Advance Review: Face To Face With The Devil In ‘Dark Ride’ #8
by Tom Smithyman
They don’t call him Danny D. Evil for nothing.
The mascot of the amusement park Devil Land takes center stage in the latest issue of Dark Ride. Until now, Danny has seemed threatening – he is a devil after all – but we haven’t actually seen him hurt anyone. That all changes now as he goes after Sam with a vengeance – literally popping out of a television and coming to life.
And it’s not just the animated version of the mascot coming after Sam, whose dad Arthur founded the park from hell. Even the stuffed animals in the gift shop want to get a piece of Sam.
Yet just as the devils close in for the kill, Sam is yanked into a flashback to his childhood. He starts to put the pieces of his life and the questionable choices his family members made regarding him and his sister Halloween. It’s an abrupt, clumsy and unexplained transition. But then this whole issue feels like it came out of nowhere.
Writer Joshua Williamson has built an interesting world and has been slowing leaking out information about Devil Land and its mysterious origins. But his approach to this issue seems unmotivated. Why is Danny attacking Sam now? What’s the urgency? He’s been around for seven issues and even years before that. The whole chapter – which closes out this story arc – seems to come out of nowhere.
Motivated or not, artist Andrei Bressan has a lot to work with here, though. He has the chance to show off his skills by drawing different versions of the park mascot, and he succeeds in a creepy way.
Interestingly enough, though, it’s the quieter flashback scenes – largely devoid of Adriano Lucas’ colors – that really showcase Bressan’s talent. In the opening scene between Sam and his dying mother, Bressan’s linework seems crisper, and it evokes more emotions. The subject matter helps dial up the emotional tension, but you can see the pain on the young Sam’s face as he’s talking to mom.
There’s more of this story to tell, but it needs a bit more though put into the plot so it can truly scare the hell out of its readers.
Dark Ride #8 will be available for purchase on September 13, 2023.
Overview
This issue comes out of left field – and not in a particularly great way. The timing of the action for this chapter is very questionable. But some chilling – and at times even poignant – illustrations help to elevate the book.
