Our review of the first issue of this queer high school comedy got lost in the first lockdown, but as we work through our list of awesome indie comics we thought it was the perfect time to dust off our voodoo spells and re-discover the world of Darkboy and Adler!

Publisher: Edward Bentley
Writer: Edward Bentley
Artist: Daniel Earey (Pencils), Edward Bentley (Inks, Colours), Rob Jones (Letters)
Price: Issue #2 funded on Kickstarter

Darkboy and Adler is your every day tale of a young teen who has a crush on the school bully and decides to make him fall in love with using a voodoo ritual. Only he gets more than he bargains for when the doll becomes a malevolent force for chaos.

The story here is a whirlwind of darkly surreal and comic misadventures. On one level it’s like an 80s high school screwball  comedy like Weird Science. However there is also this dark edge to it which makes it feel almost like a video nasty like Child’s Play. And all of this is wrapped together with a dysfunctional 21st century LGBTQ love story.

All of this is then brought together into a whirlwind of mayhem via some truly one of a kind artwork from Earey and Bentley. From the opening DPS in the school gym the artwork swirls around from panel to panel and is packed with a ridiculous amount of detail. It feels almost like the story is being told with a fish eyes lens as they warp the perspective to get more on each page.

The detail of his artwork fills every panel to the point of bursting and makes every page feels almost cramped with content. It’s a really unique approach and makes even the most mundane of scenes feel otherworldly – which of course also makes the more magical scenes even more outlandish.

This first issue is told at a frenetic pace, and it chucks loads of ideas against the wall that it will be really interesting to see what sticks. While this approach can be a bit overwhelming, we loved it! This is a fantastic set up for a really unique and over the top story and this debut issue is packed full of attitude and stunning artwork that makes a really potent and unforgettable read.