'Darkness' seeks fan backing
Word Balloons #1209: Top Cow series crowdfunding third reprint volume
A mob hit man with supernatural powers returns in a new reprint edition currently seeking crowdfunding.
The Darkness series stars mob hit man Jackie Estacado. On Estacado’s 21st birthday, the terrible powers of the Darkness awaken within him and put him in the midst of a supernatural war.
Reprints of The Darkness saga continue on Kickstarter, with an exclusive sourcebook and a third deluxe recollection of the series.
Marc Silvestri, Garth Ennis, and David Wohl created the character, which first appeared in 1996.
"The Darkness is one of my favorite properties that we’ve ever created at Top Cow,” Silvestri told me in a 2006 The Oklahoman interview. "Not only just in concept, but quite frankly to draw. ... Jackie’s kind of an alter-ego for me and a lot of other guys. We get to act out our frustrations through this guy; it’s a lot of fun.”
The campaign can be seen at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/topcow/the-darkness-complete-collection-volume-3
The Darkness Complete Collection Volume 3 collects: The Darkness #41-64, The Darkness: Infinity, The Darkness: Black Sails & The Darkness: Wanted Dead.
In this volume, according to the Kickstarter: Jackie Estacado, mafia hit man and The Darkness wielder, died in a fiery blaze of revenge. The Darkness, however, was not about to let him go so easily. It pieced him back together and wrenched him back from the depths of Hell. Now, he must find a new place in a family that has moved on without him ― and Jackie wants the top spot. Not only is he faced with a whole new set of enemies and new ways to deal with them but The Angelus and The Magdalena return to face off against Jackie and his demonic horde.
Also available via this Kickstarter are The Darkness volume 1 and volume 2 Hardcovers via a special tier for new printed editions.
Also available in this crowdfunding campaign is The Darkness: Sourcebook. This book, according to the campaign, features a detailed timeline of the original series, favorite covers handpicked by Marc Silvestri with commentary, and an exclusive sneak peek into the new series reboot, coming 2025. The sourcebook is written by Marc Silvestri with art by Tomm Coker.
The Kickstarter ends at 10:59 a.m. Central time on Saturday, March 30, 2024, so fans who want to jump back into the Darkness’ supernatural world must decide quickly.
Matthew Price, matthew@matthewlprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.