So I was one of those people who completely bought into the 2011/12/13 Dynamite Comics revival of Dark Shadows, picking up where the series left off and running for roughly two years. At first I was intrigued and excited; Stuart Manning, a long-time DS fan, was one of the writers, and Stuart knows his stuff. The art was interesting and gothic; the colors muted; the shadows were, indeed, dark. The characters (mostly) resembled the actors we know and love.
Then something happened during issue #4. The artist changed; the writer changed; the story derailed ... hideously. Quentin was a werewolf again with no explanation; Angelique was a gorgonish statue monster, sucking the life from men before being destroyed with one good whack from Barnabas' cane (ew). Julia wore ... a forest green pantsuit.
Soon the story involved other vampires, David kept his undead girlfriend secreted away in his room, Barnabas was possessed by "the master," a giant red horned demon like something out of a D and D manual. Nicholas Blair returned, which was sorta exciting ... but the stories didn't feel like "my" Dark Shadows. I bought them 'til the bitter end (I actually very much enjoyed their take on 1795, known, for some reason, as "Year One", despite the writers, once again, seeming inability to understand Angelique or her motivations), but I didn't really miss them when they were gone.
Instead, I wanted to continue the series in my own way, creating my own comic books. I have, after all, been working on a "comic strip" series inspired by the 1970s era Kenneth Bruce Bald version that ran for a year in select newspapers after the series was cancelled. Why not do a comic book? I asked myself. Three summers ago I began that process; this past August I finished up the first "season," which I will begin sharing with you shortly. They will appear once a week in standard comic book form, roughly 5-7 pages long; in order to appreciate the story, I suggest you right click and, to misquote The Simpsons, embiggen them in order maximize your reading pleasure.
The story will pick up after Barnabas and Julia's return to 1971 after their adventures in 1840. Angelique is dead. Maggie Evans is in Windcliff. The family's sanity and very lives have been restored ... but for how long? What new menace will cast its shadows over the Collins family ... Collinwood ... and the town of Collinsport? Find out ...
Insert spooky Theremin theme here:
Thank you very much! I think you are VERY talented, and I certainly appreciate all your various "enhancement" takes on Dark Shadows! I was there from the start. My first episode of Dark Shadows was in 1966, at age 7 during the Phoenix run. I've been obsessed with it ever since, and I'll be 60 in a month.
ReplyDeleteAww, thanks Mike!
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