Sunday, February 24, 2013

Book Em' Danno : Darkhold #1-#2


Book Em Danno!

Darkhold #1-#2
Publisher : MARVEL (1992)
Writer : Christian Cooper
Pencils : Richard Case
Inks : Mark McKenna
Colors : Glynis Oliver
Letters : Phil Felix
Editor : Bobbie Chase
Managing Editor : Kelly Corvese
Editor in Chief : Tom Defalco

With word of an upcoming Dr. Strange movie somewhere in 2016 or 17 you might think now would be a good time to roll out a dark supernatural chain of MARVEL movies! The leap of logic here isnt a big one, I assure you. You just have to completely ignore the first two underwhelming Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider movies, as well as the fact you cant use both Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze in a Ghost Rider and Spirits of Vengeance movie series as long as Fox has the movie rights.

Who has the rights to Blade? By now it should be MARVEL again, right?

Well we're talking Midnight Sons, a rather short lived nitche of the MARVEL Universe dedicated to the Supernatural. Prior to the crossover event we had the 2nd ongoing Ghost Rider but once it launched we had new titles. Titles like Spirits of Vengeance, featuring Johnny Blaze teaming up with the newest Ghost Rider in his second title.

We had Spider-Man villain Morbius the Living Vampire get his own title. Years before tragic mistakes in fiction like The Glittery Vampire Quadrilogy aka Twilight would scar Morbius' modern release.

We had Nightstalkers. A title revolves about the popularity of one character, Wesley Snipe's Blade.

And of course X-Files knockoff Darkhold.

OK, as Issue One starts its Part 4 of the Rise crossover. We just met Morbius, and Nightstalkers premiere next time... so lets see if I can say this with without laughing.

A midget in a tux not related to the guy who runs WildC.A.T.s (Image in this decade) is wandering the country playing matchmaker. However he is not so much trying to find love as he is matching severely stereotypical Friday the 13th the TV Series character types with pages of the Darkhold. Enter one Vicki Montesi, who rather clichely finds herself drawn into a blatently ripped off plot stolen from same Friday the 13th the TV Series after her best friend is horribly injured in a bomb blast meant to kill our lead character.

And so haunted with also cliche visions of Issue one's baddie she must hunt the pages of the Darkhold and stop whatever curse they carry and whoever uses the... no really could this be anymore of a Friday the 13th TV ripoff?!? Come on!

Do I need to go on? This series didnt make it past 25 Issues! Guess why!

A series that could have been far better, this is a sad sad shallow wading pool of been there, done that, could have should have wasnt isnt. Even when a story has an original notion (Issue Two and its ties to the Hulk) they never really run with it and make said ideas work for them. If the title was better thought out? It could have been a hit. As it stands its 1 out of 5 overdue fines on Mephisto's library card.

Next - Updates.

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