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COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews A Voice in the Dark #3

January 16th, 2014 by Irwin Fletcher 1 Comment

Written by Larime Taylor
Art by Larime Taylor
Cover Painting by Sylv Taylor
Published by Top Cow/Image Comics


When A Voice in the Dark debuted, Larime Taylor introduced us to a protagonist in Zoey that’s layered with a complexity rarely seen in comics. She’s hardly a normal teenager, but like all teenagers, she’s just trying to find her place in the world. Unlike most teenage girls though, she’s not dealing with angst, a self-esteem issue, or worrying about boys; no, Zoey is dealing with what Dexter would call her Dark Passenger. Inexplicably, Zoey is addicted and driven to kill. She tried to use her radio show, A Voice in the Dark, as a means to let the Darkness out without hurting anyone to no avail. Her very first caller shot her parents and then herself after the two shared a conversation. With Zoey officially off of the wagon and things looking darker and more bizarre by the second, will she ever find piece?

As intriguing as this story truly is I think the most fascinating aspect of the entire series is that Zoey is, without question, not a good person. She has an animalistic urge to kill that could be compared to some of the most notorious serial killers in history. That being said, I find myself caring about her well-being and I find myself rooting for her to find peace from whatever drives her into doing these terrible things. That fact really speaks volumes for the storytelling ability of Larime Taylor. One of two things could happen. Either Zoey will finally free herself of her burden, or she’ll continue down her dark path only to have the whole thing blow up in her face. I can’t wait to see where this story takes us!

Larime told me that as the book was released, the art would really start to come into its own, and I have to say, he wasn’t lying. I was really impressed with the level of detail in the facial expressions throughout. My one SLIGHT hang up is that when Zoey does finally kill again, we’re not shown anything about it or given any details. I’ll reserve judgment until we get further into the series because you never know what Larime has planned; I’d just like to know how she goes about it without getting caught!

I rarely mention the covers in my reviews. Not to say there aren’t a ton of absolutely gorgeous and stellar covers on books that come out every week, but the cover to AVitD #3 was painted by Larime’s wife Sylv. The little touches she added like the blood spatter on the bottom were really great touches and made the cover an absolutely perfect fit for the issue. I even had a co-worker who was flipping through the book on her lunch break comment on how great the cover was, so hats of Sylv!

This book is great and just keeps getting better. Just when I think we have our plot, Larime continues to layer on interesting layer after layer of complexity that are sure to pay off in a big way as the story moves along. This is one of the first comics I’ve ever bought multiple issues of just to give out to friends and family that wouldn’t normally read comics just because I enjoy it that much. There’s a terrific plot twist at the end of this issue (no spoilers!) and I can’t wait to see what we’re in store for! For a book that is not only consistently great, but just keeps getting better, I give AVitD #3…

5 out of 5 nerds

 

I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.