Review: Dark Red #4

Depending on your generational and political purview, the current racial climate in the U.S is either the best in the world and a beacon for the rest of the world to follow, or it the embodiment of the most racist place on earth, and getting more racist and more racially divisive by the day under the current leadership. Thus I“ll always be interested in what people think, but in order to deliver the story into medium that that people will actually want to read, It needs to be willing to go into the dark and scary corners of society, and for sure it needs to be weird. Cue Tim Seeley“s Dark Red.

In the previous issue, Dark Red #3, the reader got some background information on the protagonist and his time in World War II fighting Nazis, and how he became a Vampire. Mostly it just that provided context to how Chip’s nature as well as some of the weapons he’ll arm himself to fight the vampires coming to take his land, basically the rest of the panels were breadcrumbs to the major storyline in #4.

The Dark Red #4 story continues along its“ complex flight path making sure to touch on its various sub storylines. This time the main plot is a rescue mission for Evie, with a healthy sprinkling of some modern day political hot points.

Dark Red #4 has that weirdness that“s a difficult thing to aim for yet actually achieve. It“s one thing if a creative work generates an off-center aesthetic by accident or opaque genius that keeps you wanting more. But here you can tell what Tim Seeley“s intentions are, which is much harder if an entire audience thinks they knows where you“re trying to wind up. Ultimately that“s the problem that“s staring Dark Red # 4 right in the face.

The art by Corin Howell continues to be incredibly detailed in some panels and delivers the gore and nastiness I“m looking for. Why so low, to be honest the series has been great so far but pacing wise this was the slowest, and feels cut-off abruptly. As part of the bigger TPB these panels will be good but not by themselves. Otherwise Dark Red continues to be a good read and something I will look forward to seeing adapted to the screen in the future.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Author(s): Tim Seeley
Artist(s): Corin Howell
Colorist(s): Mark Englert
Letterer: Marshall Dillon
Publisher: AfterShock