At the core of any good horror lies a mystery. Sure, some horror movies rely on the spectacle of gore, torture, or shocking kills, but the ones that have the characters investigating the supernatural of the world around them are much more impactful. This is probably because keeping the audience guessing is part of the fun, watching as the protagonists of a story try to make sense of the world around them, only to realize that it’s something beyond their control. When the horror kicks, the scares are at their most impactful. The spectacle can sometimes overwhelm otherwise impactful stories, especially when you’re reeling with a medium like a monthly comic. While “Dark Ride” #8 features some effective scares and exciting combat, something about this climactic issue doesn’t fully connect.
Written by Joshua WillaimsonCover by Andrei Bressan and Adriano Lucas
Illustrated by Andrei Bressan
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Pat BrosseauEND OF STORY ARC BURST: ‘Get on the bandwagon of DARK RIDE, trust me’ -ComicBook.com The showdown between Halloween and Sam is here! The winner will control the future of the Dante family and Devil Land!
Let’s start with the positive. Andrei Bressan’s art continues to be one of the strongest elements of the series, and “Dark Ride” #8 is no exception. Bressan does a phenomenal job of building the tension as Sammy tries to comfort his daughter and escape the demonic park. The placement of Danny through the panels becomes increasingly unnerving until the malevolent mascot literally slashes his way out of the screen, not unlike Samara from The Ring. Throughout the issue, Bressan and Adriano Lucas do an excellent job differentiating the Dannys from one another, using different shades and shading techniques to make the cartoon Danny look different from a stuffed Danny or the matte of a t-shirt logo Danny. The panels are also endlessly creative, seeing how the creatures swarm our hero and transform from fully rendered foes to a mire of chaotic red evil. The use of color throughout the issue is also impactful, from the red used throughout the black and white sequences to the phantasmagoric colors of the park, creating a stark contrast to the grey and mute tones of the “real world.”
Similar to the masterful buildup of tension in the issue, “Dark Ride” #8 features some truly gnarly moments of horror gore. While it’s difficult to tell what is coming out of the different Dannys as the heroes hack, slash, and smash their way out of the park, it’s certainly the kind of goop you would expect from a horror series. The team also does a fantastic job playing with perspective in the different panels. Danny sometimes fills the frame as a hulking figure of cartoonish horror or becomes a swarm of red chaos. You’re never quite sure what Sammy will be up against, which is a fun way of handling just how chaotic it might be to fight the literal hordes of a mascot whose face is inescapable in the theme park. It’s just that this is, perhaps, the biggest problem with the issue. It’s big, bombastic, and chaotic, but the mystery and the parody are often overwhelmed by the spectacle of the series.
Throughout the series, there have been plenty of effective parodies of the mouse-based empire that Devil Land draws inspiration from. From exclusive clubs, to mysteriously sketchy founders, to the eyes of a mascot that follow you wherever you go, Joshua Williamson and Andrei Bressan aren’t shy about poking fun and creating a fucked up version of the “Happiest Place on Earth.” That element feels incredibly lacking in “Dark Ride” #8. It’s hard to get a sense of place in the issue, which is surprising considering that a strong sense of place made the comic stand out in its early issues. Are we in a gift shop? A corporate office space? It’s difficult to say which is a problem.
Similarly, some of the reveals in “Dark Ride” #8 aren’t quite as impactful as you might like. While the final issue of arc two establishes a more significant threat out there than Sammy initially believed, it didn’t seem to land with any real weight. While both black and white sections have some bombshell moments, they failed to be as explosive as the creative team hoped. The real moment that raised the stakes was the ending, but even that felt pretty well telegraphed from the start of the issue. It’s certainly possible that these moments would work better if they were in a different medium, but nothing felt truly status quo-altering.
Overall, it’s a book with a lot of spectacle, which isn’t necessarily bad for the climax of a story, but attempting to balance the big spectacle with important revelations might not have been the best way to handle this particular issue. “Dark Ride” #8 is trying to do too many things simultaneously, which ultimately means it doesn’t do either particularly well. If it were just a chaotic fight with Sammy’s demons, both literal and figurative, that would have been a much more impactful story. Adding in the revelations about the true nature of the park, his familial relationships, and the moment with his daughter made the book feel weirdly overstuffed and without all that much substance. Was the action good? Absolutely! That makes the rest of the book feel flatter by comparison.
Final Verdict: 6.5 While “Dark Ride” #8 features some exciting visual storytelling, the script leaves you wanting more.
