Customer Reviews

Dark Shadows: The Complete Series Volume 1

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

DARK SHADOWS returns again in this series of five books reprinting the original Gold Key comics from 1968 to 1976. Here is what you get: a seven-page introduction by Jeff Thompson discussing the tv-series and the history of the comics; the first seven issues reproduced in vivid color (including the photo pin-ups of Barnabas Collins and Angelique), along with full-page reproductions of each issue's cover; and a four-page photo/artwork section at the end. Also included is a full-page color reproduction of an Italian movie poster for HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS. (Update: one disappointment - a few of the pages for Issue #1 are printed out of sequence. You can still piece the story together, but it's annoying.)

The genius of DARK SHADOWS was its willingness to delve into the world of the supernatural five times a week in an ongoing daytime drama. It brought to the fans a legion of unforgettable characters like Barnabas and Quentin Collins, Dr. Julia Hoffman, and the witch Angelique in a succession of story arches set in both the present and the past. Also genius was the writers' use of parallel time for this opened up an unlimited number of possible versions of Collinsport, Maine, where the series was set.

I prefer to think of much of the spin-off memorabilia, such as Marilyn Ross' series of paperback novels and this series of Gold Key comics, as parallel worlds of the DARK SHADOWS mythos. Just as on the show itself, the major characters listed above play an integral part in the plotlines of these comics, but the world itself is often very askew from the one on the show. For instance, don't expect to see many of the characters from the series such as Carolyn, David, or Maggie. Quentin doesn't transform into your typical werewolf; he's more of a hybrid from the Isle of Dr. Moreau. Barnabas "lives" at Collinwood instead of the Old House. Character inconsistencies abound throughout the series of 35 comics. Still, all the elements the fans enjoy remain, such as the people in peril needing Barnabas' help, the time traveling, and the take-offs on classic horror tales.

It's great that Hermes Press has chosen to reprint all the original comics. Obviously, this affords us fans the opportunity to gather these favored childhood treasures all in one place, in much better condition than the original comics are likely to be these days, and at an affordable price. Let's just hope that the release of the four remaining volumes goes more smoothly given the shaky debut of Volume 1.

After all the delays on releasing this wonderful comic book I expected better. This should have a five star review. The content, colouring, artwork... fantastic. The concept for the reprint... perfect. The binding, beautiful. It is when you realise that the pages in the first story are out of order, you wonder if anyone actually even bothered to look at it before they put it out. It's not a printing error. The page numbers are sequential. Someone unstapled the books to scan them and somehow put them down in the wrong order. It is a mistake that any decent editor should have picked up on. Even a drunken sot of an editor should have been able to spot it. This is a a premium priced product. Many of us have waited for years for a book like this. Please do better with Volume 2.

Meanwhile, when you read the story (and you should), when you get to page 16 read page 30 and then when you get to page 30 read page 16. The story will then make sense.

Dark Shadows purists are probably going to have problems with this book. As stated in the introduction, it was written without any oversight from Dan Curtis Productions (producers of the TV show) by writers who weren't experts in the show. In fact, the stories don't even necessarily keep continuity between each other, much less between themselves and the show.

However, taken on its own terms, this is a nice collection of horror stories from the 60s and 70s, with really nice art by John Certa. While the stories may not fit in neatly between episodes of the TV series, they certainly capture the weird, Gothic tone of the show. Fans of comics of the period will enjoy this, as will fans of more esoteric Dark Shadows merchandise.

Unfortunately, two pages in the first story are transposed, which makes for a frustrating reading experience. Accidents and misprints happen, and the rest of the book is enjoyable enough that I'm willing to forgive this error. But I hope that future volumes will be produced with a bit more care and attention, as I certainly look forward to reading them.

Just got the book and it's really, really beautiful. Like Hermes' other reprints, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Time Tunnel, Buck Rogers, and The Phantom, the production values of the book are first rate. I compared the quality of the art to the original comic books and Hermes' production actually looks better. The stories are consistent with the show and feature many of the main characters. Joe Certa's artwork in not always consistent, but on the whole is very good. The book features a very informative essay; seven comic book issues; two posters included with the original comic books, and some nice extras including unused cover artwork. The hardcover is well produced and all in all the book is highly recommended.

I remember this comic when I was a kid . This book brings back memories . I'm a long time fan of the series and this was apart of it . The book is a trip down memory lane . Fun to see it again . The drawings do not look like the actors but it's still worth reading and enjoying . The only copy I had was vol. 2 . I love reading it again . So any Dark Shadows fan will love it . I have all the dvds and still love the series . I wish the movies would come out dvd .

This is a great set of the entire collection of Gold Key comics. It is not worth 188.00 plus dollars used on any site. Are these sellers on crack? The release has been delayed until until October. The book is listed on Hermes Press website for 49.99.

I fondly remember running home after school to watch the show. Naturally I also bought the comic books way back in 1968. It's good to have them back again in one beautiful hardcover volume. They actually look brighter and sharper than the original books. I've all ready ordered volume two.

This is an extremely high quality wonderful book. Just give it time and Amazon should have it..they may deserve 1 star for their mishandling of the whole thing but the book is 5 stars all the way Hopefully they will order wisely for Volume 2.

After waiting what seemed like FOREVER to receive this book it FINALLY ARRIVED 2 weeks ago. AMAZON NEEDS TO INFORM THE CUSTOMER WHEN THEY ARE ABOUT TO CHARGE YOU FOR A PRODUCT THAT HAS BEEN PRE ORDERED! My bank account was charged and the $$ was not there that day and I WAS CHARGED AN OVERDRAFT FEE WHICH AMAZON WILL NOT ADDRESS WITH ME!!!! Well onto the book, it looks great outside of the fact that 2 pages in the first story were transposed. Page 16 is on page 30 and page 30 is on page 16. I contacted HERMES PRESS about this, got an apology and that was it. They have NO PLANS to correct the error in a future release of this volume. I will buy the rest of these as they come out because I am a Dark Shadows fan and remember the comics fondly but I am not pleased with HERMES PRESS' reaction to the error and really PEED OFF AT AMAZON ABOUT HOW THEY DID NOT CONTACT ME PRIOR TO MAKING THE CHARGE ON MY ACCOUNT!!!

I Pre-Ordered in May and was told it was now out of stock and I was not E-mailed or notified as to even why. Very unprofessional.