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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ISSUE #8:
As David bicycles to town to search for Emma, a plain white panel van pulls up alongside him. Mr. Debellis steps out of the passenger side, Granger's vigilantes sneak up on him from behind, throw a bag over his head, toss him into the back of the van and lock him in a coffin. Granger leaves a note on David's bike: Barnabas, We have him at the Spafford Cliffs. If you want him back, you need to give us our family mamber sback. come alone." On the face of it, this is not a very well thought-out plan. They know that Barnabas is a vampire, yet they leave this note alongside a public road, in the morning, where anyone is likely to find it before Barnabas leaves his coffin at dusk. Mr. Debellis is second-guessing his participation in a plan that involves felony kidnapping, but Granger threatens him with his sidearm.
At Collinwood, while Elizabeth is berating Roger and Carolyn at the breakfast table, Quentin slips away to look for David and soon finds his bicycle and the note on the road leading to town. It is not a full moon nor even night, yet Quentin transforms into half-wolf form in order to use his "tracking skills" (?) to see what he can learn by scent. "Somewhere over the Atlantic," Willie Loomis has a full-on William Shattner-style hallucination/dream about Grace the vampire sitting on the plane's wing. His seatmate is reading an actual LIFE magazine (with Bobby Fischer on the cover), and comments, "Someone clearly watched a bit too much Twilight Zone." Back at the Old House it is dusk, and an angered Quentin rips the lid off Barnabas' coffin just before the sun sets.
Quentin tells Barnabas about the note, and Barnabas tells Quentin that he has not been to Spafford in 200 years. He also tells him that Deputy Granger "smelled of vampire." Granger has lost his son to the vampire, but he is also in thrall to the Spafford vampire, Lockwood, and leads his band of vigilantes into a trap in a cliffside cave. Their loved ones are now a coven of vampires, and Lockwood orders them to attack. He then releases David from the coffin and introduces himself as David's "blood cousin." Then a vampiric Emma appears and attacks David. By this time, Barnabas and Quentin have arrived at the cave, just as a bloodied Mr. Debillis comes running out. He attempts to attack Barnabas with a stake, but Quentin disarms him. Then Lockwood appears and greets Barnabas as his sire.
ISSUE #9:
On the cover, the paper dolls representing Lockwood's victims are reflected in Barnabas' eyes.
The issue begins with a flashback to Collinsport in 1795. Lockwood is a serial killer from the Old World, recently settled in Spafford, now visiting Collinsport just up the coast. Newly-created vampire Barnabas Collins interrupts one of his killings, and the would-be victim summons the authorities while Barnabas slashed Lockwood's right eye and feeds on him. When the townsfolk arrive, Barnabas transforms into a bat ans escapes, and Lockwood manages to make it to the edge of town, where he falls into the se and is swept down the coast to the very cave in which he will dwell fior the next 175 years. He doesn't feed in all that time, but when Barnabas appears, the psychic link to his sire allows him to feed vicariously. Then Barnabas is cured (for a time) and Lockwood begins to stalk prey once more.
In the present, Barnabas finds he has no control over this other vampire (perhaps because of Julia's treatmants). Barnabas and Lockwood fight. Quentin Joins in. Granger appears from another chamber and drives a stake into Lockwood's chest, but misses his heart. then he escapes in bat form. Barnabas enters the other chamber to find the vampires Lockwood has sired, mostly children, feeding on their parents and loved ones. Barnabas defeats them easily. In yet another chamber, Barnabas finds David and Emma. Emma has controlled her vampiric urges and is more-or-less ghuman again, but the scent of blood drives her wild. She attacks Barnabas, then runs away. Barnabas uses his power to cloud david's mind, then he, David and quentin return to Collinwood.
By the time he gets back to the Old House, Willie has returned from Ireland with the necklack. Julia puts it around Barnabas' neck, then ushes him in front of a mirror in which he casts a reflection.
ISSUE #10:
Barnabas spends his first day as a human burying Lockwood's victims. Lockwood himself and Emma are still at large. Barnabas encounters David and tries to use his power of influence to prevent him from looking for Emma after dark that night to no effect. He and Julia have a moment. As is his wont, even though he is no longer a vampire, he sleeps during the day... in a bed. Willie dreams of the vampire Grace. He is staying at the Collinsport Inn (which looks more like the Bate Motel here) to through her off the track, and plans to leave Collinsport for good that night now that he is no longer under Barnabas' control. First, though, he stops by the Blue Whale, where he sees Roger and Carolyn day drinking. The two of them and several other patrons suddenly get up and file through the backroom and into the cellar. Willie follows, where he makes a startling discovery!
