DVD Corner

Tales From The Darkside Issue 4 Comic Book Review

“Tales From The Darkside” goes out with a whimper.

In my review of issues 2 and 3 of the “Tales From The Darkside” comics, I stated that the story would not be concluded in issue 4 as it is a stand-alone story. It turns out that’s not quite the case. While the storyline involving Brian and The Big Winner is disappointingly not continued in issue 4, the events of issue 3 do come into play here. Essentially, a “Darkside” was unleashed upon the world in issue 3 and issue 4 (AKA “A Window Opens”) deals with the after effects.

The actual story of “A Window Opens” (which was written by Joe Hill and adapted by Michael Benedetto) involves a redhead woman (Joss) being offered a babysitting gig by her odd new neighbors. The children (Pam and Ward) are bonafide techno junkies who seem glued to a particular game on their tablet device. Of course, something is off about both the children and the “game” they are playing.

Much like the previous 3 issues, the fourth and final issue feels underdeveloped, rushed, and generally underwhelming. The idea of making the darkside a “thing” and using it as a serialized thruline simply doesn’t work. I can see what Hill was trying to do with the concept, but to me, it defeats the purpose of horror anthology storytelling and what the original series set out to do. As much as I admire Joe Hill (seriously, check out “Locke and Key” if you haven’t), perhaps the series was better left unmade.

On the bright side, the artwork by Gabriel Rodriguez and Ryan Hill is great as per usual. From the creepy kids to the weird nightmarish imagery, Rodriguez makes the story more interesting than it really is.

Overall Thoughts: As a huge fan of the original television series, I really wanted to like this new “Tales From The Darkside” comic book mini-series, but it simply falls flat.

September 27, 2016 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Book review | Gabriel Rodriguez, Joe Hill, Tales From The Darkside Comic Book Mini-Series, Tales From The Darkside Issue 4 Comic Book Review