A washed up hitman, Donny Dahlia, takes one last job transporting a package cross country in the hopes of seeing his estranged daughter again. Little does he know this job is going to get him caught in the middle of a war between the fairy realms that could determine the fate of humankind. Dahlia in the Dark #1 is an interesting start that takes a familiar genre and twists it by mashing it up with another.
Written by Joe Corallo, Dahlia in the Dark #1 begins simple enough. On its surface, the debut issue is just a “gangster” type story with two individuals who don’t get along having to deliver a package for their boss. But, there’s a bit more going on. First hinted at, then more laid out, this is a world where magical beings exist, and there’s a war going on between them. This is far more than just a delivery job, there’s multiple individuals who want the package, and there’s magic involved. Hence, the mashing up of genres.
Corallo also doesn’t spend time on focusing on explanation of the world. There’s a solid working in of all of that in every day conversations, creating a nice flow that informs the reader of what to expect without breaking the natural pace of things.
The art is is solid with a look that fits its crime/noir roots. Andrea Milana provides it along with Micah Myers‘ lettering and the two capture the crime style the series is built off of. Dahlia in the Dark #1 is interesting visually as it steers away from its fantastical elements. It’d be easy to dive in there, but beyond a page or two, visually, the comic feels much more like a crime comic. But, like the dialogue, the visuals pepper in those elements to remind you this is a world that’s not quite like ours and to expect far more than we’d expect with this type of story. Myer’s lettering too plays it straight in this way keeping the lettering consistent for all and in a style that fits the crime genre.
Dahlia in the Dark #1 is a solid start. Those who might enjoy a crime delivery story will want to check it out as it delivers a bit more than we’d typically expect. It takes a story from a genre we’ve seen many times before and changes it up for a potentially fun ride.
Story: Joe Corallo Art: Andrea Milana Letterer: Micah Myers
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics
