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After Dark #2
By Leroy Douresseaux
November 26, 2010 - 14:50

Radical Publishing
Writer(s): Peter Milligan
Penciller(s): Leonardo Manco
Inker(s): Leonardo Manco
Colourist(s): Kinsun Loh, Jerry Choo, Sansan Saw
Letterer(s): Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist(s): Francesco “Matt” Mattina
$4.99 US, 56pp, Color




afterdark02.jpg
After Dark #2 cover image

After Dark is a Radical Publishing comic book series created by director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and actor Wesley Snipes (Blade).  This science fiction series is actually written by Peter Milligan (Hellblazer).

After Dark is set in the future on an Earth that exists in a state of near-perpetual darkness.  Civilization is mostly confined to domed cities, with Solar City being the most populated.  Some of the populace lives in a drug-addled stupor; others riot either because they have a cause or because they are bored.  The rulers of Solar City decide that Angel, a messianic figure who hasn’t been seen in decades, can tame the populace.  They enlist Omar, a Bedouin drifter, to guide a rag-tag team composed of specialists and known criminals into the wilds outside the city to find Angel.

After Dark #2 opens in the disastrous aftermath of Omar’s mission to save the ill Trooper Jones.  Now, the Bedouin is left in the darkness with Ana, a femme fatale, and the gang brawler, “Monster” Monclare.  The trio eventually rejoins the mission and the group resumes the trip to Angel’s last known location, Archipelago City, where they find more than they expected.

THE LOWDOWN:  This second issue of After Dark is a much better read than the first.  For one thing, Peter Milligan does something at which he is immensely good: write character drama for science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and After Dark is a blend of all three.  Getting to know these characters makes the story a much better read, and, combined with the interesting plot twists and quirks, the characters make After Dark that much more attractive.  As usual, anything drawn by Leonardo Manco is good graphical storytelling, and the paints by the team of Kinsun Loh, Jerry Choo, Sansan Saw bring out Manco’s best artistic traits.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of post-apocalyptic science fiction comic books and Peter Milligan’s work will want to try After Dark.

B+

 



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