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Dave is a comedian who rediscovers his love of Metal. When he gets a crash course in Black Metal, a spirit from beyond this world invades his dreams! Now Dave is using the internet to stir up the wrong kind of trouble with Norway’s biggest Black Metal bands. What will happen when the decide to come to America to kill the self proclaimed “King of Black Metal” with Dark Regards?!
- Written by Dave Hill
- Art by Artyom Topilin
- Colors by Brittany Peer
- Letters by Troy Peteri
- Designer Winston Gambro
- Editor Karl Bollers
It’s a Funny Life in Dark Regards
Dave is a stand up comedian going through a mid life crisis. His sets just don’t get the same reactions they used to, and his girlfriend is cheating on him. In his moment of depression, he rediscovers his love of Metal.
With little help from a record store employee, Dave discovers Black Metal and just can’t get enough. Now he’s visited in his dreams by Lord Abscess, a Black Metal Icon and Legend who commands him to destroy all with the power of Metal and his band called “Witch Taint”! When Dave proclaims himself the King of Black Metal and rubs some bands the wrong way, he finds himself in the cross-hairs of some seriously Metal Warriors!
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Dark Regards is Based on a True Story?!
Dave Hill pulls inspiration from an actual true viral hoax in which he formed a fictional band called Witch Taint and almost started an international incident! I’m not so sure how true Dave in Dark Regards is to the actual writer Dave, but I’ll assume there’s some embellishment!
The character of Dave is an interesting one that goes from doing well, honing his comedic craft, to being a lonely washed up loser in a short time. Hill develops characters well in this book and gains my attention as to where they all go next. The story itself is a wild one that is a lot of fun to read.
The Awesome Art Style of Dark Regards
The artwork in Dark Regards has a classic feel to it. It blends so many eras and style together that feel so much like a traditional comic. Characters are designed in awesome ways, making them stand out and embody the writing itself. Everything from Dave’s dream world of Black Metal to the iconic Black Metal band name designs are well executed details!
The colors are vibrant and rich. It gives a lot of life to the world and characters as well. In a world and story that feels like it should be dark and gloomy, it still shines bright. That contrast of worlds and cultures adds depth to the story.
Overall Grade 8/10
Dark Regards lays a lot of groundwork in issue one. Foundations are set for characters to grow. Dave is really the only arc being built in this issue and there are some pacing issues. We do have the assembling of the Black Metal bands and their leaders forming something like a super villain group (or maybe they’re actually heroes). The artwork is fun and interesting with great designs and engaging lettering. This one didn’t blow me away, but it did leave me wanting to know more.
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