In DARLING #1, available from Source Point Press on June 30th, 2021, Francis Darling scrapes by as an addict, thief, and all-around loser in NYC. What Francis doesn’t know is his drug-fueled life is about to get more complicated.
The Details
- Written By: Michael Fleizach, Todd Hunt
- Art By: Dave Mims
- Colors By: Dave Mims
- Letters By: Zack Turner
- Cover Art By: Dave Mims (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: June 30, 2021
Was It Good?
It was okay.
This is a 4-issue mini and the solicit describes a riveting hook, but you don’t get much of anything resembling that hook in this first issue. This book is essentially a setup issue introducing you to the main character and some of his supporting characters… and not much else.
That’s not to say this first issue isn’t’ well-written. It’s very well-written, capturing the disjointed and chaotic life of an addict drifting from one day to the next. The depths with which Francis sinks are heart-wrenching to watch as he destroys his relationships and stability in his desperate search for the next high.
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Even getting arrested for breaking and entering seems like a casual event because it’s become Francis’ new normal. That’s the hook that makes this issue work as well as it does – making a destructive downward spiral seem normal from the PoV of the person living through it. In the opening pages, the writers add a note that says they’re drawing on the real-world experience of a loved one suffering from addiction, and the authenticity of that experience comes through loud and clear.
The art is rough and sketchy. While that may be a down point on other titles, here it works to emphasize the loose connection to reality held by the main character through his drug-hazed senses. As with the writing, the creative team put in the effort to project spotty, disjointed, and slightly off-kilter visual experiences to match the story.
In short, this issue has poignant writing with art that matches the experiences and mindset of the character, but the actual plot development is thin.
See for yourself in our DARLING #1 preview.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Francis Darling and his friend, Nes, walking the streets of NYC towards an undisclosed location. They talk of a better life, possibly moving somewhere warmer or far away where the struggles of city life can’t follow them.
We then see Francis and Nes reach their destination — a fire escape that allows access into an apartment. It seems an odd way to go home until you realize they’re breaking into an apartment. And it’s not just some random victim’s apartment. It happens to be the apartment of Francis’s girlfriend, Trix.
Before Nes and Francis can get away with their pilfered goods to sell and feed Francis’s drug habit, they’re caught by the police. Later, Nix and Francis have a heart-to-heart in a diner after Nix bails Francis out of jail. Francis is not willing to treat the situation as any big deal, but Nix has had enough and she calls it quits.
Dejected and despondent, we conclude the issue with Francis reflecting on the sum of his relationship with Nix as he mindlessly heads to an old haunt.
How Does It End?
Francis thinks about what was and what could have been. Francis enters the wrong kind of party. Some doors should stay closed.
Final Thoughts
DARLING #1 combines thoughtful, personal writing about the life of a drug addict with sketchy, disorienting art to perfectly set up a flawed protagonist. Despite the lack of plot development, there’s enough meat in this issue to get readers into the right headspace for the trials to come.
Score: 7.5/10
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