Broken Frontier

Reunited with his father, Jackie Estacado is tempted by the the world of the Darkness.

The Darkness #99 is seemingly set before the Artifacts relaunch of the Top Cow Universe. Set in Jackie Estacado's personal hell of the Darkness itself, Jackie's bittersweet reunion with his father is ill-fated. Sure, the Estacados might be back together, but Jackie knows that it's not the real world, it's likely a trick, and while he might be able to learn a thing or two from the old man, it will likely distract from his true mission.

Multiple artists worked on the book, and it definitely shows. The initial pages are great, and yet roughly halfway through, the visuals just drastically change. One page can be rather realistic, and the next extra animated. It's a visual disconnect that may work if there was a logical reason for it in the plot (things going a little askew, for example), but just seems more an after-effect of attempting to get a book out on time, instead of getting the best book out there.

There's a decent story here, from what can be inferred from jumping into the middle of a storyline that may be the end of an era. This Jackie appears to be rather different from the post-Artifacts version, but the same personality remains strong. Still, it's a personality that is hampered by the veneer it hides under; whether the surface features are different because of an altered universe, or altered artists, a strong story remains. It'd be nice to have a little consistency, though.