“Night approaches, and with it comes the Dark Hours…”
Comic books, are a very entertaining medium, and that being the case, I occasionally work my way through any that catch my eye. Now, the last time I read a cowboy comic, I honestly couldn’t say, because most that came my way, were usually of the science fiction/horror genre , so getting a chance to read a yet unreleased copy (It’s who you know kid), I literally jumped at the chance. I first read The Dark Hours in May, and loved it from start to finish, and this was for two reasons really. The first was the illustrations, by Kyle Roberts, which were so sharp and cleanly rendered, they pop right out of the page. I’m admittedly a sucker for art, in all its many guises, so appreciate when it’s handled with care and attention to detail, as Mr Roberts has so clearly done. And the second, was the intelligent narrative, which kept me rapt throughout.
The actual story, which The Dark Hours is based, was originally written for screen by B. Luciano Barsuglia, who met Kyle through the fact that they both taught at the same school. What one immediately gets from The Dark Hours, is the way the story has been told with as little dialogue as possible, in keeping with cowboy lore, but the tale is far from a silent one. The story is paced just right, as Mr. Barsuglia hasn’t felt the need to spoon feed us too much information, but instead, invites the reader to ask questions, demanding to know more, but never leaving us wanting. By the last page, I was more than a little intrigued, and also, admittedly, hooked.
Judge rides into the town of Redemption, looking for a man known as the Bean, a gunfighter who has taken up residence, but now has a firm hold of the once prosperous mining town, thanks to becoming the town sheriff, and controlling the locals through fear. The town has some decent folk living within its borders, but they are living under an unknown threat. Judge is there to clean house, and with the help Minnesota, he means to keep it that way. But nothing is quite what it seems, as there are far more than just humans being bad, there are also the inhuman to deal with.
The story of how filmmaker/writer B. Luciano Barsuglia, and artist Kyle Roberts, combined their obvious talent, to bring us The Dark Hours, is an interesting one, and can be found at the end of the comic, learning that the hard work, effort and history behind them shows in every page. If you’re serious about comics, or are a collector, then this 3 part horror/western is a must-have.
You can keep updated with The Dark Hours on the comic’s website.
Reviewed independently by Nav Qateel