THE REVIEW
This one begins with Bomo Greenbark on the torture rack, as promised in the last issue. We don't see any gratuitous agony here, but it's certainly implied. The crime lord Haka is taking Bomo for a cruel ride. But Bomo holds out. When his tormentors take a break, Bomo slips out of his binders and vows vengeance. He stumbles on Crys, who shoots an alien directly in the face (we're getting a lot of that lately).

Meanwhile, on a faraway moon, Lumbra the evil Gotal ascertains that the children he's kidnapping are in fact Jedi children, all the more valuable. Of course, Jedi children are harder to confine. Lumbra can control them well enough, but is missing a crucial point: K'Kruhk and young Chase Piru are coming to the rescue. K'Kruhk has learned the hard way what he must do to survive in these Dark Times, and has resolved "to act" in the Jedi's defense. Prediction: Lumbra won't see another sunrise.

This issue of Dark Times is a set-up piece. Both Bomo and K'Kruhk are on the prowl, and resolutions await. The next issue will close out the "Parallels" arc, getting our respective heroes back to square one for the next story. But this is more than a Weekly Planet scenario. Important events have just occurred. Crys has committed her first murder, and will surely suffer regret and doubt, despite the arising need for such action. Chase Piru must save the Jedi at any cost, but without any seemingly reasonable feelings of retribution. As Bomo and K'Kruhk reflect each other, so do Crys and Chase, each hero confronting the dark choices one must make in Dark Times. You'll need this issue to build the tension for "All Hell" in the finale.

The thinner, starker art of this piece further perpetuates the flowing, unfastened vibe of such ambiguous experiences, complementing the fanatical, bizarre affairs of the "Parallels" arc. Where Wheatley went heavy, Ross and Antonio go buoyant, giving a sense of insecurity to events. Wald's colors match the vibe nicely. The rest of the team performs adequately, as always.

Scomp Link:
DARK TIMES #9

Best Line: "Somebody Is Going To Be Sorry."

Best image

Grade: "All right, we'll check it out."