Darkling # 1

Title: Darkling # 1
Publisher: Archie Comics
Story by: Sarah Kuhn
Line Art by: Carola Borelli
Lettering by: Jack Morelli
Main Cover: Maria Laura Sanapo & Ellie Wright
Variant Cover: David Mack
Price: $ 3.99 US
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Website: www.archiecomics.com
Comments: Darkling aka Darla Lang in the library meets a wantabe reporter/detective Phoebe Hayashi. Girls are disappearing from the campus all ones who are a little different then the rest. Ones like Darla and Phoebe. 
  Darla has a curse on her. A girl is in trouble from giant pink tentacles and the coloring does make these tentacles pop out at you. Darla acts and plays the hero. 
  Now Darla has stumbled on some kind of cult worshiping some kind of magical creature. 
  The story is about darlking getting control over her powers. The story though does not tell us about how she got them. Where did her cape come from? Some mystery is good to much is not. The story does focus on Darla making a new friend in Phoebe. It is the start of a beautiful relationship. 
  Overall the art is plain. It needed to pop more. The colors are pale. When Darla uses the magic of the portal an exciting moment it is not illustrated as such it comes across as boring. 
  Darla is suppose to be adark and mysterious girl yet she comes across as needy and unsure. Yes she acts as a hero and without fear yet you can always see the shy quite girl she really is. She is suppose to be creepy but is not. Her cape is mentioned over and over yet it is never shown that clearly or fully. It would be nice to see a nice pin-up illustration showing off the cape. Darla does wear a short black dress which is cute on her.   
  

Richard Vasseur