Dark Ride #2: Animation and Desperation

The theme park Devil Land is on the brink of financial ruin. Sam is racking his brain for ideas. The animated series pitch is all that can save the park. However, it’s likely to be approved by the park’s creator, Arthur Dante. A daunting amusement park down on its luck needs to come up with something to get people to keep coming to the park. Sam’s sister’s Halloween is a huge deal in Hollywood as a singer. Can the two come together long enough to save the family empire?

This series is exciting. The idea of a theme park full of classic monsters, zombies, werewolves, and a Frankenstein Pizzaria is excellent! It embraces classics and delivers to a very specific demographic. But is it that specific? Some people hate to be scared, I don’t care for gore or excessiveness, but I attend Halloween Horror Nights every year at least twice because most people enjoy the thrill of being scared. Creator Joshua Williamson understands that.

Williamson has established a realistic idea of what happens in theme parks. The integrity of the theme for Devil Land is unwavering while maintaining the realism of the park. What a great series. I don’t see it as horror, even though it will be classified as such. It’s more like Helluva Boss to me. Demons, Devils, making deals. Death laughter terror. All are classified as horror but not gory. A light and easy read, if you will. Between that and the artwork, it’s exciting.

Andrei Bressan does a fantastic job with the artwork and the colors- not just gothic and dark but inviting. The team, with Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan, and Adriano Lucas, has created an original idea that can be fun for many readers. But this book is different, and it’s new. This is the first time I have seen something like this—such an electrifying plotline.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I was engaged with every page and read it twice. I appreciate this new story from the Dark Ride team for their creativity and ingenuity. Watching this story develop is going to be an absolute pleasure.