The origin of Dark Shadows, finally revealed! How did Barnabas Collins become a bloodthirsty vampire? What tragedies befell the Collins family through the generations? All it took was one night of weakness with a temptress named Angelique, and Barnabas cursed his entire family line -- and himself -- forever!
Collecting issues #1-6, a complete cover gallery, and a behind the scenes look at the creations of Dark Shadows: Year One!
The art work in this is lovely. I’ve found that comics that are based on things like tv shows can be hit or miss when it comes to art. Basing a comic figure on a known person and doing so in such a way that they are believable seems extra tough. The art here is all at least in the “not bad” range while some is in the “excellent" range. Ben and Angelique were excellent. Barnabas wasn’t bad. Josette seems to have missed the mark a little but was still good enough.
The story is one that is known to DS fans. How Angelique’s jealousy led to Barnabas’s vampire curse. For fans of the show it will make perfect sense. For people picking this up having never seen DS (or maybe whose only knowing DS as the newer movie) this will mostly make sense. There are some parts that were rushed over. You don’t get a feel for who any of the characters really are the way that you do in the show but that is only because just so much happens in this. Sarah is here. Victoria is here. Trask is here. Millicent. Witches. Vamps. No werewolves… yet.
Those who have seen the show will probably just find this a bonus to their DS collection. New to DS folk will probably like it (if paranormal stuff is their thing) but will need more stories later to really make them feel connected to the franchise.
It’s not perfect, but it is pretty darn good.
* Disclaimer: I received this book at no cost in order to review it. I offered no guarantee of a positive review, though I only request books I think I'll like because why read a book you think you’ll hate?
I am familiar with the world of Dark shadows and the story of Barnabas Collins. Even with this knowledge, I found the story sort of confusing and disjointed, especially in the beginning.
I did like the graphics, as each character resembled the actors/actresses who played them in the cult television show. I may read the next volume of this, but I'm not sure yet. I think it could've been written a lot better, especially for readers who haven't seen the television show. I'd not recommend it for those who aren't familiar with the Collins family.
Note: A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This comic was just OK. It’s really hard to innovate with this premise and, unfortunately, Andreyko and Vilanova weren’t able deliver anything new. All the tropes, all the references were easy to identify, and there was no twist. If you start reading and get the feeling that you read this before, that feeling is going to follow you until the end. The art work also didn’t work for me. It’s really a shame. I felt disappointed, I thought I was going to love this book.
The art is great here. You can really see the actor's faces in the panels. A good re-telling of the story, though I don't know why there are some major changes to the story, from the TV show. I enjoyed it, a lot!!!!
I absolutely loved this graphic novel. The artwork is fantastic and does an incredible job of capturing the atmosphere and the physical likenesses of the actors from the original television series. The story is fast-paced, simple but affective. It’s a great place for newcomers to discover what made this show so influential but also a wonderful love letter to satisfy long-time fans. Highly recommended!
The art is exquisite and the story flows well. It probably would be a perfect five star rating if the story stayed closer to the original 1795 storyline. Regardless, it is a good read and the art is perfection.
If someone wanted to get the appeal of Dark Shadows this trade would be a good start. The story and art are true to the show, with a few flourishes. As a fan, it hit all the nostalgia notes of different fave characters and actors.
Really well done with beautiful artwork. My only complaint is that it gets a little choppy in places because the script is ambitious. That said, this is channeling the gothic vibe better than some of the other DS offerings.
Having recently watched the episodes this run is based on I’m pleased at how close it hews to the original story and look while maintaining a more modern comic book pace!
I really enjoyed Dark Shadows :Year One. I thought it fleshed out the back story of how Barnabas Collins became a vampire. I think it did a good job of matching the old tv series.
Nothing new. if you are familiar with the TV series, you know the story. The artist does do a good job of capturing the likenesses of the original actors.
This is a great version of the backstory of Barnabas Collins. It's a very short read, as it fits under the comic book or graphic novel genre. The artwork is awesome! Many of the emotions (faces) that the characters show, are uncannily familiar to the actors' portrayals.
Dark Shadows: Year One is the story behind how Barnabas Collins became a vampire, and the other tragedies that happened to his family. This is a tie in to either the Dark Shadows movie or the original TV series. In both of those we only meet Barnabas after he has been turned, but this takes us back to the chain of events that caused his transformations. He was once happily engaged to the love of his life, but after encouragements from his friend he slept with the bar maid at a tavern one night. He hopes he will never see her again, unfortunately she shows up in his life again and is determined that he will be with her, and if he doesn’t he and all those he loves will pay the consequences. Even worse is that this woman with a vendetta is a witch! I am not that familiar with the TV series, Dark Shadows, and have only seen the movie once, so I am not overly familiar with the characters in this comic. Worse for me is that the artwork seems to imply that this is more closely tied in to the TV series rather than the movie (mostly based on Barnabas’s appearance). Also it has been over a year since the movie came out (which did not do that well in cinemas) so I am a bit confused on why it is coming out now, unless there is going to be a while series based on Dark Shadows.
