Skybound has unveiled a first look at Dark Ride #5, which kicks off the second story arc of last year’s hit horror comic book series from the iconic Birthright team of writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrei Bressan, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Pat Brosseau.
Owen Seasons has been found, but the mystery around his death continues to haunt Sam Dante. As darker forces emerge in Devil Land, can Sam really control his family’s terrifying legacy?
Dark Ride #5 continues the impressive variant cover lineup that ran throughout the series’ first arc. In addition to the main cover by Bressan and series colorist Adriano Lucas,Dark Ride’sCover B variant spotlights park mascot Danny D. Evil, with an issue #5 cover by all-star illustrator Reiko Murakami, while Cover C showcases Devil Land’s resident femme fatale and horror aficionado, Halloween, with the first of four new covers by Paulina Ganucheau.
Additionally, megastar creator Tony Fleecs continues art directing the classic homage poster variant program that ran throughout the series’ first arc. The 1:25 incentives will also span the Cover D slot of Dark Ride’s second arc, bringing on a new guest artist for each cover. Dennis Culver is the artist at the helm for issue #5.
Dark Ride #5will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
The full list of covers is below:
Dark Ride #5CVR A by Bressan & Lucas (Diamond Code FEB230166)
Dark Ride #5 CVR B (Danny D. Evil Mascot Variant) by Murakami (FEB230167)
Dark Ride #5CVR C (Halloween Character Spotlight Variant) by Ganucheau (FEB230168)
Dark Ride #5CVR D 1:25 INCV (Classic Homage Poster Cover) by Culver & Fleecs (FEB230169)
Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan’s Dark Ride is a treat for horror fans. The scary theme park at the center of the story is a buffet of genre references and the monsters that inhabit it hide gruesome secrets underneath their mascot suits. While it’s fair to say Dark Ride is a fun read, it’s not without its moments of pure darkness. Issue #4 dives more freely into them.
Dark Ride #4 continues to frame Devil Land park as a place that’s being forced to get in with the times. The definition of fear has changed more than once in recent years and is currently at its most flexible. The park’s owner, Arthur Dante, and his kids Samhain and Halloween (their actual names) are scrambling for ways to update the experience and stay relevant, but eager YouTubers and the sister of missing park employee Owen Seasons are threatening to expose the real horrors operating behind the scenes.
Samhain and Owen’s sister, Summer, take a more central role in issue #4, both fearful of the park’s real power as they each try to understand it while figuring out how Owen could just vanish without a trace inside it. The story is starting to take more of a traditional shape here, with the evil elements making themselves more clearly visible than in previous issues. It looks like Samhain and Summer will end up working together to get to the bottom of the many unknowns Devil Land houses.
Summer’s search for her brother does allow Williamson and Bressan to channel bits from a movie I’m pretty sure influenced the comic’s creation: Tobe Hooper’s The Funhouse (1981). In it, a group of horny teens visit a fair that features a big and disorienting funhouse as one of its main attractions. They sneak into the ride to extend their stay after the fair shuts down, but what they get is an encounter with a monstrous and violent thing that calls the place home along with his cruel parent.
Hooper’s approach to the empty funhouse turns the location into a strange nightmare-filled arena, with barely discernible shapes and shadows making the darkness feel dangerous at every turn. Williamson and Bressan achieve a similar sensation, but they extend it to take over the entire park. Devil Land always looks like a death trap with a mind of its own, not content with just scaring guests. It takes a bite out of customers, one way or another, and it’s the reason why the horror the creative team manages to conjure up with it feels so unique.
Bressan gives the park and its creatures a fairy tale-like aesthetic that flips classic cartoon tropes for things that look as if from another dimension, a very sadistic one at that. Their behavior reminds of the old voodoo zombie films of the black & white era, stoic but harboring a menace that could reveal itself at any moment.
Adriano Lucas’ colors have been a highlight since issue #1. They’re loud and bright and they help in creating an interesting dialogue between the real and the monstrous. I was reminded of old carnival posters, in which sideshow ads and key announcements jumped out of the page. You can almost hear the colors being shouted out via megaphone, urging people to step right up.
