Dark Shadows The Original Series Story Digest by D.J. Arneson

Dark Shadows The Original Series Story Digest Reviews

• 
  Amy

  In short: don't read it unless you're a fan of the television series. It's adorable in its awfulness.
• 
  Dave

  This is from Gold Key comics, released in the spring of 1970.
  It's a 24 chapter 'novel', with the art work reprintd as well..
  Great fun, though not very 'Deep'. Only two Regulars' from Dark Shadows are here-Barnabas and Angelique.(Who is not in it much)
  Worth a look-and it has some great pictures of the cast, in the back of the book.
• 
  Sally

  Unless you've been sleeping the days away in a pine box, deep inside some dusty old cellar, you likely know that Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are bring Dark Shadows to the big screen in 2012. Given that Arneson's story takes place outside the main Dark Shadows storyline, at a time when Barnabas is no longer a vampire, it seems an odd choice to tie into Burton's movie, but it's still a wonderfully nostalgic look back at the origins of the franchise.
  
  Over 40 years after it's original release as a Gold Key Comics Original Series Story Digest, D. J. Arneson's Interrupted Voyage is being republished, complete with the original artwork, beautifully recoloured to match the original printing.
  
  Interrupted Voyage is slightly cheesy, completely melodramatic, and so earnestly romantic it hurts. If that sounds like a complaint or a criticism, nothing could be further from the truth - Arneson captures the original soap opera feel perfectly, almost as if this were an unfilmed episode of the series. This is a story with as much atmosphere and emotion as plot, which is exactly what we should expect from a Dark Shadows tale.
  
  That's not to say that the plot here is particularly thin or unimpressive. Transporting an ex-vampire and a ghost back to Salem to rescue a young lover's soul from the clutches of an evil witch, is genius. The paranoia and the tension is almost palatable, creating a situation that drives the story along at a breakneck pace. What makes it even more interesting, adding a note of dread to the proceedings, is the fact that the beautiful Angélique is waiting in the wings, ready to reclaim Barnabas' soul should he fail.
  
  There are also some impressive narrative touches to the tale. The scene in which the Captain's room slowly devolves back into a storm-tossed ship, prompted by Annabella's tale of her own demise, is particularly mesmerizing. It's so carefully crafted, you don't quite realize what's happening until Barnabas is drenched with seawater. The transition is so seamless, without relying on any surprises or dreamlike states to help bring it along, you can't help but reread it to see how Arneson accomplished it.
  
  Even though I suspect the audience for this will be slightly different from that of Burton's film, it's still nice to be reminded of the saga's roots, and to once again experience the melodramatic thrill of so many years ago.
• 
  James

  Gold Key reigned supreme in adapting television to comics, known best, perhaps, for Star Trek, but Dark Shadows was also in their library. This is not a reprint of an outright comic or graphic novel, but rather a “digest” which had a novella like form accompanied by some great art from that time period. Gold Key graphics were very notable for their hues of green, purple, and red with black and white and this is one of the joys of the book.
  
  Sadly, this book will do little for anyone who is not a fan of the show as it features only two characters and for outsiders will play like a poor man’s Solomon Kane story by Howard. Fans will find it much more in line with my 4 star ranking due to the great graphics that are of the time that are so faithfully featured. Moreover, for fans of Frid as Barnabus and the rest of the cast, the book features some wonderful photos, images, and production stills from the original airing of the show which adds to the joy I found in the book.
  
  The story itself has the former vampire Barnabus, released from his curse, willingly thrown back in time so he may unite a ghostly bride with her delayed betrothed. It is direct, simple, and fun with the backdrop of the Salem witch trials adding tension. There is little historical accuracy here, but for fans, there is much to enjoy. If you like or think you would like the old school, original Dark Shadows, this is not the worst adaptation we have seen.
• 
  Richard Tolleson

  An interesting artifact from the past, this book wouldn't be available had Hermes Press not issued this reprint. It was originally a one-shot Gold Key story digest (not a comic book) and sold mostly in grocery checkout lines in 1970. The story itself is too sophisticated for children, but isn't particularly attractive to adults either. The illustrations are fun to look at, though, and there are some pictures of the DS cast and crew, including some of I had never seen. For Dark Shadows fans only.
• 
  Craig

  This is a novelization of the Gold Key comics series back from the '60's. Barnabas meets a ghost who is trapped in Collinwood because her beloved's soul had never crossover. Barnabas travels back in time to save her future husband from being enslaved by a witch.
  
