If you haven't been reading A Voice in the Dark, then you have been missing an absolutely wonderful comic from the immensely talented mind of one Mr. Larime Taylor. For the first four issues of a six issue story arc, Taylor has taken us down the coming of age story of Zoey Aarons, college student, radio talk show host, and blossoming serial killer. Zoey recognizes the desire to be bad, but she also recognizes it as being a part of her. She has to learn to live with it. Living with it doesn't seem to be working as we, for the past couple of issues, keep flashing forward to a fresh killing. We kind of have an idea of the victim(s), but we really don't know for sure. Taylor has been sending us back to the build up of the kill without actually showing the kill. So it is anybody's guess as to what truly happens until it happens. Adding interference is another serial killer at work quite aggressively in this small college town that has a reputation for such events.
So what do we get in Issue #5? Lots, but nothing. We still are unknowing of the victim(s), but we get a great deal of filler from the events that occurred in issue #4. There was an altercation and now the ramifications of the altercation are happening. Zoey also gets to listen into a conversation that speaks volumes of the persons' involved in the altercation. The other killer is also back at work and we get our first impressions. Even so, we still know nothing other than the modus operandi of the kills that he is involved in as given courtesy of Zoey's Uncle Zeke.
Now that I am five issues in, I can truly say that Larime Taylor is a gifted storyteller. He has paced this tale perfectly revealing small glimpses of the story, but never giving away too much. The reaction that you have is one of genuine desire. You want to know what has happened. You have to know what has happened. But, you have got to wait. Only Taylor knows truly what is going to happen. We can speculate, but if we are honest with ourselves, we will have to admit that we don't know. We just don't.
Art wise, I am not sure why the story was done without color. But for whatever reason, I have to say that it works for this story. The black and white has a detached nature to it which fits well with Zoey's thought processes as her killing desire is just that, raw and not quite fleshed out. Currently, she acts out of reaction with the kill desire on the back burner. As she grows, maybe more color will be good. But currently, the black and white whether intentional or not, it works in tandem with the story.
A Voice in the Dark is a small story of one young lady's descent into the realm of darkness. We are along for the ride. The ride is epic. Larime Taylor might just be the next big thing within the world of comics. I know reading this series has made me think so.
Score: 5/5
WriterArtist/Creator: Larime Taylor Publisher: Image/Top Cow Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/19/14