SPLASHES OF DARKNESS: COMPLETE DARKNESS [REVIEW]

2/11/2021

The production design here is clean and the paper quality high, so it’s a bit of a surprise to find that the artwork is monochrome and quite scratchy. It reminded me of some of the earlier Dredd strips in 2000AD, packed with ambitious cityscape details (though strangely low on inhabitants).

Comic-books are a medium, not a genre; they can tell any story and suit any palate. You want horror? I've got bottles of the stuff. Welcome to 'Splashes of Darkness.'

Complete Darkness – Kickstarter
A Splashes of Darkness review by Dion Winton-Polak

For every carefully-crafted cocktail you’ve savoured, there were dozens of trial runs: rough concepts worked through and taste-tested until they hit the spot. The process of concoction, experimentation and refinement is the very essence of creation. So we come to Complete Darkness, a blended-genre comic-book adaptation of Matt Adcock’s cyberpunk fantasy novel. It’s a little raw, a little rough, but there’s something interesting here. It’s on Kickstarter now, so you could help it develop and grow.

The Pitch:

Cleric20 is a hedonistic loner, but he might just be the saviour of the world. It’s 2242 and the future has arrived – full of flying cars, robots, dystopian companies and sprawling megacities. Unfortunately, the past is about to arrive too, along with a demonic horde – all thanks to a revolutionary new piece of technology. The starlight bounce allows human observers to view historical events. As the first beam returns to Earth, the research team witnesses an ancient battle taking place. Alas, they are also seen in return by the demon Razour. The day of carnage is coming.

Thoughts on the Comic:
We don’t always have time to burn through a novel, but comic-book adaptations like this can be a quick and easy way for consumers to discover *new worlds. (One Hollywood has begun relying upon more and more in their search for content and product recognition.) Comics are not quick, easy, nor cheap to produce though – as anyone in the industry will tell you – which is why indie publishers started to turn to crowdfunding.

I’m not familiar with the novel, the world, or the author, but I really dug the concept as Adam described it to me, so I snagged a copy at FantasyCon. As I settled down to it, I appreciated the care with which I was brought up to speed. The first couple of pages set up the premise (in a short paragraph), and introduce us to the main characters (each with a single image and brief description). The production design here is clean and the paper quality high, so it’s a bit of a surprise to find that the artwork is monochrome and quite scratchy. It reminded me of some of the earlier Dredd strips in 2000AD, packed with ambitious cityscape details (though strangely low on inhabitants).

There are only 14 pages here, so we’re whisked through at a breakneck pace, barely meeting our hero before the inciting incident occurs and the threat emerges. The scene at the encampment in Canaan with the Ark is the standout for me, full of tension. The action, when it occurs, is a little stiff –caused, I think, by the line-work being just too thick, in stark contrast to the previous page. However, the artist does manage to give the illusion of a fast-moving battle with some shrewd details that lead the eye from element to element across the double-page spread.

In addition to the main comic, Adcock has produced a short story set in the same world – bonus content to thank the backers – which riffs on Christine by Stephen King. Not wholly to my tastes but again, it’ll give you that window into the wider world and help you decide if Cleric20 and co. are your cup of tea.

Issue 1 of Complete Darkness has already been produced – so you’re guaranteed a copy – and the Kickstarter has been fully funded with a month still to go. Having paid the creators, all profits will be ploughed back into creating Issue 2, and so on. The more support thrown at these things, the more likely the project as a whole can reach completion. Prefer to just grab the novel? There are links here or, better yet, order at your local bookshop.

* One writer I know has created no less than 16 spin-off comics from his novels, along with a Find-Your-Fate book, an audio drama, and a middle-grade adventure book. It’s a goddamned multi-media empire.