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The Darkness: Levels, Volume 1
Based on the hit video game from 2K Games, this trade paperback captures the adventure and excitement of the game as brought to you by veteran The Darkness scribe Paul Jenkins (Civil War: Front Line), The Darkness co-creator David Wohl and the artistic stylings of various Top Cow artists. This trade paperback is a must for fans of the series and the game! Also includes a bonus gallery of concept art from superstar gaming design studio Starbreeze!
176 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2007
About the author
Paul Jenkins
1,293 books157 followersPaul Jenkins is a British comic book writer. He has had much success crossing over into the American comic book market. Primarily working for Marvel Comics, he has had a big part shaping the characters of the company over the past decade.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 18, 2024
TopCow Inc comic „The Darkness” turned into a video game in 2007 got its own spin-off adaptation in form of a comic. Darkness Levels. Funny… full-circle.
Anyway…
‘Levels’ uses framework and character of Jackie faithfully as it was written and stylised in a video game “Darkness”- a grim mob thriller rather than supernatural fights and edgy, pointy, sharp splash colourful madness of OG Darkness comics featuring Angels, demons and whatnot. This comic is grounded, more personal story, there’s no Angelus around (who read The Darkness knows what it means) and
Comic has a stylistic of fitting (and at times pretty-like a skilful painting) noir graphic novel. Playing with shadows and contrast between (har, har…) darkness and lighter tones of paint. It starts right where origin of The Darkness being in Estacado bloodline (that’s main characters family) in WWII segment that’s present in the game and also serves as origin. Video game had it in second act, comic goes straight away to laying foundation what The Darkness is, how it got to Jackie in the first place, before events of the plot of a game are fully unfolded in a graphic novel format.
“Darkness: Levels” was written in part by OG comic creator- David Wohl & lead writer of a video game adaptation- Paul Jenkins.
What was an allusion or little detail in a course of video game in “Level” gets more air to breathe or clarification. Since there’s room to deviate from path of games plot and even in a way from the tone of the video game.
For example Jackie acknowledges the weird occult, partially unexplainable mess he’s brought into by being a host of Darkness and naturally is weirded out at times why he can summon black holes or demon gremlins from outside realm. I appreciate that Jenkins clearly jabs at the results of having to leave a sketch of some ideas in a game and expands a little on such plot points or Jackie’s reactions in this material. It’s good stuff. It gives you the supplement elements to original material rather than being a re-thread which would be kinda stale.
Darklings have some character in a comic.
But let’s talk about the heart of “Darkness”, the most memorable element of games narrative and truly mature element of it- excluding all the gore, mob shenanigans and all the sweet, sweet devouring of people by the Darkness- Jenny & her relationship with Jackie.
Jackie- in a comic- gets to have a heart to heart talk with Jenny, explain her more of the gravity of his place in a mob world and be once again noticeably only tender, guard-off with her. Which makes tragic events of Jenny and Jackie more classy and tragic. It was heartfelt, classy and very tender (ending of “The Darkness” is heartbreaking to me every time I replay it once a year) but here some events work more in tandem, making it more weighty, more of a fatum, desperate situation.
And speaking of desperate situations after the point where Jackie points a gun to his head in a story, art direction, lines and background composition completely changes. Emphasising different state, world Jackie’s in. More bright, homage to OG Darkness comic style but still in right more noir tone. That was nice. But it also jumps into cheeky, goofy supernatural for a few panels. But not to rip out the melancholy of the original story.
Strange idea, but works and has energy.
Shame that it was discontinued, I’d like to see more story of Jackie Estacado. But another reboot cut itself in and this story is in uncooked unfolded state. Oh well…
It was a short but pleasant read.
3,5/5 stars. Pretty fun read, especially if you’re fan of a game or like some goth-oriented comics with action.
Anyway…
‘Levels’ uses framework and character of Jackie faithfully as it was written and stylised in a video game “Darkness”- a grim mob thriller rather than supernatural fights and edgy, pointy, sharp splash colourful madness of OG Darkness comics featuring Angels, demons and whatnot. This comic is grounded, more personal story, there’s no Angelus around (who read The Darkness knows what it means) and
Comic has a stylistic of fitting (and at times pretty-like a skilful painting) noir graphic novel. Playing with shadows and contrast between (har, har…) darkness and lighter tones of paint. It starts right where origin of The Darkness being in Estacado bloodline (that’s main characters family) in WWII segment that’s present in the game and also serves as origin. Video game had it in second act, comic goes straight away to laying foundation what The Darkness is, how it got to Jackie in the first place, before events of the plot of a game are fully unfolded in a graphic novel format.
“Darkness: Levels” was written in part by OG comic creator- David Wohl & lead writer of a video game adaptation- Paul Jenkins.
What was an allusion or little detail in a course of video game in “Level” gets more air to breathe or clarification. Since there’s room to deviate from path of games plot and even in a way from the tone of the video game.
For example Jackie acknowledges the weird occult, partially unexplainable mess he’s brought into by being a host of Darkness and naturally is weirded out at times why he can summon black holes or demon gremlins from outside realm. I appreciate that Jenkins clearly jabs at the results of having to leave a sketch of some ideas in a game and expands a little on such plot points or Jackie’s reactions in this material. It’s good stuff. It gives you the supplement elements to original material rather than being a re-thread which would be kinda stale.
Darklings have some character in a comic.
But let’s talk about the heart of “Darkness”, the most memorable element of games narrative and truly mature element of it- excluding all the gore, mob shenanigans and all the sweet, sweet devouring of people by the Darkness- Jenny & her relationship with Jackie.
Jackie- in a comic- gets to have a heart to heart talk with Jenny, explain her more of the gravity of his place in a mob world and be once again noticeably only tender, guard-off with her. Which makes tragic events of Jenny and Jackie more classy and tragic. It was heartfelt, classy and very tender (ending of “The Darkness” is heartbreaking to me every time I replay it once a year) but here some events work more in tandem, making it more weighty, more of a fatum, desperate situation.
And speaking of desperate situations after the point where Jackie points a gun to his head in a story, art direction, lines and background composition completely changes. Emphasising different state, world Jackie’s in. More bright, homage to OG Darkness comic style but still in right more noir tone. That was nice. But it also jumps into cheeky, goofy supernatural for a few panels. But not to rip out the melancholy of the original story.
Strange idea, but works and has energy.
Shame that it was discontinued, I’d like to see more story of Jackie Estacado. But another reboot cut itself in and this story is in uncooked unfolded state. Oh well…
It was a short but pleasant read.
3,5/5 stars. Pretty fun read, especially if you’re fan of a game or like some goth-oriented comics with action.
Displaying 1 of 1 review