Advance Review: The Whispering Dark #1 (of 4)
It has been said that war is horror; it’s also been said that raw is war, but that’s a whole different story. In this new mini series from Dark Horse Comics, we get to see the horror of war, in the choices made to survive coupled with the rawness of a horror that lurks seemingly around every tree and every outcropping.
Hannah Vance is a helicopter pilot who signed up. Initially, believing that her faith in God would protect her, she is finding out that when it comes to fighting the good fight, the ramifications of choices made and actions taken wear heavy on the soul, possibly opening her fragile belief to an evil greater than that designed by man.
This series is written by Christofer Emgard, who has previously catalogued war from the gaming point of view in Battlefield 1 and Star Wars Battlefront II. Now I am not saying that those are unrealistic situations, yet here Emgard has turned the fraught dial way past ten! In Hannah we get a character that strives to do the right things as she sees them. Where the conflict arises is when there is no clear path to what is right. On top of that, there is a lurking evil that displays a subtle presence that pervades the aura of the book. Story wise, the beats of the book are similar to a raft of Vietnam and war movies from Apocalypse Now, and with a female lead, Courage Under Fire. As such, the dialogue and some of the characters, seem familiar. Still that’s not such a bad thing, if in the end the familiarity is a trap for the reader to fall into prior to the other shoe, or in this case napalm, dropping.
The art is provided by Tomas Aira, who has the credentials for a war/horror comic with his past work on War Stories and Night of the Living Dead: Aftermath. For those expecting straight up gore, you will be disappointed. Aira’s pencil, specifically the figure work, aren’t especially outstanding. In fact, they are pretty much standard fare as far as comic book art goes, although there are times where the faces show some great emotion. Where Aira does excel is the panel structure, camera angles and a color scheme that keeps the group of soldiers off balance. For example, the panels convey a mixture of pace and chaos that is certainly the tone that Emgard is aiming for and the camera angles makes the best of the environment. Mauro Mantella provides a letter style that helps move the dialogue along, giving each character a separate voice, with balloon placement and fonts that do not distract the eye from the overall experience.
If I was honest, I would say that war comics don’t really float my boat, especially as the aforementioned tropes in play seem too familiar. That said, Emgard has created a character in Hannah that you want to see survive and rise above the impacts and horrors that she will undoubtedly see and take part in. Coupled with Aira’s storytelling ability, you have book that may well be greater than the sum of its oft used parts.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Christofer Emgard
Art by; Tomas Aira
Leters by; Mauro Mantella
Published by; Dark Horse Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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