The first thing that really struck me while reading was that besides one minor character, I really didn’t like anyone in the story. They are very flawed and not actually that likeable. To be perfectly honest, I had trouble remembering who was who. It really didn’t help that the family ages seemed to be really out of sync. By this I mean Barnabas looks older than his mother and has a sister who looks almost 20 years younger than him, and he is also best friends with his uncle who looks about the same age as him. This made it really hard for me to figure out who everyone was.
As far as the plot goes, it did help flesh out the little bit I knew from the movie. The main cause of events is Angelique’s (the witch) obsession with Barnabas, and yet we never find out why she has fixated on him. While he did sleep with her, she seemed fixed on him from before that, and yet we are given no hint as to why. Yet it is this infatuation that causes all the pain and death the family suffers. This left me a bit angry as it was just so unfathomably.
Barnabas as a main character was rather a letdown, but then he was the same in the movie for me. There is nothing really that unique or redeemable about him. I think this also confuses me as to why he is so attractive to Angelique (and his fiancé Josette). He never seems that interested in his family, which makes his determination to see the name restored in the TV series and movie rather baffling. He does have some difficult decisions and situation to take on, but he seems to go with the flow and never really fights back.
The artwork was alright. It was never horrible and it never took my breath away. Also I am not sure if it was just the advanced copy I received or the actual art work, but the pictures were all rather pixilated and fuzzy while the text was perfectly clear. I did like the color palate that was used, that gave it a feel of being in the past a bit. However, I prefer a little bit more aesthetic art and clearer rendering.
Final Verdict: Interesting to read, but probably not enough to draw you in if you weren’t already interested in Dark Shadows.
Dark Shadows year One collects issues 1-6 of the comic and comes with scripts and a cover gallery. The author/artist have done an excellent job of recreating the feel of both the 1970s and the 1820s yet still giving this a modern feel. The story takes place in the past, completes a solid story arc leading up to Barnabas' reawakening in the future, and fans of the series will recognize quite a few characters. I have only seen the movie once, never watched the tv series, but I was not lost and enjoyed the tale (though admittedly the art did make it hard to tell the women apart other than Angelique).
In many ways, this reminded me of reading an Illustrated Classics book from the past. The artwork does an excellent job of conveying the gothic atmosphere and I really have to give kudos to the artist for accurately drawing the historical mileau. And yet, the hairstyles and the way the clothes are drawn also somehow give a lovely homage to the era of the TV series (the 1970s). For this is drawn by/for/from the tv series and not the recent movie.
Story: one night of indiscretion on the part of Barnabas Collins sees him cursed by a witch. The slow and awful destruction of the Collins family is then played out as greed, shortsightedness, and love all come into play.
Barnabas is wonderfully conflicted - not a noble undead but not evil, either. The author really did an excellent job of keeping the story on track and giving characters personality and depth. What would a father do for his son, a fiance for her love, and a mother when confronted with the horror of her son's fall from grace?
With 6 issues contained in this one volume, there really is a lot here to love. I am rating this 4 out of 5 stars only because I had a hard time with some of the female characters looking too much alike. Readers definitely do not need to be indoctrinated in the series or movie in order to enjoy this.
While vampires might be the 'hot' monster right now, thanks to shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, some of us are old enough to remember when vampires were 'hot' because of shows like Dark Shadows. Dynamite Entertainment brings us a graphic novel collection of Barnabas Collins' induction in to and the first years of vampirism.
I never watched the television series, though I was certainly aware of it, so I am not sure if there's any divergence from the series' storyline. Even so, I don't feel that having any prior knowledge of the series is necessary, and perhaps, in some ways, even preferable since it does establish Barnabas Collins' beginnings. Author Marc Andreyko and illustrators Guiu Vilanova and Patrick Berkenkotter have done a very nice job of giving us a Victorian/Gothic feel while at the same time there was a sense of the 1960's/1970's television series shining through. I'm not quite sure how they accomplished this but it is a nice nod the original series.
Engaged to be married, Barnabas is encouraged by his uncle to have a quick fling with a young maid named Angelique. Though a generally upstanding young man, Barnabas is a product of his times and, though feeling somewhat guilty, proceeds with his one night dalliance only to discover that Angelique is his fiancée's maid. What he doesn't discover, until much too late, is that Angelique is also a witch, and now also a woman scorned, and she curses him and the Collins family.
The development of the character of Barnabas is really nice. He is conflicted and by no means an angel. He recognizes that it is his own fault for what has happened and he will live forever (literally?) torn by grief.
I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to future Dark Shadows installments.
Looking for a good book? If you enjoy the popular vampire fiction, this graphic novel, bringing back (and establishing the origin of) Barnabas Collins, is a real delight.
