Top Cow’s ‘The Darkness’ Returns As An Ongoing Series With Marc Silvestri As Writer

by Olly MacNamee

It was only the other day that I was thinking about where Ed Benes had gone. And now I know. He’s illustrating the first issue of a new The Darkness ongoing series with creator and Image Comics CEO Marc Silvestri writing. Joining this formidable creative team will be inkers Matt “Batt!” Banning, Sal Regla, and John Livesay, colourist Arif Prianto, and letterer Troy Peteri, with artist Raymond Gay coming on board for the second issue.

Speaking of this new series, Silvestri said:

“The Darkness has always been one of my favorite characters, and I’ve wanted to come back to it for a long time. Fans have been asking for years when Jackie (Estacado) would return, and now we get to deliver something truly special. This is going to feel familiar, but it’s going to take you places you’ve never been before.

This isn’t just a nostalgia trip — it’s a reinvention. We’re going back to what made The Darkness such a hit: its grit, its danger, its sense that power always comes with a price. But this time, we’re turning everything up to eleven. Jackie’s world is going to expand in ways readers never expected.”

The Darkness #1

As for the story, here’s what to expect:

“Once again follows Jackie Estacado, a mafia hitman who inherits a terrifying gift on his 21st birthday: an elemental force known as The Darkness, which grants him dominion over creatures from another realm. As supernatural forces wage war over reality itself, Jackie must navigate a brutal conflict where good and evil are anything but clear.

Whether readers have followed Jackie Estacado from the beginning or are entering the shadows for the first time, there’s never been a better moment to embrace The Darkness.”