After undergoing what might have been the most terrifying pre-anesthetic vision imaginable, Brian Newman is currently in post-surgery recovery and dreaming away. Spoiler Alert: Things get weird.
Is it good?
Tales From the Darkside #3 (IDW Publishing)
Observations
- Big Winner may be a jerk, but at least his clothing and haircut style has evolved over the years.
- HA! We won’t be seeing him on Undercover Boss any time soon.
- There’s always one asshole bat in the swarm that just has to go and crawl inside your mouth.
- Pro Tip #1: When a shiny black box shows up out of nowhere in the middle of your super shady research facility, don’t touch it—even if you’re wearing gloves.
- Pro Tip #2: If some idiot touches the black box that showed up out of nowhere in the middle of your super shady research facility, don’t touch them—even if you’re wearing gloves.
- Always nice when your ex-employer calls to admit they were wrong about you being a loon.
Is It Good?
Mostly.
On the art side of things, Gabriel Rodriguez provides some incredibly striking visuals. The varied dream visions really allow him to cut loose with a variety of terrifying images and aesthetics.
Story wise, Tales from the Darkside continues to suffer from its characters not quite living up to the intriguing narrative. As cool as the story is, the characters act like stock figures from every horror science fiction tale you’ve ever consumed. They’re well written, but lacking in depth or likability. Even the people you are supposed to despise don’t trigger much of a reaction. This could be due to the fact that we haven’t spent much time with them (aside from Newman), but they still feel like unmoored fodder for the plot rather than driving forces behind it.
Thankfully, the fascinating hell these characters are being put through by Big Winner/Newman continue to make the series—and this story arc—worth reading, even if it’s just for Gabriel Rodriguez’s art.
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