Dark Shadows: Year One (Spoilers!)

Wow. They covered a lot of ground in issue #1!! Almost too much, as we seem to jump forward in time every 2 or 3 pages, which gives it a very hasty feel. I was hoping that they would develop the back story a little slower, such as spending a full issue on Angelique's seduction of Barnabas, rather than just, ummmmmm, two pages. At the very beginning.

The story is familiar to fans of the TV series and no real surprises, but if you aren't overly familiar with Dark Shadows this series is a great way to learn the basic background (which, honestly, is what a Year One series is supposed to do).

Minor quibble (and MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!):













at the end of issue #1 Barnabas grabs a flintlock pistol from a glass-covered case a shoots three times. I don't know a whole lot about handguns, but surely the pistols of those times did not shoot multiple rounds, did they? Didn't you have to reload after each shot? And why would anybody load a pistol and then seal it in a glass case to begin with?

[Roger]

It does seem to be moving quickly. Isn't this series supposed to be 8 issues? At this rate he'll be made a vampire by page 3 of issue #2. I guess there will be plenty of time for him to wreck havoc in the town, be hunted down, boxed up and put away.

On the last page of issue #1 there is a cover gallery. The last cover shown is described as "Exclusive Photo Cover". It's different from the "Exclusive Subscription Variant Photo Cover". I haven't seen this Exclusive Photo Cover for sale or advertised anywhere. Has anyone seen an actual copy? How or where do you get it?

[RonDaisy]

Yes, it was moving rather fast. Also, there are minor differences from what we originally saw on TV. Joshua and the Countess come across a little nicer than they did in the original series. I'm a little dismayed that they changed history by not having Jeremiah and Josette running off and getting married, which gave Barnabas reason to want to fight his uncle. The wedding taking place in a church doesn't make sense, as Joshua would never want the general public to know his son married a servant!

[Son of Tarzan]

this is a very condensed retelling of the 1795 storyline. which, i guess is good for new fans who maybe haven't seen those episodes. but yeah, as mentioned Barnabas firing a flintlock pistol three consecutive times is inaccurate...but then DS has never been known for its historical accuracy. reading this makes me want to sit down and rewatch the 1795 arc.

[RonDaisy]

I hope once they finish this retelling of the 1795 storyline, that they would considering giving the same treatment to the entire run of the series. I'd love to see what Jeb really looked like as a Leviathian.

[Tulku]

At this rate he'll be made a vampire by page 3 of issue #2.

Inspired guess! We see him as a vampire by page 2 of #2! There are quite a few editorial decisions about this series that I question. The breakneck speed of issue #1 is one. Victoria is another. Sure, if you are familiar with the Dark Shadows mythos, the inclusion of Victoria in #2 comes as no surprise. But if, for example, you are, oh, under the age of 40, you might not know the storyline. If you don't know the series, then the inclusion of Victoria in #2 and references to her "second sight" are bound to confuse, particularly as there were no "dialogue boxes" to explain who or what she is.

And why start issue # 2 with a "flash-forward" to Barnabas being a vampire? We ended #1 with him shooting Angelique...why not start with Victoria coming in immediately after and realizing that she is too late to stop events? It serves no purpose to have a flash-forward at that point. It was already a dramatic point in the story--there was no need to jump two months ahead to show Barney killing people.

So, two months in and, while I don't have a complaint about the writer per se, I do wonder what the heck the editors are doing.