Dark Ride continues to be one of the best series on the stands and it looks like that won’t be changing in 2023. Williamson and Bressan are taking full advantage of the premise, adding layers upon layers of storytelling to the point of establishing narrative arcs and threads that can go on for a long time. I hope the series stays for the long run. If Devil Land were a real place, I’d have no problem buying one of those expensive, all-inclusive passes that let me visit whenever I want. Even if it risks being eaten by one of the rides.
Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Andrei Bressan Color: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Pat Brosseau Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Read and then watch Hooper’s The Funhouse if you haven’t already.
Image Comics providedGraphic Policy with a FREE COPY by the publisher for review
I say it with every review, but I’m generally not a horror fan. There’s some I like but it’s a genre I tend to stay away from. But, every once in a while something jumps out at me. This is a series that’s done exactly that and Dark Ride #4 is another example of why I’ve liked this series so much.
Written by Joshua Williamson, the series has focused on a horror themed park which has a lot going on under the surface. It’s founder is a recluse who has made a deal with dark forces. His kids argue about trying to rebuild the brand which has been faltering. One kid has fallen far into the horror genre while the other has attempted to balance a normal life. Then, there’s a journalist who has been searching for her missing brother who disappeared after his first day working at the park.
What the series has done so well is dancing around its “what the hell” aspects. There’s clearly some demonic aspect to the story and series but the creators have danced around all of that, teasing things out bit by bit.
In Dark Ride #4, we get some more answers to all of the above but also a hell of a shocking ending that does a great job delivering the horror aspects of the series without crossing the line.
A lot of that credit feels like it needs to go to artist Andrei Bressan. Joined by colorist Adriano Lucas and lettering by Pat Brosseau, the visuals of the series has done an excellent job at balancing its scares. It could all easily go into a shock direction but instead the artistic team uses the less is more aspect of things. By not showing tons of gore, the creative team allows the imagination of the reader to run wild. It teases what’s going to happen and the shock and awe that will occur, but doesn’t actually show it. It all makes for a much more fun ride that relies an surprises and tantalizing scares than attempting to out-gross itself having to continually ramp up its visual shocks.
Dark Ride #4 is another fantastic issue that continues to bring things together slowly. It teases out the weird making you want to find out what’s really going on. It does an excellent job of balancing its scares never crossing the line where shock is its driver. Instead, its the characters within and their reaction as to what’s going on that’s the draw… ok, and the scares.
Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Andrei Bressan Color: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Pat Brosseau Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
(W) Kyle Starks, Henry Barajas (A) Fran Galan, Dani (CA) Chris Burnham, Adriano Lucas In Shops: Dec 28, 2022 SRP: $3.99
The Creep scares up two all-new standalone stories in this star-studded anthology based on the hit Shudder TV series. KYLE STARKS (I HATE THIS PLACE) and FRAN GALÁN (Lucky Devil) deliver the story of a ragtag group of kids who hunted a nest of vampires in their neighborhood…and the one who lived to tell the tale. HENRY BARAJAS (HELM GREYCASTLE) and DANI (Detective Comics, COFFIN BOUND) drop a hellacious tale of a fallen luchador who will do anything to claw her way back to the top!
Skybound has unveiled a first look at Dark Ride #4, which concludes the epic first arc of the hit new horror comic book series. From the iconic Birthright team of writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrei Bressan, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Pat Brosseau, Dark Ride takes place in an amusement park known as the scariest place on Earth—Devil Land.
The secret of Arthur Dante’s deal with the devil is revealed. Now, Halloween and Sam, heirs to the empire, must decide whose side they’re really on. It’s an occult world after all…
Dark Ride #4 continues an impressive variant cover lineup that has run throughout the series’ first arc. In addition to the main cover by Bressan and series colorist Adriano Lucas,Dark Ride’sCover B variant spotlights park mascot Danny D. Evil, with an issue #4 cover by Michael Walsh, while Cover C showcases Devil Land’s resident femme fatale and horror aficionado, Halloween, with the first four issues’ cover art by Sweeney Boo.
Additionally, megastar creator Tony Fleecs is art directing a classic homage poster variant program. The 1:25 incentives will span the Cover D slot of Dark Ride’s first four issues, bringing on a new guest artist for each cover. Dennis Culver is the artist at the helm for issue #4, with the Dark Ride world’s rendition of Devil Tales.
Dark Ride #4will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.
