Phil Hester Begins Final Arc of ‘The Darkness’

Looks like Top Cow is in the mood for change.  Last week, we reported that 'Witchblade' was getting a new creative team.  This week, it's 'The Darkness.' 'The Darkness' #96 begins writer Phil Hester's final arc, appropriately titled 'Total Darkness,' leading up to the milestone 100th issue.  In his four years on the series, Hester has seen main character Jackie Estacado run the gamut—from major success and power to the pits of despair.  Estacado, bearer of the force known as the Darkness, has lived in relative harmony for a long time.  But now the evil force is trying to push Estacado down the wrong path, so Jackie plunges himself into the Darkness' home dimension to confront the source of his power. "This is the story I've been building to since I started on the book," explained Hester. "There's a huge dissonance at the heart of Jackie Estacado's existence: How can he wield unimaginable power, yet still be a slave to its source? How can he ever know if his character is genuine, or simply the affectations of The Darkness? That conflict is resolved in my final arc when Jackie confronts The Darkness for the final time, and on its own turf." THE DARKNESS #96, a 32-page full-color supernatural horror comic book for $2.99, will be on sale in stores and digital platforms on December 21.The issue is available in two covers, one by regular cover artist Jeremy Haun and one from Sheldon Mitchell. [phpbay keywords="The Darkness" num="2" siteid="1" category="139973" sortorder="EndTimeSoonest" freeshipping="true" templatename="columns" columns="2"]