Writer: Mike Carey & Arvind Ethan David
Artist: Brendan Cahill
Color Artist: Joana Lafuente
Publisher: IDW Comics
Price: $3.99

Mike Carey is one of my favorite writers, but I’m curious if I will enjoy this new title. The story follows Detective Daniel Aston, who lives in a world where demons (Shaitan) and humans coexist. From the premise alone, it sounds intriguing, and it is. Carey and David craft a good story, but there is a slow burn feel to it.

Through the main character, you learn a little about the Shaitan, and his view towards them. His daughter even brings up the question: why do people allow some of the Shaitan to live inside them? The answer to that question is handled well, which comes with benefits like living forever, but it also comes with a price. The story touches on prejudice towards demons, but doesn’t fully explore that issue; you only get little bits of that from the main characters point of view. The story just makes the demons look plain evil, without bringing in other demons, that may turn out to be kind. I want to see more demons that want to change the status with demons and humans. 

The villain, Mr. Ulescu, is intimidating and quite ruthless, but I felt underwhelmed with not knowing much about his plan. The overall plot isn’t bad, but I did want a little more from it. The dialog worked well with the story, and it gets you invested in the world. The character interaction between Daniel and his daughter is great. The pacing was pretty slow, and ends on an heart-wrenching note.

The art is done by Brendan Cahill, and it’s amazing. He manages to capture the tone of the story perfectly, and gives you enough variety of demons to shake your pentagram at. The line work is solid, which makes the characters have a very defined look to them. I love the demon designs, as some have small touches like pointed ears and horns, while others are fully covered in scales with a tail. Panel layouts make the story easy to follow, and shows some interesting perks of being a demon. The colors make this title shine, and I love the use of warm colors used in certain areas of panels.

Darkness Visible #1, is a solid title with an intriguing story, colors, and great visuals. I kinda wanted more from the story, especially the villain, but the character interactions between the father and daughter is superb. The villain’s scheme was underwhelming, but the lead up to it is so good. Overall, if you like demons and humans living together, side by side, check this out this title.

3.5 demons out of 5