "Was good enough to convince me to see this through, whether that be because I'm stubborn, the book is great, or some combination of those two things."

[Ανδρέας Μιχαηλίδης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong beginning, strong middle (I'm assuming - I don't know how long the series is going to be). Do not let the five stars fool you. this is not what you would call a "masterpiece" or anything, but it delivers on its promises, and that is more than can be said about 95% of the comics out there today.

I AM a little worried abut how it will end, as issue #9 felt like a pointless filler, but I will wait for the third volume before judging.

So far, though, so good.

[Robert Bussie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot thickens. We learned from the first book how Devil Land was created. But who is Arthur's other wife? What about the secret garbage room with the unstable Alister? Why does the park need blood sacrifices? These questions have made me order volume three from my library. Plus the subtle references to horror stories and movies are a nice touch.

The art is really good matching the tone of the story without exaggerated character designs.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark Ride's second instalment continues to be creepy as sin while dripfeeding us with the promise of solid answers, as Summer and Sam join forces, Halloween plots, and the seedy underbell of Devil Land makes itself known both figuratively and literally. Very much onboard, even if there's no safety bar.

[Kat Trent · Rating 4 out of 5]

dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes


I adore this series! I think that it is a quick, interesting read and built upon the first volume while adding more mystery

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

No horror like the family. Especially a family whose patriarch messes with the dark forces. The plot thickens, the mysteries get more involved and elaborate, and the twins battle for control of the Devil Land ramps up. Meanwhile, the darkness has its own ideas of how to proceed. Read this immediately after finishing the first book and now can't wait for the third one. Oodles of fun. Recommended.

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 4 out of 5]

Went back and read all three volumes once the third was released. Dark Ride is a solid horror story by the writer/artist team behind the 'Birthright' series. It's extremely well-done with some super-cool set-pieces and characters you care about. Looking forward to seeing how Williamson wraps this series up.

[John Gustafson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series, which reimagines Disney World as if it were based on horror rather than fairy tales, has some fantastic visuals, particularly some of the interiors. The character work, graphically and narratively, is less stellar.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less creepy but just as unsettling as volume one. Just as gory for sure. The plot and pacing seems more uneven here, as we find out more about the mom and the origins of the park. There's some supernatural shit they have to reveal next volume, cuz the mascots are out for blood.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review is for all three volumes read consecutively

It doesn't end where the first issue seemed to be going, ending up lighter and more friendly than it seems like it should, but overall enjoyable.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still rounding up from 3.5. I have some ideas of what's going on, but I definitely want to read the final volume to find out. I did like the backstory with Samhain and Halloween's mother that we got. It's definitely a bloody comic.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Darker.

[SassieMolassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unsure of where this is going, but I'm along for the ride. Can't wait for the next vol.!

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems to be crawling along at a bit of a snail's pace, even as Williamson throws in a bunch of flashbacks to start filling in some of the gaps. The artwork is the real draw here, so far.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continues to be an incredibly fun and spooky tale.