Darkhold Alpha #1
- WRITER
- Steve Orlando
- Artist
- Cian Tormey
- Letterer
- VC's Clayton Cowles
- Cover Artist
- Greg Smallwood
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics
- Price
- 4.99
- Release Date
- 2021-09-29
- Colorist
- Jesus Aburtov
The Darkhold, one the strongest artifacts in the Marvel Universe, wields the power to corrupt those who read it. In the hands of its creator, the Dark God Chthon, it has the power to destroy the known reality. Inspired by the Necronomicon, the Darkhold has been at the center of cataclysmic events time and again, even making appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, most recently, WandaVision. Now, Doctor Doom wants the book for himself, and it is up to the Scarlet Witch to stop him. Created by writer Steve Orlando and artist Cian Tormey, Darkhold Alpha #1 plunges the world into darkness and unleashes evil on the Marvel Universe.
Darkhold Alpha #1 opens ominously with the unearthing of the original Darkhold from the ruins of the forgotten kingdom of Abysmia, located underneath the United States. Upon its discovery, Scarlet Witch starts experiencing nightmarish visions of a demonic apocalypse on Earth, so she immediately teleports to the excavation site. There, she finds Doctor Doom's servo-guards digging up the place under the command of his herald Victorious, and a battle for the Darkhold ensues.
Orlando, who penned the Planet of Symbiotes miniseries and the one-shot Extreme Carnage: Toxin, has come up with a cross-title event that is bound to test the might of Marvel's heroes against an ancient evil. In this debut issue, he supplies the exposition through the character's interactions, while capturing their tension through heated conversations. However, the script soon turns repetitive and exchanges become dull -- at least until the end of the issue, when the Darkhold turns against the heroes and causes an unexpected turn of events. Darkhold Alpha #1 uses linear storytelling to convey the plot, focusing more on pushing the narrative forward than on the plight of the characters involved.
Tormey cooks up a storm with his stylized art, capturing every minute detail and filling the pages with menace. As the story picks up pace, the sweeping action gives way to low-angle closeups and vivid expressions. Tormey lets his imagination run amok on the demonic designs, using dynamic layouts and dramatic splash pages to strike a sense of awe in the reader. Colorist Jesus Aburtov, who previously worked on Venom, has experience coloring grotesque body horror, which he puts to great effect here. From fire-torn hellscapes to reinforced caverns, Aburtov uses bright color palettes to create the scorching energy blasts and more, conveying the enormity of the crisis.
Darkhold Alpha #1 kicks off an exciting new story that is as much a sensory overload of information as it is an introduction of things to come. The debut issue builds up the plot and forces five superheroes to form an unlikely team, effectively reimagining the summoned characters before they converge for the ultimate confrontation. As things turn from bad to worse, Darkhold Alpha #1 ends on an unexpected twist that feels straight out of a horror movie and heralds a new dark age.