The full list of covers is below:
Dark Ride #4CVR A by Bressan & Lucas (Diamond Code NOV220211)
Dark Ride #4 CVR B (Danny D. Evil Mascot Variant) by Walsh (NOV220212)
Dark Ride #4CVR C (Halloween Character Spotlight Variant) by Boo (NOV220213)
Dark Ride #4CVR D 1:25 INCV (Classic Homage Poster Cover) by Culver & Fleecs (NOV220214)
I’ve said quite a few times on this site that I’m not much of a horror fan. My interest in the genre tends to be vary narrow preferring tension and psychological scares over gore. So, it’s always interesting to me to see what horror I find myself enjoying. This is one that has stood out for me and Dark Ride #3 is a solid example as to why.
Written and co-created by Joshua Williamson, the series is about a family whose father has made a deal with some devil to create a horror themed park. His two kids, his apparent heirs, squabble with each other over how to right the park whose popularity has waned over the years. They’re unaware of the dark presence that hangs over their family. Dark Ride #3 focuses on that family aspect. Sam, the brother that runs the day to day of the park, has seen tragedy as his daughter attempted suicide hearing the dark voices that call for the family. He’s clearly the center of the series, we can assume a generally good person caught up on crap. It’s the family drama that’s the draw. With Sam arguing with his sister, both seeking the approval of their father who has plans of his own. Then there’s Summer, whose brother went missing in the park on his first day working there. She’s on a mission to find him. Summer and Sam eventually run into each other as the series begins to tease what’s really going on.
Co-created by Andrei Bressan, the art for the series has been great. With color by Adriano Lucas and lettering by Pat Brosseau, the comic does a great balance of tension and gross scares. The series has generally built up the tension, and it’s not until the final moments of the comic do we get the gross aspect. And that’s partially why the art has been great. It could easily do disturbing flashes of images but instead there’s a clear focus on building things up visually and in a way disarming the reader with a horror park that has some comedic aspects to it. It’s mascots, clearly some sort of demons, look goofy and comical, making the reader drop their guard. Until they start to scare the crap out of you. It’s an ominous tone the comic builds and the visuals deliver on.
Dark Ride #3 is another fantastic issue ending at the perfect moment when the scares begin and maybe we get some answers as to what’s going on. It’s a fantastic read that balances the build up and the scares and leaving readers wanting to find out exactly what’s going in.
Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Andrei Bressan Color: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Pat Brosseau Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
(W) Francesco Francavilla, L Marlow Francavilla, Ariela Kristantina (A) Francesco Francavilla, Jorge Corona (CA) Chris Burnham, Adriano Lucas In Shops: Nov 23, 2022 SRP: $3.99
The Creep scares up two all-new standalone stories in this star-studded anthology based on the hit Shudder TV series.
FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA (Night of the Ghoul, Detective Comics) and L MARLOW FRANCAVILLA welcome you to a barbershop where the locals share tales of their greatest kills, and the hunters can just as easily become prey.
ARIELA KRISTANTINA (Chain) and JORGE CORONA (THE ME YOU LOVE IN THE DARK) journey to a temple hidden within an island paradise, where many visit – but not everyone leaves.
Skybound has revealed a first look at Dark Ride #3, the next issue of the hit new horror comic book series from the Birthright team of writer Joshua Williamson, artist Andrei Bressan, colorist Adriano Lucas, and letterer Pat Brosseau that takes place at amusement park The Scariest Place on Earth. Dark Ride #3 will arrive in comic book shops December 14, 2022.
Halloween’s come early and she’s here to SLAY. Daddy’s favorite girl may threaten her brother Sam Dante and his plans for the family legacy, even as someone uncovers the terrifying disappearances at Devil Land.
Dark Ride #3boasts an impressive variant cover lineup that will continue through the series’ first arc. In addition to the main cover by Bressan and series colorist Adriano Lucas,Dark Ride’sCover B variant spotlights park creator Arthur Dante and mascot Danny D. Evil, with an issue #3 cover by Jorge Corona and Jean-Francois Beaulieu,while Cover C showcases Devil Land’s resident femme fatale and horror aficionado, Halloween, with the first four issues’ cover art by Sweeney Boo.
Additionally, megastar creator Tony Fleecs is art directing a classic homage poster variant program. The 1:25 incentives will span the Cover D slot of Dark Ride’s first four issues, bringing on a new guest artist for each cover. Andy Priceis the artist at the helm for issue #3, with the Dark Ride world’s rendition of Snow White and the Seven Demons.
