Darkness: Levels
Darkness: Levels is a mini-series based on the game based on the regular The Darkness series, and written by one of the major writers of the series. So basically, it's a 3rd generation version written by it's grandpa.
Now, I will be 100% upfront and honest here: Jackie Estacado is flat-out my favorite male comicbook character and the hottest thing to ever invade a comic and if you put him in front of me and he's even mostly in character I will likely not even notice some of the most glaring flaws. Note the faithful reading of the current New Warriors series.
D:L essentially rewrites the story from the ground up, taking out pretty much everything of the Darkness mythology but Jackie, Jenny, Paulie, the curse and the mob. Instead of being a centuries old family legacy, the curse online entered the family bloodline in 1918, the entire Jenny storyline is compressed into one issue, and all of Jackie's concerns and turning on Uncle Frankie are removed and replaced with Paulie, replacing Uncle Frankie, turning on him. That said, it still works, and despite changes and some flaws, it still feels like The Darkness. And Jackie is still Jackie and that's all that really matters.
The story of The Darkness, as told by D:L is this: In 1918 a young soldier in France named Anthony Estacado is "saved" from the battlefield by a evil, ancient force called The Darkness, essentially the personification of evil. The Darkness drives Anthony insane, forcing him to cannibalize his own dead men. Locked in an asylum for the rest of his life, Anthony is tormented by The Darkness's promise that Anthony's descendant will become its, with the death of his love as a catalyst as his descent into darkness.
Cut to decades later, where Anthony's descendant, Jackie, is taken from an orphanage by Paulie Franchetti, a powerful mob boss, and raised to be his top hitman. The only "good" part of Jackie's life is is his childhood friend Jenny, who has no idea that the "Uncle" who took Jackie from the orphanage is a mobster, or what Jackie does for a living. When Jackie turns 21, he questions Uncle Frankie's decision to sell drugs on the street to kids, and gets a hit put on him as a result. He's saved when The Darkness finally awakens, butchering the men sent after him. Except Jackie made a mistake...Uncle Frankie knows all about Jenny, and he murders Jenny in front of Jackie and The Darkness, knowing that Jenny could keep him from the path it wants him to take, keeps Jackie from saving her.
Except that Jackie takes it even harder than The Darkness planned, and kills himself. But The Darkness won't allow for that, and creates a persinal hell inside Jackie's own mind. Because he host of The Darkness is The Darkness itself, and cannot die. What follows is Jackie fighting his way out of hell twice, learning the truth of his legacy, taking his destiny into his own hands and embarking on a very determined, dark path to revenge against Uncle Frankie.
Now, I have some issues with how Jackie went out before coming back. Yes, he killed himself after Jenny's death in the regular comics, too, but there was no "I can't live without you!" wailing or shooting himself in the death, but rather, a cold, methodical revenge that could only be carried out if he himself died, destroying Uncle Frankie's organization in the process. But beyond that, this is prime Jackie Estacado. Thing thing about Jackie is that he isn't misunderstood, and he isn't "good" underneath. He really is the stone cold bastard he was raised to be, he just isn't evil. He has his own code of morals and ethics he lives by, and he sticks by them, and by his. The only bright and good spot is Jenny, something completely removed from The Darkness, and his life before it, but that he eventually couldn't keep separate, and paid the ultimate price. While the bookrewrites the Darkness mythology, it doesn't disrespect or undermine it, and aside from that one bit, it gets Jackie just right, so I give it a thumbs up.
Plus, when Jackie confronts The Darkness and takes his destiny into his own hands, he uses a really big sword to do it an that possibly influenced me to wipe a few other things from my mind.
Now, I will be 100% upfront and honest here: Jackie Estacado is flat-out my favorite male comicbook character and the hottest thing to ever invade a comic and if you put him in front of me and he's even mostly in character I will likely not even notice some of the most glaring flaws. Note the faithful reading of the current New Warriors series.
D:L essentially rewrites the story from the ground up, taking out pretty much everything of the Darkness mythology but Jackie, Jenny, Paulie, the curse and the mob. Instead of being a centuries old family legacy, the curse online entered the family bloodline in 1918, the entire Jenny storyline is compressed into one issue, and all of Jackie's concerns and turning on Uncle Frankie are removed and replaced with Paulie, replacing Uncle Frankie, turning on him. That said, it still works, and despite changes and some flaws, it still feels like The Darkness. And Jackie is still Jackie and that's all that really matters.
The story of The Darkness, as told by D:L is this: In 1918 a young soldier in France named Anthony Estacado is "saved" from the battlefield by a evil, ancient force called The Darkness, essentially the personification of evil. The Darkness drives Anthony insane, forcing him to cannibalize his own dead men. Locked in an asylum for the rest of his life, Anthony is tormented by The Darkness's promise that Anthony's descendant will become its, with the death of his love as a catalyst as his descent into darkness.
Cut to decades later, where Anthony's descendant, Jackie, is taken from an orphanage by Paulie Franchetti, a powerful mob boss, and raised to be his top hitman. The only "good" part of Jackie's life is is his childhood friend Jenny, who has no idea that the "Uncle" who took Jackie from the orphanage is a mobster, or what Jackie does for a living. When Jackie turns 21, he questions Uncle Frankie's decision to sell drugs on the street to kids, and gets a hit put on him as a result. He's saved when The Darkness finally awakens, butchering the men sent after him. Except Jackie made a mistake...Uncle Frankie knows all about Jenny, and he murders Jenny in front of Jackie and The Darkness, knowing that Jenny could keep him from the path it wants him to take, keeps Jackie from saving her.
Except that Jackie takes it even harder than The Darkness planned, and kills himself. But The Darkness won't allow for that, and creates a persinal hell inside Jackie's own mind. Because he host of The Darkness is The Darkness itself, and cannot die. What follows is Jackie fighting his way out of hell twice, learning the truth of his legacy, taking his destiny into his own hands and embarking on a very determined, dark path to revenge against Uncle Frankie.
Now, I have some issues with how Jackie went out before coming back. Yes, he killed himself after Jenny's death in the regular comics, too, but there was no "I can't live without you!" wailing or shooting himself in the death, but rather, a cold, methodical revenge that could only be carried out if he himself died, destroying Uncle Frankie's organization in the process. But beyond that, this is prime Jackie Estacado. Thing thing about Jackie is that he isn't misunderstood, and he isn't "good" underneath. He really is the stone cold bastard he was raised to be, he just isn't evil. He has his own code of morals and ethics he lives by, and he sticks by them, and by his. The only bright and good spot is Jenny, something completely removed from The Darkness, and his life before it, but that he eventually couldn't keep separate, and paid the ultimate price. While the bookrewrites the Darkness mythology, it doesn't disrespect or undermine it, and aside from that one bit, it gets Jackie just right, so I give it a thumbs up.
Plus, when Jackie confronts The Darkness and takes his destiny into his own hands, he uses a really big sword to do it an that possibly influenced me to wipe a few other things from my mind.