Blood Between the Panels: Dark Entries
Dark Entries
DC/Vertigo Crime
Writer: Ian Rankin
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Reviewer: Bryce Holland
Have you ever watched a movie or read a book expecting it to be one kind of story, but it surprisingly turns out to be something else entirely? I find that a lot in the horror genre. Take movies like Seven or The Silence of the Lambs, for example. On the outside, both seem like fairly straightforward police procedurals, but once you scratch the surface a little and get to the meat of the stories, you find that both are pretty horrifying. I mean, how disturbing is that night-vision chase at the of Lambs, or Detective Mills discovery of his wife’s head at the end of Seven. I know I’ve said it before, but horror really is one of most versatile genres in existence.
Dark Entries, written by celebrated crime author Ian Rankin, with art by Werther Dell’Edera, is a book that really caught me by surprise. I’d been eagerly awaiting it’s release for quite some time because it’s one of two books that are serving as launch titles for DC Comics new Vertigo Crime label, and if there’s one thing I like as much as a good horror story, it’s a good crime story. This particular book was of keen interest to me because it was also touted as a new, self-contained story featuring that iconic comic book mage, John Constantine. I’m a huge fan of the Constantine starring ongoing horror/mystery series Hellblazer, so I thought, “A proper crime story starring one of the most badass occult detectives ever created? Count me in.” Of course, I should have seen the writing on the wall, because wherever Constantine is, terror isn’t far behind.
Dark Entries sees John Constantine being hired by a television producer to go undercover as a mole on the hit British reality series, “Haunted Mansion.” The point of the show is to have a group of contestants live in a “haunted” mansion (natch) where they must search for a secret room that contains some mysterious prize. Along the way they are subjected to various terrifying sights and sounds controlled by the TV crew. The only problem is that it seems as though the mansion in question may really be haunted when all of the contestants start coming face to face with some very real ghosts. Constantine uses every trick at his disposal to ferret out the source of these decidedly real terrors, and along the way comes face to face with some terrors from his past that just may end up killing him.
Having never read any writer Ian Rankin’s novels, I wasn’t really sure what to expect here. Comics are a far different kind of beast compared to standard prose, but Rankin takes to the medium swimmingly. Penning crime fiction is clearly his forte, but he also has a strong grasp on the horrific and the surreal. One of the things I loved most about his writing is that he has no qualms about shifting tone on a whim, yet he does it in a way that feels completely organic. One second the story is reading like a Dashiell Hammett mystery, and the next it transforms into a Clive Barker-esque tale of terror, complete with cannibals, demons, and a look into a side of Hell that is truly horrifying, albeit in a darkly comedic sort of way. Rankin is also able to deftly, yet subtly, weave in a fair amount of social criticism on the state of entertainment in the western world that feels decidedly fresh. This is a talent that I hope decides to stay in the world of comics a little longer.
Werther Dell’Edera was an artist that I was only slightly familiar with going into this book. I had seen some of his previous work in the Vertigo western series Loveless, and frankly I wasn’t that impressed. That’s not to say that I didn’t like anything he drew, it’s just that nothing he did really stood out. With Dark Entries, I feel that he has really gotten a chance to show what he do on the. Dell’Edera has a very noir-ish, minimalist style that is reminiscent of a lot of stuff by Mike Mignola, especially his earlier work. It doesn’t hurt that entire story is in black and white either, which really makes his line-work pop. The only thing I wish I could have seen more of is the grotesque stuff that that sprinkled throughout. This story gives Dell’Edera the chance to render some twisted looking demons, and particularly cool looking cannibal guy who has sections of his skin stripped away, revealing his insides. It’s really great, I just wish there was more of it.
Dark Entries is a very unique kind of story. I was instantly reminded of Takashi Miike’s Audition upon reading it. Not because it’s particularly gory or violent, but because you’re convinced you’re reading one type of story, and then about halfway through, it kind of punches you in the gut and shifts direction. It’s an immensely satisfying read, and at just over 200 pages with a nice hardback cover sporting a art by the uber-talented Lee Bermejo, you really get your moneys worth. If you like your horror stories with a little more depth, check this one out.
