The Darkness II: Confession (Comic)

On last year's Free Comic Book Day, Top Cow released a comic in order to promote The Darkness II; this same comic would also be given away for free at the following San Diego Comic-Con. Though I picked one up at the time, I decided not to read it until I actually finished playing The Darkness, which I discussed previously. With the new game coming up soon, I decided to go through it when it came closer to the release date, and it doesn't disappoint.

After Jenny's death in the first game, Jackie can't stop thinking about her, and the story begins with him at his late girlfriend's grave. Admitting he wasn't honest with her about what he does, he decides to tell her everything that happened to him recently. The talk in question is a very thorough recap of the events of the 2007 game, ending with a scene that reminds you what Jackie is and does.

Along with being thorough, the recap of the first The Darkness is extremely faithful to the source material, which is good for those that haven't played the game in a while and want a quick reminder of what occurred the night of Jackie's 21st birthday. Some of the dialogue is even from Jackie's narration in the game. This is backed up by some fantastic artwork, which really works with the subject and captures the atmosphere of the source material perfectly. At one point there is a rather interesting panel layout dealing with one pivotal scene that seems to fit the tone quite well.

If you already own a copy, read The Darkness II: Confession if you want a good reminder of what happened previously without having to replay the game. If you don't own a copy, I would suggest obtaining one as soon as you can. If you have already read The Darkness: Levels, this is a better read for purposes of reliving the story of Jackie Estacado. The amount of effort put into this one-shot is amazing, and the equally amazing artwork is something that shouldn't be missed.