Dark Ride #3will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
The full list of covers is below:
Dark Ride #3CVR A by Bressan & Lucas (Diamond Code OCT220134)
Dark Ride #3 CVR B (Danny D. Evil Mascot Variant) by Corona (OCT220135)
Dark Ride #3CVR C (Halloween Character Spotlight Variant) by Boo (OCT220136)
Dark Ride #3CVR D 1:25 INCV (Classic Homage Poster Cover) by Price & Fleecs (OCT220137)
I’m not a big horror fan. Slasher films or massively gory ones are generally not my thing. So, it’s interesting when I find a horror story I like. Comics have given me an opportunity to explore more and over the years I’ve gone from disliking the entire genre to subsets of it. The first issue of Dark Ride had me intrigued and Dark Ride #2 continues that and also hit me in the gut with what’s inside.
Co-created by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Andrei Bressan the series is about an amusement park whose founder made a deal with the devil for success. Now, with the park floundering his son, Sam, is attempting to right the ship. During that, he must deal with his sister Halloween who’s a celebrity/influencer and whose solutions seem to revolve around herself. There’s also a park employee who disappeared last issue and may have been murdered. Also, Sam’s daughter. It’s that last bit that’s a gut punch.
As a father, it’s interesting reading Dark Ride #2 and seeing Sam overwhelmed with everything. He’s trying to keep things afloat causing distractions and that includes neglecting his daughter. I can’t say this isn’t something I haven’t experienced. It happens and it not only makes Sam as a character more grounded, but also clearly one we should be cheering for. And as a father, it also makes the ending of the comic a rough one, not something I’ll spoil but be prepared.
Bressan’s art is fantastic as usual. With Adriano Lucas on color and Pat Brosseau on lettering, the comic has a great style about it. There’s a “comic” style about it with a tinge of horror. It balances things quite well delivering a slightly ominous vibe about it all but also keeping things light at times and adding a bit of humor here and there. It’d be easy to go over the top but instead the style of the comic straddles the line of the visual genre it depicts. It’ll be interesting if the gore increase how the style will reflect that but overall the comic does an excellent job of making all of that secondary. It delivers a tense vibe though that fits perfectly with the story.
Dark Ride #2 is a fantastic second issue. There’s a great mystery here but it also delivers levity and grounded situations we, the readers, can relate to. It could easily have gone all in on the horror aspect but it’s clear the creative team has something greater planned for us. This is a series to dive into before it’s too late!
Story: Joshua Williamson Art: Andrei Bressan Color: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Pat Brosseau Story: 8.4 Art: 8.4 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Skybound has unveiled a first look at Dark Ride #2, the next issue of the smash-hit new horror comic book series from the iconic Birthright team of Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan that takes place at The Scariest Place on Earth. Dark Ride #2will arrive in comic book shops November 9, 2022.
After the unbelievable final page of the last issue, you aren’t prepared to learn more about The Scariest Place on Earth! Sam Dante and his sister Halloween will do anything to bring Danny D. Evil and Devil Land to audiences around the world…but is there any line they won’t cross to ensure their family’s legacy?
Dark Ride #2boasts a stacked variant cover lineup that will continue through the series’ first arc. In addition to the main cover by Bressan and series colorist Adriano Lucas,Dark Ride’sCover B variant spotlights park mascot Danny D. Evil, with issue #2 cover by Werther Dell’Edera, while Cover C showcases Devil Land’s resident femme fatale and horror aficionado, Halloween, with the first four issues’ cover art by Sweeney Boo.
Additionally, superstar creator Tony Fleecs is art directing a classic homage poster variant program. The 1:25 incentives will span the Cover D slot of Dark Ride’s first four issues, bringing on a new guest artist for each cover. Agnes Garbowska is the artist at the helm for issue #2, with the Dark Ride world’s rendition of Beauty and the Demon.
The full list of covers is below:
Dark Ride #2CVR A by Bressan & Lucas (Diamond Code SEP220252)
Dark Ride #2 CVR B (Danny D. Evil Mascot Variant) by Dell’Edera (SEP220253)
Dark Ride #2CVR C (Halloween Character Spotlight Variant) by Boo (SEP220254)
Dark Ride #2CVR D 1:25 INCV (Classic Homage Poster Cover) by Garbowska & Fleecs (SEP220255)