Later, night falls at the Debellis residence. Greg Debellis came home with no memory of what happened the night before, but his clothes were slpattered with blood. He and his wife argue. He spots Emma looking through the window from ouotside, but by the time he ru shes out there she is gone. David is out searching and soon finds her, feeding on a deer. At the Old House, Barnabas is just about to resume his search for Emma when Willie returns from town and reports that he saw Roger and Carolyn murdinging someone in the basement of the Blue Whale. Back at collinwood, David sneaks Emma into the house.
ISSUE #11:
This cover is "Dedicated to Jonathan Frid" (who had died recently.)
David does his best to comfort Emma in his room. On his dresser if a picture of his mother, Laura (a good likeness of Diana Millay, a nice touch). Elizabeth almost catches Emma in David's room. She does find a bloody cloth, which David passes off as a nosebleed. Emma is almost entirely vampire now (she casts no reflection in the mirror), and is beginning to hunger. David promises to help her.
Downstairs, Barnabas, Julia and Willie arrive looking for Roger and Carolyn. Elizabeth tells them that they are probably at the Blue Whale, and accompanies them, leaving Quentin at Collinwood to look after David. The exterior of the Blue Whale is another excellent reproduction of TV locaztion footage. Inside, a live band is playing. Leaving Julia at a table with Elizabeth, Barnabas and Willie excuse themselves and descend to the cellar. The now-human Barnabas extends his hand to Willie in friendship for his help over the years, but Willie refuses to take it. Just then they are both knocked unconcious by "Roger" who hits them both over the head with a fifth of Jack Daniels.
Back at Collinwood, Quentin confronts David who is carrying a box with a live rabbit inside (it looks more like someone's pet than a wild hare) for Emma to feed on. Startled, he drops it, and Emma burst out of his room and devours the rabbit. Quentin transforms into his werewolf form and prepares to fight Emma.
When Barnabas awakens, he is hanging from the basement ceiling by his arms. Roger and Carolyn have been possessed by two devil-worshippers named Kain and Vanessa. Other posessed townspeople are there as well, and they are just about to sacrifice Willie to summon their "master" to take possession of Bananas' body.
ISSUE #12:
Another nice cover: a close-up of an eyeball, with Barnabas reflected in the iris and the demon in the pupil.
Two new characters are introduced this issue: Sheriff Willets of the town of Spafford, and his college-age daughter Jackie. elsewhere in Spafford, Deputy Granger's wife answers a knock on the door and is killed by Lockwood, who has already killed her husband and son. At the Blue Whale, Julia and Elizabeth become worried about Barnabas and Willie and go to the back to check for them. (They are both hit on by a biker emerging from the men's room.) Julia draws the handgun she carries in her purse and they descend the stairs into the cellar. (Elisabeth is wearing a black pantsuit, which she never wore on the show but it suits her, along with a string of pearls.) They enter the room at the bottom and discover something shocking.
Back at Collinwood, Quentin and Emma have scuffled and Emma has escaped. Quentin locks David in his room, but Emma floats in through the window. Quentin overhears them from thellway and breaks down the door. Emma orders him to "Leave me alone!" and discovers she has vampiric influence over others.
In the cellar of the Blue Whale, "Roger" was about to plunge the knife into Willie's chest when Julia and Elizabeth burst in. Barnabas tells them that Roger and Carolyn have been posessed, but Kain and Vanessa pretend to be Roger and Carolyn, buying some time. One of the other followers objects that Roger/Kain has freed Willie, and Roger/Kain slits the man's throat with the sacrificial dagger, spilling his blood on the altar and summoning the demon. The demon enters Barnabas's body and immediately discovers that Barnabas is no longer the supernatural creature he thought he would be inhabiting. From Barnabas' point of view, his ectoplasmic self is cast from his body and goes floating through the ether intil it is draw to a seance.
Participants: Julia, Elizabeth, Willie, Quentin, Jackie
Purpose: To bring back Barnabas
Results: Barnabas now inhabits the dead body of Sheriff Willets
"What happened?" asks Barnabas. "Where am I?"
"It's the year 1984, Barnabas," Elizabeth explains. "You've returned just in time to witness the end of all things."
