A closer look at DARK SHADOWS: YEAR ONE

 

DARK SHADOWS: YEAR ONE has been collected into trade paperback. Presumably, it's on sale in stores as of May 28, but I'm seeing various release dates online. Amazon has the book available for pre-order now, with a posted release date of July 1 .(UPDATE: Shortly after posting this, I received an e-mail from Amazon informing me the book will be arriving Wednesday, June 25.)

I was lukewarm to the six-part miniseries when it launched. The idea of re-telling the Barnabas Collins "origin" story seemed fairly pointless at the time, but I grew to really love the book by the time it wrapped. While it takes a few liberties with the original 1795 tale, those changes were in service to the story it was trying to tell, and not a matter of misunderstanding the original series.  I never felt like DARK SHADOWS: YEAR ONE was apologizing for its source material, even when it knocked down the studio walls to take the drama outdoors. It's a fun, respectful book, and I'll have a more detailed commentary to share with you at a later date.

Meanwhile, here's the product description, as well as some sample pages from the book's first chapter.

DARK SHADOWS: YEAR ONE TPB
Marc Andreyko (w)
Guiu Vilanova (a)
Patrick Berkenkotter (c)
FC • 152 pages • $19.99 • Teen+

The origin of Dark Shadows, finally revealed! How did Barnabas Collins become a bloodthirsty vampire? What tragedies befell the Collins family through the generations? All it took was one night of weakness with a temptress named Angelique, and Barnabas cursed his entire family line — and himself — forever! Collecting issues #1-6, a complete cover gallery, and a behind the scenes look at the creations of Dark Shadows: Year One!

COLLECTION FEATURES:
• Issues one through six of the critically-acclaimed series by Marc Andreyko and Guiu Vilanova
• Script to issue one by Marc Andreyko
• Complete cover gallery featuring the art of Patrick Berkenkotter