I am a lifelong Dark Shadows fan, and I enjoyed revisiting characters from the 1795 timeline (with a brief scene from 171 years later). The plot was well-structured and true in spirit to the plot in the original series, but with some surprises. I exclaimed aloud twice while reading the book. I plan on reading the book again in the future, and I wish there was a sequel.
The art was excellent and the artist was VERY good at drawing the actors from the series (the book even includes a naked Angelique!). However, if you've never seen or don't remember the 1795 timeline in detail, the text won't always be enough to figure out who these characters and their relationships are, especially at the start. Use the Dark Shadows Fan Wiki, the bonus materials at the back of the book or the following character list to help you:
- Barnabas Collins - Josette, Barnabas' fiance (played by the same actress as modern Maggie). - Countess Natalie duPres, Josette's aunt/guardian (modern Julia) - the unforgettable Angelique, Josette's handmaiden. - Naomi, Barnabas' mother (modern Elizabeth) - Joshua, Barnabas' father (modern Roger) - Sarah, Barnabas' sister - Victoria, Sarah's governess (modern Vickie, who travelled to the earlier timeline in the series) - Jeremiah, Barnabas' young uncle (modern Burke Devlin) - Abigail, Barnabas' interfering aunt and Joshua and Jeremiah's sister (modern Sarah, an old servant) - Millicent, a cousin (modern Carolyn) - Daniel, Millicent's brother (modern David) - Nathan Forbes, Millicent's husband - Reverend Trask - Willie Loomis, a modern conman who makes a brief appearance
Dark Shadows: Year One tells a story of Barnabas Collins and his one night stand with the witch Angelique has cursed the entire Collins family. It is a sad story to any fans who have been following the Dark Shadows series from TV series to comic books. The only one who has been trying to break Barnabas' curse is Barnabas' father.
There are also other factors that leads to the Collins downfalls. The Collins happened to be the richest family in Collinport. There are fortune hunters and gold diggers who would married or conned their way into the family for a control of the Collins' fortune. It certainly doesn't help when there is a relative who is either religious or superstitious that contributing to the tragedy of the Collins family.
It is also funny how Barnabas claimed that he loves only Josette ended up sleeping with Angelique before their wedding. Angelique is a woman who is a woman scorned. I can't blame Angelique completely.
Angelique also have issue. With all her power, doesn't she knows that no one can make another person falls in love. Even heaven and hell know that especially when it violates free will.
Fans and readers will not be disappointed in this comic book format of Dark Shadows: Year One. It has everything of Barnabas' curse and his family.
I was given this book by the publisher through Net Gallery for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
'Dark Shadows: Year One' refers to the first year that Barnabas Collins was a vampire. It's not a bad story and the art is ok.
Pre-vampire Barnabas is engaged to be married. At the urging of his uncle he has a dalliance with a maid named Angelique. This sets in motion a curse on his family. First it will affect his uncle, then him and on it goes. It's a good, melodramatic story of a cursed family and the bad luck that befalls them. There are setups that have domino effects. It ultimately ends about where the tv series begins.
I remember the series and watched it occasionally. I didn't bother to see the dreadful looking movie. This seems more in line with the series and I found it to be a good, gothic story of tragedy.
I received a copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
I really enjoyed this modern adaptation of Dark Shadows. Given that it starts during the Victoria Winters Time Traveling story arch, I thought it was an extremely good effort. It was a little odd at times because they didn't cover Victorias story line hardly at all, which I thought would be good for ideas . However, what I do like is that the comic book flowed much more better then the T.V series, in my opinion anyways. It didn't jump around from character to character , not to mention the time frame. Love the artwork , though people seemed a little OOC, but I guess that is for a more modern audience. On the whole enjoyed it a lot . As a note it's more bloody them people might be used to and yes more graphic then the T.V series but entertaining and a quick, fun read.
I enjoyed this, the film and tv show not so much, but definitely understood where the book was going. It returns to the start of the Barnabas Collins legend and explains the origins of the curse laid down on him by the witch, Angelique, and how the Collins family and wider community were affected by the vampire. The title suggests there may be more in this series, if so I'd probably read them though the darkness of the colouring makes it hard at some points to follow the story and dialogue. It is certainly different and striking, however.
I'm not terribly familiar with Dark Shadows other than the main premise & characters so can not speak to how well this fits within the storyline; however, I did enjoy this graphic novel glimpse into the origins. The panels involving Angelique during her witchcraft were quite good as was the cover art, but much of the other artwork was a bit bland.
*Digital review copy provided by NetGalley & the publisher.
Dark Shadows: Year One by Marc Andreyko is a must read for Dark Shadow fans. This book is a great read and a real page turner. Once you begin to read it you'll find it hard to put down. This book gives you a new take on how it all started. If you loved Dark Shadows you'll enjoy this book. I recommend it to all.
f you are a Dark Shadows fan this a must read. Plenty of details and plot twists. Vilanova's art work is fabulous. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this series