When I first started rereading this series last week I was under the impression that I had dropped off somewhere in the teen-numbered issues, but I realize now I must have dropped over circa #6/7. I have definitely never read these last few issues before, and find myself eager to find out what happens next.
ISSUE #13:
In 1971, Emma learns that she can control animals (the deer she killed, Quentin in his werewolf form), but not human beings (she tried and failed to control David, just as a test). She uses her newfound power to "mindwipe" Quentin. At the Blue Whale, Julia, Elizabeth and Willie beat a hasty retreat. Someone mentions "LSD or bad weed" and Elizabeth remarks, "Weed? I have never eaten weed," to which Willie dryly responds, "Neither have I." Elizabeth then concedes they may well be on a "bad journey" after all. Just then, Grace arrives demanding to know the location of the necklace.
In the cellar of the bar, the demon (in Barnabas' body) attacks Roger/Kain for transferring him into a mortal. Then Grace arrives. It's unclear why, exactly, she even wants the necklace at this point. Now that she is a vampire again, she revels in it and doesn't plan to wear it again. Somehow she seems to know who Barnabas is. She tells the demon that all he need do is remove the necklace and he will have the immortal body he wants. He tries to remove it, fails, and Grace explains that someone else must take it off, that's part of the curse. She takes it off of him, and he is apparently overwhelmed by the dark side of Barnabas' soul rushing into him.
In 1985, Collinsport is practically a ghost town. David and Emma, now both vampires in 14-year-old bodies, stalk the streets. At Collinwood (where the seance was held), the real Barnabas (or his good side) comes to terms with being in the future, in a dead man's body. Nicholas Blair has been instructing Julia in the Black Arts. He looks much the same, with more grey hair but with a small scar over his missing left eye. Jacqueline is apparently a werewolf now, seeking revenge on Barnabas whom she blames for her father death. She transforms and attempts to attack him, but Julia steps in the way. Jacqueline slashes Julia across the chest, a mortal blow. She tells Barnabas that it was he who wiped out the town and is now on his way to kill them with his vampire coven, then she dies in his arms.
NOTE: A different artist, Nacho Tenorio, took over from Guiu Vilanova with #10. I didn't notice the change at first, but I did note a change in the depiction of some of the characters from the actors who portrayed them. I am reading a few issues ahead of the discussion, and Tenorio does get better with practice.
ISSUE #14:
Dark Barnabas' coven is Lockwood, Grace, David, Greg and Emma DeBellis, and Justin and Crystal Carter, a husband-and-wife team of vampire hunters. There is dissention in the ranks from Lockwood, but Barnabas quells it. He plans to make Collinwood the seat of his vampire kingdom. He mentally summons Willie to open the front door for them. In the drawing room, Barnabas learns that the demon who tried to posess him, Nicholas and Angélique's "Master" from the TV show, was expelled from Barnabas' body when the dark part of his soul came rushing back in. It was at that point The Master returned him to the mortal plane to seek revenge on Dark Barnabas. Nicholas warns that good Barnabas has only 28 minutes left in 1985 before his soul must return to 1971.
The coven attacks and the good guys scatter. Quentin and Jacqueline both transform. Quentin attacks Lockwood and Jackie attacks Crystal Carter, decapitating her. Grace chases Elizabeth into the study, where she finds her calmly sitting in a chair and holding a decanter in her lap. When Grace approaches, Elizabeth douses her with the contents. But it is not holy water... it is gasoline. The entire room has been soaked with it. Elizabeth pulls out a lighter and sets Grace afire. Grace attacks and feeds on her while they both burn. DeBellis kills Jackie, and Quentin drives a stake through DeBellis' heart. He then goes over to Jackie's body, and Lockwood asks Dark Barnabas' permission to "feast on the wolf man." As he is doing so, good Barnabas drives a stake through him from behind. David and Emma run away and decide to leave Collinwood, now in flames, for good.
Dark Barnabas attacks good Barnabas, but Barnabs fires six shots through Dark Barnabas' body. then he pulls out a stake, but before he gets the chance to use it, his time is up and his spirit is sucked back into the past. Dark Barnabas rises and exclaims, "You can't stop me, you weak fool. Nothing can. I AM IMMORTAL!"