  Not much of a connection to the show.
• 
  Julia

  This could have been so much better. They had a good storyline, but there was just so little detail that I felt it made huge jumps that leave you wondering what happened. Even for a short work there were just too many half thoughts or incomplete ideas.
• 
  Rose

  I have an active confession to make: I sometimes like reading campy stories and watching TV shows that have come before my generation. I've marathoned episodes of "I Love Lucy", "Leave it to Beaver," "Lassie," the original "Fugitive" and "The Man from UNCLE" and even "Dragnet" (I blame one of my former high school teachers for Dragnet, though I did see the 80s movie with Dan Ackroyd and Tom Hanks).
  
  Suffice to say, even with my love for old movies and T.V. shows, I've never heard of Dark Shadows. Never at least until I picked up this particularly short novel (or novella - I think it might classify). That prompted a discussion with my parents, who told me they watched the original series eagerly when they were younger. So, naturally, now I'm curious about it and its adaptations. I didn't even know there was a remake in the 90s for it - which from what little I've seen of it, has a young Joseph Gordon Levitt and has kind of this odd "Twin Peaks" vibe about it. And I've heard about the recent movie adaptation that's coming up with Tim Burton and Johnny Depp collaborating.
  
  But on the subject of the book - it's a one-shot paranormal story with some added extras within the work about the original 1966-71 TV series. My guess is that this particular story is one of the lost stories and an off-shoot of the original storyline. It has the primary character, Barnabas, stuck in a rather precarious situation. From the story events, he used to be a vampire, confined to the punishment by one witch named Angelique, but he's somehow free and living in fear of plunging "his soul to darkness" again. But even in the midst of those fears, he comes across the corporeal ghost Annabella, who recruits his help in finding her beloved, Michael. Thus begins his warping trip through time to help Annabella, but it doesn't come without problems - an evil witch who's manipulating Michael's soul, and some angry townspeople who are quick to jump on a witchhunt. Question is if Barnabas can stop the witch, free Michael and Annabella from her influence, without subjecting himself to his old fears. That...you'll have to read the book for.
  
  A few things - the compilation by D.J. Arneson seems quite good, though I'll admit the story shows its age, both in the writing and in the art style of the illustrations. I would gather that those that loved the first series, or can appreciate the elder style of the comic art would probably find something to like with this. As for the story - it's simple and a quick read. While I wasn't completely enamored with it, it entertained me. It's a bit campy with heavy amounts of cheese, particularly in the character's assertions of "I must do this" or "I can't" and "Oh I have failed, but no, I must survive!"
  
  But you know what? I don't mind it that much, really. And well enough, I liked following Barnabas through the progressive uncovering of events (just about as much as I like his name - it's kind of cool to say in a dramatic flare - but I digress.) For a new reader, my concern is you're not going to get a lot of character background or development here - which is what I was kind of thrown into when I read this, but I think it encouraged me to look more into the "Dark Shadows" universe, enough to where I would like to get to know Barnabas more and see his character develop, even if it's in expanded one-shot stories.
  
  Overall score: 3/5
  
  Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Hermes Press.
• 
  veloci.reader

  3.5⭐️
  
  This is a reprint of an old novella based on Dark Shadows, a paranormal soap opera from the 60s. In it, sometimes vampire Barnabas travels to Salem to help a cousin rescue her fiancé from a witch. It is also printed with illustrations and pictures from the original series.
  
  The plot of this is a hot mess but in a fun way. I’m not entirely sure why it hardly has any characters from the original series though. I was obsessed with Dark Shadows as a child so this was a fun bit of nostalgia for me.
• 
  Marcie

  Dark Shadows was a very popular Gothic soap opera in the late 60's and early 70's. It was very melodramatic and it featured the ever famous, Barnabas Collins. Dark Shadows had all sorts of supernatural creatures making an appearance such as vampires. witches, werewolves and more. This series has been off of television for quite some time. It spawned several books, films, and in the early 90's a short lived television comeback. In May of 2012, a Dark Shadows movie starring Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer produced by Tim Burton will be on the big screen. Dark Shadows: The Original Story Digest is the short story that started it all.
  If you're looking for something Buffyesque, this is not it. In an age where we've grown up reading and watching all sorts of paranormal themed books and television shows you might find this book rather cheesy. If you've ever seen Dark Shadows you'll instantly fall back into the familiarity of the television show. In the Interrupted Voyage, Barnabas is transported back in time when he sees his ghostly cousin, Annabella, who died a tragic death in the 17th century. Barnabas and Annabella go to rescue her fiance who has been taken prisoner by a witch. This story is very melodramatic, campy and full of inner dialog. This book contains comic book like pictures of many of the scenes written in this book. In the back of the book there are several photos of the original television cast.
  If you're a fan of the cult television series this would be a book I would definitely recommend however if not, then this book probably isn't for you.
• 
  Andy

  Kind of a novelty item. Had to get it for the collection.