Dynamite's Dark Shadows: Year One condenses the 19-week television storyline into six issues and, I must admit, does a pretty good job of it, eliminating most of the meandering soap opera storytelling. It is not, however, canon. What writer Marc Andreyko and artist Guiu Vilanova have done is to take the same characters from the 1795 storyline and reshuffle them into an almost entirely new alternate vampire origin story, one that doesn't take a full 48 hours to experience in its entirety. [Similary, MPI Home Video has also condensed those same 19 weeks into a 210-minute "movie" (titled The Vampire Curse) by eliminating all sub-plots except the main one. Still, three and a half hours of unrelenting vampire plot is a lot. I watched the whole thing straight through once, but I probably never will again.] The difference between the Dark Shadows: Year One comic book and the soap opera is similar to the difference between The Walking Dead comic book and TV show (except in that case, the televised version came first). In other words, in either case, even if one is familiar with the original version, one can still experience the alternate and still be surprised.
Dark Shadows: Years One ends with Willie Loomis releasing Barnanabs Collins from his coffin in the "present day"...
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They're both good-looking covers! When in doubt, though, I always choose Francavilla. He's a favorite of mine.
ISSUE #3:
"Darkness draws in on the great estate of Collinwood on a night that has brought the fulfilment of an age-old prophecy. As the Collins family stands united in betrayal, their actions begin a sequence of events to contact a powerful spirit... and grant the gift of life."
Barnabas, Quentin and Julia confront the resurrected Angélique. She is dressed in period garb and mentions events from 1840, then levitates away. At that point, Barnabas and Quentin go to Collinwood to check on the family and Julia goes to the Blue Whale to check on Carolyn. (Speaking of the Blue Whale, like Collinwood it looks exactly as it did on TV.) Jack the bartender tries in vain to comfort Carolyn when suddenly Angélique appears wearing a modern dress. Julia arrives and the three women have a talk. When Julia realizes she is outmatched, she withdraws, leaving Carolyn alone with Angélique.
Back at Collinwood, Barnabas and Quentin find the rest of the family in a trance. Because of Julia's treatments, Barnabas has not been feeding and is weak. In order for him to confront Angélique, he convinces Quentin to let him feed. Quentin reluctantly agrees. Barnabas promises to take only enough blood from his victim as is necessary to replenish his strength, and Quentin will act if he loses control. Back at the Blue Whale, Angélique comes on to Jack, just to mess with Carolyn. the issue ends with a double cliffhanger as Barnabas loses control and Jack falls to the floor dead after being kissed by Angélique.
Thanks for doing these, Jeff! I'm only skimming them for now, as this is a series I definitely hope to read--and, unlike the Gold Key issues, I think knowing what will happen could spoil some of the fun.
I'll be on the lookout for these at my next convention, for sure.
Thanks for the feedback, Rob. As always, it is appreciated. I was just about to scale these back after #4. As soon as I stopped providing links to "Dark Shadows Every Day" and started looking at the Dynamite series, my number of views dropped immediately to two views per day (not that I really expect more than that, but what I tend to put into these threads depends on what I get out of them). Even if you're only skimming them now, these post will be here waiting for you when you're ready. On now to...
ISSUE #4:
This issue's opening narration does not sound like Julia's "voice" to me, or even Grayson Hall's for that matter (last issue's, either). Carolyn/Nancy Barrett's, perhaps.
"It is a rarity that all is quiet at the great house of Collinwood. and although appearances are that all is well, if you linger too long, you begin to understand this family's plight. The Collins family is frozen in time -- trapped as a portrait of familial bliss when in reality, they are anything but. They are al under the spell of Angélique, a magical, time-lost woman who has caused all of this pain due to her obsession with Barnabas Collins. After following Carolyn Stoddard to the local tavern -- The Blue Whale -- Angelique used her strange gifts to extract the life from this man. For without taking the light of life from others, Angelique's entire body will return to the stone state her hear seems to perpetually be in... and sometimes, even the most heroic of souls are forced to due horrible things to survive."
Quentin transforms into a werewolf in order to save the life of Barnabas' victim. As long as his portrait exists he doesn't age, but it's also supposed to prevent him from transforming into a werewolf. Like Angélique's statue, this is not explained. He seems to have complete control over his transformations, as well as his mental faculties while in lupine form. This is not explained, either. Inside the Blue Whale, Angelique senses that Barnabas is nearby, reasserts her control over Carolyn, and sends her off to Widows' Hill. Julia must not have gone far, because she confronts Angelique on her way out of the bar. Angelique directs her attention to the backroom, where Julia discovers Jack's dead body.
Outside, the werewolf and the vampire are fighting. The victim comes to. The witch reveals that she needs to drain an immortal's life force in order to survive. She "comforts" the victim and, after a little girl-on-girl action, drains her life force as she did the bartender's. Julia arrive and the four main characters debate their respective spots in the storyline. Angélique reveals that she has sent Carolyn to Widows' Hill and levitates off to join her. Barnabas transforms into a bat and follows. Julia retrieves Barnabas' cane and drives Quentin, still in werewolf form, to meet them there.
When they arrive, Barnabas and Angélique are at a standoff, with Carolyn being levitated over the edge of the cliff. Amgelique is reverting to stone and wants to drain just enough of Barnabas' immortal lifeforce to sustain her. Julia tosses Banabas' cane to him and Angélique attacks Julia, dropping Carolyn. As Barnabas rushes to Julia's defense, Quentin saves Carolyn. Barnabas smashes his cane into Angelique's skull and she crumbles to dust, vowing revenge. Back at collinwood, the rest of the family (including Carolyn) come out of their respective trances with no memory of what has happened. Later, at the Old House, Julia gives Barnabas some blood she stole from the hospital, vowing, "We are going to emerge from this darkness. Together."
