Darkness Level 0, Level 1, Level 2 and Trade Vol. 5

Top Cow Productions

Written by: Various

Art by: Various

Well Top Cow certainly did hit the right target with Darkness over the last decade. And it has been a wild decade. From the bright lights of Las Vegas to the dimly lit avenues of Philadelphia and New York to back alleys in Jersey, Jackie Estacado has come a long way.
Now, Top Cow has teamed with a major electronic game producer to give us a Darkness Video Game. And along with that, several new issues introducing Darkness and its powers and abilities to new readers. These stories are a great way for new readers to discover the book or for regular readers to find more information about what Jackie and his little guys can do.
First up is Darkness: Level 0 from Paul Jenkins and with art by Mattias Snygg and layouts by Geraldo Borges
This one is not just designed as a prequel story that leads straight into the video game, but is also a great lead in for the new Darkness comic series. The story here centers on young Anthony Estacado discovering and using Darkness for the first time in the trenches of World War I. Full Color 24 pages $2.99
Next up is Darkness: Level 1, written by Paul Jenkins and David Wohl with art by Stephan Sejic. This all-new series highlighting Jackie Estacado and his evil little friends will be bases on the five different levels in the Xbox 360 and Playstation3 video game.
These stories are not copies of the game, but original stories that are self-contained so that those of us unable to play the game (either due to lack of dinero or simply an idiot like me when it comes to games) will not only understand what is going on, but can enjoy the stories and the characters.
The first issue, from Darkness video game/comic scribe Paul Jenkins and Darkness co-creator David Wohl, goes back to the day when Jackie Estacado became Darkness, and will have Jackie walk a new path that will span dimensions and, for the first time, show the inner power of the creature that is called Darkness. The book will ship with four different covers.

Cover A) Stephen Sejic painted cover
Cover B) Video Game cover
Cover C) Marc Silvestri cover
Cover D) Michael Turner incentive cover

And in Darkness: Level 2 we meet a lone soldier somewhere in the world of Darkness. He is forced to relive his life over and over, fighting to capture a hill that's controlled by the Germans but he is never able to get there. Until he meets a man named Jackie Estacado, a mysterious and powerful warrior who helps in this dark effort.
Written by Paul Jenkins and David Wohl.

Cover A) Stephen Sejic painted cover
Cover B) Tyler Kirkham cover
Cover C) Dale Keown cover

And finally, the Big Daddy of them all, DARKNESS VOL. 5 - DEMON INSIDE
Written by an illustrious group such as Paul Jenkins, Ron Marz, Frank Tieri and others and with art by such talented artists as Eric Basaldua, Martin Montiel and the great Mark Texiera and with a price of only $19.99.
This is it; the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of Darkness really begins here. Sure, the game looks great and I am positive it is loads of fun, but finally this is your chance to catch up on many of the issues you might have missed.
This collection includes Darkness volume 2 issues #7-#16 as well as the one shot Darkness: Wanted Dead. This trade edition presents some of the best and finest Darkness stories from some of the industries best talents.
We get to see Jackie at his finest, as he rediscovers whom he is and works to take over his dead uncle Paulie's Mafia family. Moreover, watch as Paulie and Jackie have a final meeting to decide who is going to live and who will stay dead.
I read most of these stories when they first came out, but having the chance to read them together like this, uninterrupted by weeks or even months of waiting was a real treat. I actually found the art to be easier to follow in most places.
The dark (no pun intended) humor found throughout the book is just enough to take the edge off the even more dark attitude of most of the characters. It is, oddly enough, the Darklings, the beings that are formed by Darkness itself to do Jackie's bidding, that provide the laughs.
Jackie seems at times to dark, to much aware of the evil that resides in his own soul to be able to laugh. Perhaps he is better off then a lot of us, as he is aware of that darkness that all of us have to deal with and control.

Darkness is an amazing story, and this trade is a great way to get to discover and know whom Jackie is and what he can do.