COMIC REVIEW: FTN reviews A Voice in the Dark #4

Written by Larime Taylor

Art by Larime Taylor

Cover Colors by Sylv Taylor

Published by Top Cow/Image Comics

I don’t understand how A Voice in the Dark isn’t grabbing more attention than it is. It’s a book on the brink of being cancelled (not due to quality, but do to the fact that Larime can’t afford to continue to put it out with the low numbers it’s been doing), but it’s also one of the most original, refreshing books being put on the shelves right now. It’s not only a book that deserves your attention, but it’s a book that deserves to be talked about much more than it is.

Things just aren’t getting any easier for Zoey. She’s dealing with school, her first party, oh, and the fact that she almost constantly has the urge to kill again. I think the best thing this series has going for it isn’t the fact that it’s about a serial killer; it’s about the fact that it’s about Zoey, who just so happens to be a serial killer, trying to live a normal life and fit in as a teenager…that’s something every last one of us can relate to. This book could have easily turned into a slasher-style series, but it’s very obvious that Taylor has taken great care in making sure the focus stays more on Zoey trying to find her way in the world and making sure the book keeps a very dark style of humor to it. It would’ve been so easy to make Zoey this bloodthirsty killer that we all hate, but we can’t; she’s relatable as a human being and that’s what draws me to her as a character! I also love the amount of mystery around the other killer that’s running around campus leaving Polaroids of all of his or her victims. It’s not often I find myself so interested in a secondary part of a storyline, but Taylor has done a really nice job just giving us bits and pieces of what’s happening without divulging too much. It adds a great level of intrigue to the story as a whole!

I think Larime is firing on all cylinders with his art in this series. Every character has their own unique flair and I love that they look like real people; especially Zoey and her roommates. In most books these days the girls look like they could’ve been pulled out of a magazine and let’s be honest, that’s not realistic at all! In a book that specializes in the subtle emotions laced into the dialogue, it’s extremely important to nail the facial expressions; Larime has knocked it out of the park! There’s also a great cameo that he (literally) makes in the issue too, let me tell you folks, it’s hilarious! I also have to make a special mention of the cover once again because this thing is absolutely beautifully done. Larime’s wife Sylv paints the covers for this series and I absolutely love this one. I think my favorite part of it was the background. The brushstrokes she used surrounding the young women in the background, for some reason, I found absolutely beautiful!

This is a book worth reading! You can check out the first issue for free on Top Cow’s website here: http://topcow.com/files/AVITD001_reader_web.pdf so you have absolutely no excuse to not check it out! This is an Image title, which means it’s creator owned, and these are the kinds of books we need to support! This book is more about a teenager trying to make her own way in the world than it is about a serial killer. I see it drawing lots of comparisons to Dexter, but it isn’t. Dexter was about him trying to blend in as a monster amongst men; AvitD is about a teenager trying to blend in and find her place in a world that she feels has rejected her. It’s a great story with a ton of personality and even more humor; it’s definitely got something for everyone! (For adults that is!) I love this book and I give AVitD #4…

4.5 out of 5 nerds