ISSUE #5:
The fifth issue begins a new storyline with a new writer (Mike Raight) and a new artist (Guiu Vilanova). Gone, too, is the introductory narration (although it does appear from time-to-time throughout the story as regular narration). The only element remaining from the first four issues are the covers by Francesco Francavilla. Like Aaron Campbell before him, Guiu Vilanova has a good handle on the Dark Shadows actors' likenesses, always a plus in this type of endeavor.
The story opens with a nightmare: Barnabas is being pursued along the Collinsport waterfront by a horde of his victims. He awakens at dusk with the arrival of Dr. Hoffman, who is there to administer his latest injection. We learn that he is becoming increasingly impatient to be cured. Not wanting to place all of his eggs in the basket of science, he has also sent Willie Loomis out "looking for a new cure." They argue, Julia leaves and Barnabas heads out to the Blue Whale. He finds it closed, in observation of the bartender Jack's recent death. A woman approaches him from behind and explains that it is closed for a private party. She invites him in, and suddenly it is filled with customers, some of them very familiar.
The bar's patrons represent Collinsport's "displaced spirits," many of them (but not all), victims of Barnabas himself. Jack is tending bar. The woman who ushered him in is the one he attacked a few nights ago and Angéligue actually killed. Also there are Jason McGuire, Abigail Collins, Carl Collins, Josette DuPres and a few other never-named victims from the TV show. (Most of these are not identified, and this is where Vilanova's skill at rendering likenesses is appreciated.) The spooks end up re-enacting Barnabas' dream, chasing him to the docks. Later he meets up with Julia and they reaffirm their friendship.
I think I know when I started to lose the story. When I sat down yesterday to read #6, I quickly realized I was actually reading #7. I soon discovered that I had missed issue #6 back in 2012. (I must have already been losing the story by that point, because I missed an issue and didn't even realize it.) So I made made an extra trip to my LCS in hope of finding it there. (Hey, if I didn't buy it 13 years ago, changes are...) Actually, they had most of the Dynamite series in stock, but not #6. Then I decided not to spend the rest of my morning running around the metroplex to my secondary and tertiary stores, went back home and ordered it online. Lone Star (mycomicshop.com) is physically located just a few miles away in Grand Prairie, and my orders usually arrive withing a day or two, even using standard shipping. But by the time I got home the day's mail orders would have already been processed. I failed to consider that today is a holiday, so my order probably won't get processed until tomorrow. Then there's no mail on Sunday, so I probably won't have Dark Shadows #6 until early next week.
In the meantime, here's a LINK to "Dark Shadows Every Day's" blog about "Darn Shadows" from Marvel's Spoof #1, including the entire story.
SPOOF #1:
I'm back. I apologize to both my readers for the delay. If I would have known it would take this long to get #6 in the mail I would have gone to one of more of my back-up stores in person.
ISSUE #6:
According to the cover blurb, Francesco Francavilla was nominated for the Eisner Award for best cover artist. Well-desreved! (Note the skull's fang.)
The issue begins with banabas on the prowl in downtown Collinsport. Across the street at the local movie theater he sees David, on a first date with Emma, a local girl. Roger was supposed to have picked him up after the movie, but didn't show. David and Emma are out with another young couple, and they offer to drop him off at Collinwood after they take Emma home. She holds David's hand in the car and gives him a kiss goodnight. Then Emma is attacked by a vampire. The comic tries to trick the reader in the way a movie might trick the viewer into believing the vampire is Barnabas Collins. Inside the house, her [parents hear her scream and come rushing out. she is covered in blood and is muttering, "he said... we'd all be an heir... of... barn...a...bas..."
Back at Collinwood, David greets his Aunt Elizabeth and goes upstairs with a satified look on his face. (i will say that David Collins is the only character who doesn't look much like the actor who played him on TV.) Elizabeth and Quentin have a tlk about Roger and Carolyn in the drawing room. At Collinsport Hospital, the police question Emma's parents, then move on to question the otyher three kids who were out on the date... starting at Collinwood. In the next room, a vampire enters Emma's room, attacks the nurse, then disappears with Emma.
Barnabas staggers into the Old House covered in blood. Julia chastises him and threatens to quit, but he insists he fed on a deer. In the previous issue, Barnabas sent Willie on an errand for a particular item he believes will cure him of his curse. Just then, a squad car pulls up outside. (Why it went to the Old House and not Collinwood I don't know.) I should mention that Guiu Vilanova has done an excellent job depicting the interior of the Old House. He has also meticulously reproduced Barnabas's portrait... except it's the wrong one. He drew the 18th century one hanging in Collinwood, not the portrait painted by Sam Evans, which is the one that should be hanging in the Old House.
The scene switches to Omagh, Ireland and willie's "errand." He is tracking down a necklace and is under orders from Barnabas to do "whatever it takes" to get it. He has traced the sale of the necklace to a woman named Grace Hazelton, who hppens to be wearing it after a night on the town. He follows he home, and visciously hits her over the head with the but of his pistol, leaving a smear of blood down the door as she slumps into unconsciousness. I do approve of this vicious streak in Willie. He is a victim of Barnabas, but neither one are "good guys." As the show went on, their characters softened, but they're both still the same deep down. As Willie walks away with the necklace, Grace rises... a vampire.
Sorry for all the plot summary this time.
Nice, glad you got hold of the issue, and glad you're back! And you're right... that IS a nice fang on the cover!
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