ISSUE #15:
1971: The basement of the Blue Whale as the dark side of Barnabas Collins' soul is fighting the Master for control of Barnabas' body. Dark Barnabas wins and he feeds on one of The Master's minions. Grace makes a move to destroy the necklace (apparently she followed Willie from Ireland just to destroy it), but Dark Barnabas stops her.
The last thing Emma said to Quentin was, "Go away and forget this ever happened." This issue finds him, still in his wolf form, still "going away." He has gotten as far as Spafford, when he is shot by Sheriff Willets.
Before all hell broke loose (no pun intended) in the basement of the Blue Whale, The Master ordered Kain and Vanessa (in posession of Roger and Carolyn's bodies) to find hin a more suitable host body. They have now arrived at Collinwood in search of Quentin. Elizabeth, Julia and Willie are back by now. She wants to call the police to report what they have witnessed, but Julia totally gaslights her by telling her that she saw a completely different "hallucination": "I saw a... large pool, I think. It's all rather hazy. Roger was holding a large pitchfork, not a knife. Barnabas had wings." Convinced they were all under the influence of some sort of incense from the ceremony, Elizabeth takes some pills Julia gave her and heads upstairs for bed. On the way she sees the blood in the hallway from Quentin's fight with Emma and assumes it's "juice." She checks in on David, who is sleeping in his bed. She doesn't see Emma, sleeping on the floor of the closet.
Back in Spafford, Sheriff Willets carries Quentin into the police station. Jackie is there, and Quentin has reverted to human form by this time. He believes he has found the man responsible for all the recent attacks the town has been experiencing.
Scene: "The House on the Hill." This is the house Nicholas Blair lived in once before. It is also the house Dr. Lang rented for his experiemnts, and the one Burke Devlin and Victoria Winters wanted to buy at one time. The Master, seeking revenge on Barnabas, has just released Nicholas from Hell in return for his mortal soul. Nicholas would have done that for free.
ISSUE #16:
Nicholas Blair restores the shards of the "magic mirror" he had in the TV. the spirit of good Barnabas, strsaight from the future of 1984, is trapped inside it. Barnabas does manage to convince Nicholas that he was sent there by Nicholas' future self to change the future he witnessed from coming to pass. In the Spafford jail, Quentin comes clean about the vampire and about being a werewolf himself. In order to convince him that he's telling the truth, he transforms into a werewolf and snaps his handcuffs. Jackie has gone to the Granger's house to look for the deputy.
Back at Collinwood, Willie goes out to look for Quentin and is ambushed by Roger/Kain. Just as Carolyn/Vanessa is about to kill him, Julia gets the drop on them with her handgun. Then David blunders in to the situation and Roger/Kain grabs him from behind.
At the Granger house in Spafford, Jackie discovers Mrs. Gainger's dead body, then Lockwood hiding out there. Before he can attack her, Quentin, in werewolf form, comes crashing through the window. Sheriff Willet then shoots Lockwood twice in the arm... with silver bullets (which he happened to have on hand because he's a Lone Ranger fan). Lockwood grabs a blanklet and leaps through the window into the daylight. He bursts into flame as he heads into the woods (and probably his cave).
At Collin wood, Julia shoots Caroly.Vanassa in the knee. Then Roger/Kain backs out of the house with David, but Willie, who has regained consciousness by now, hits Roger/Kain over the head with a rock knocking him out. Then Nicholas shows up, carrying the mirror with Barnabas trapped inside it.
ISSUE #17:
Nicholas Bl;air hypnotizes David Collins to forget everything that has happened, then sends hiim to bed. Because of all the times Barnabas tampered with David's mind, Nicholas had a difficult time doing so because David had built up a resistance. With David and Elizabeth sleeping it off, Barnabas and the others move their base of operations from Collinwood to the Old House in order to free Roger and Carolyn from Kain and Vanessa.
Meanwhile, in Spafford, Quentin, Sheriff Willets and Jackie track Lockwood to his lair. Dark Barnabas, however, goes directly to the cave, with Grace and tow young victims in tow. Lockwood is in pretty bad shape, but Barnabas offers to save him in return for his eternal service. Lockwood agrees. He feeds on one of the profferred victims and Grace feeds on the other.
At the Old House, Julia and Willie are not allowed to participate in the exorcism because of their "noble souls." Back at Collinwood, David is in a hypnotic stupor, and Emma needs to feed. At midnight, Nicholas completes the rites to send Kain and Vanassa back to Hell. The plan is that Barnabas is to follow them there and free the souls of Roger and Carolyn.
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