The Monsters Make Landfall In Dark Ark #13
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Shrae’s ark has finally made landfall, and the monsters are eager to explore the new land. They’re hungry too, and they are giving Shrae and his family one day before satiating their hunger with Shrae’s family. Shrae himself has forsaken his demonic masters, and this has left him without the arcane powers that would otherwise keep the beasts at bay. A blessing–or perhaps further damnation–arises when mysterious beings arrive from the island’s forest and begin to kill the beasts.
Dark Ark #13 brings the main story off the titular ark for the first time since the voyage began. Things get no less mysterious or mythical, though, and we are still left with many questions about what has happened and what may yet transpire.
The island creatures make for interesting new adversaries, and you’re left wondering who they serve, if anyone. They have plans, wills, and a sort of hierarchy, and I look forward to learning more about them.
One glaring problem does make itself more apparent in this issue, and that is how interchangeable and shallow Shrae’s family is. I struggle to recall their names, and their personalities offer very little. Khalee has been given characteristics and conflicts, but that’s really it as far as Shrae’s family goes.
Juan Doe’s artwork once again crafts a surreal world full of creatures that are once completely inhuman and eerily expressive. The manticore, Kruul, is a personal favorite, and his design is among the most interesting in the book. The color work is fantastic as well, with Doe giving the world a distinctly unnerving atmosphere that is carried well throughout the book.
Dark Ark #13 starts another interesting chapter in the Cullen Bunn fantasy horror series. The situation has changed, and new threats linger on the horizon. Despite its flaws, it’s an entertaining read and worth a recommendation. Feel free to check it out.
Dark Ark #13 comes to us from writer Cullen Bunn, artist and cover artist Juan Doe, and letterer Ryane Hill.
