I read through the 71-72 comic strip book. I'm very grateful to Katherine Leigh Scott for putting this together at a time when Pomegranate Press had the power to do so (this was about 1995, 1996 and there were various Dark Shadows books, VHS tapes, the show was running on the Sci-Fi Channel).

There is a foreword from Kenneth Bruce Bald, including some photos of him modeling as Barnabas for the strip, and photos of his wife as an original character.

Bald mentions that when the strip was canceled, he was told they'd never gotten so many complaints.

My only real disappointment is that we don't get the Sunday strips in color, but I can't complain as I know including them would have been much more expensive.

Aside from Barnabas, and one cameo, the only show characters are Elizabeth and Carolyn. This is an odd choice, but I suppose it makes sense in that Barnabas can just immediately take over the household dynamics (this is not the early show Elizabeth). It also adds an unintended air of despair to Collinwood when you only see the three of them and guest characters - not even a mention of a servant. Maybe we can say this is similar to the film universe (the Dan Curtis films) with the more downcast Collinwood and Collinsport.

Bald doesn't make any effort to draw Carolyn and Elizabeth resembling Nancy Barrett and Joan Bennett, although Elizabeth does at times (at times she looks like Courtney Simon).

Bald not sticking to the show very much means Barnabas is more of a straightforward hero, without the pity parties he so often inflicted on viewers.

I'm not going to go into great detail about each story arc as I want you to enjoy those for yourself if you buy the book, but I will give a summary and moments I enjoyed. I will be sharing the most details about the last story as I thought it was the best.

I just need to remember how to use spoilers on here now...

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by DRW50

Dark Shadows comic strip stories

The first arc is about a magazine publisher/warlock who has spent centuries slaughtering the Collins family no mention if he was responsible for why there are so few Collins left as a Collins man back in the witch trial days put his witch mother to death. The ancestor and witch are written with shades of the Angelique/Barnabas relationship. The warlock and Barnabas lock horns (or in this case, canes), but surprisingly, this has a happy ending...certainly a happier ending for the people at his magazine than the publishing industry can expect now.

The second story is no great shakes in of itself but is notable for a few reasons. The ancient Egyptian goddess who is in love with Barnabas was modeled with Bald's wife. This story also has the revelation that Barnabas has the soul of her lover and has been repeatedly reincarnated, including as the swashbuckling captain of a ship. If he was originally a god, that helps explain why all those beautiful women went for a guy I tended to see as a mopey loser. There's a genuinely gripping sequence in this story where she has to fly some trinket protecting her old love's soul to a tomb - she uses a kinder, slower bird. The baddie in the story uses a more menacing bird. Barnabas, knowing her bird has no real chance, transforms into a bat and fends the wicked bird off.

The next story is about a spate of werewolf attacks, with newcomers to Collinsport being suspects. This is an unexpectedly poignant story, with a backstory for the werewolf which makes you care, some lovely panels of the culprit as they are about to turn, and Barnabas getting to fly around the world again to cure the werewolf in the only way you can - killing the wolf who created him. This, rightly so, does not have a happy ending, but doesn't go overboard with misery. My favorite part is the insane use of Elizabeth. Barnabas has her stand outside the home of the man he thinks is the wolf, advising her to blow one of those dog whistles if the mean leaves the house. Barnabas explains that he has very good hearing. Elizabeth would NOT have done this. Then he goes to see her, while she's standing there, and leaves her still standing there.

After some high spots, we arrive at what I'd call the worst story of the set, with Mr. Sinestra (no relation to Mr. Sinister) desperate to taint Barnabas' soul. He enlists the help of...Angelique! There is one panel which uses the image of Lara Parker, but otherwise it's an Angelique-alike. I adore Angelique, but there's nothing of note here, with a lot of "just because/you have to keep everything the same because of balance of the universe" moments to explain why Barnabas spares Sinestra after trapping him in a church. Angelique, showing a remarkable and questionably not in character moment, tells Barnabas that they are from different worlds so must part ways.

The next story is about a woman who arrives at Collinwood claiming to be the daughter of an old friend of Elizabeth's. This is not the case. We also learn that Elizabeth "stole" Michael (not Paul) Stoddard from said friend. Shameful. The visitor is some kind of snake priestess, which sends Barnabas, in bat form, on a trip to an island (where he meets an old friend for voodoo answers), and also ends in the death of Carolyn's dog and beau (she is, understandably, more upset about the dog). This isn't anything special. The best part, by far, is the brief glimpse of early DS Carolyn as she is very cold toward her beau, not wanting to commit to him...until he shows an interest in the new arrival. Then she suddenly reminds him that they are meant to be going steady.

Last, and definitely not least. The story begins when Carolyn sees a fire burning from a tower room. Barnabas soon realizes she's right. For a brief period every century (or some date), the room burns in a recreation of a horrible deed. A young man about Carolyn's age appears before Barnabas in the cemetery, sharing yet another messy-ass Collins secret. A Collins ne'er-do-well begged his brother for money. His brother was more worried about his plaque-stricken wife, who had just given birth and wanted to see her newborn son before she died. In her sickness, she knocks over a lantern. He tries to race in to save his family, but his brother, sensing an opportunity, clubs him from behind. He then writes in the family history that his brother jumped from the hill (no mention of Widower's Hill) in despair).

The young man tells Barnabas that he is...The Unborn, the man who would have been if the bloodline had continued! He begs Barnabas to help him change the timeline. Barnabas is extremely wary of changing time, which tells you again Bald never watched the show as Barnabas never gave a damn about going back and slaughtering anyone he met. While Barnabas gets everything together, the Unborn, using the name Thomas, introduces himself to Carolyn and Elizabeth as yet another long-lost relative (I'd say they would find this convenient, but they are probably glad to see any relatives). He has a certain spark with Carolyn.

Thomas and Barnabas go back in time and manage to change things where the bad brother dies and the good brother's son survives. The history book is rewritten. Thomas vanishes...and at the end of the story (and the strip) he again shows up at Collinwood, his memories replaced by the life he got to live, now a long-lost member of the family who just felt a pull to be there.

This was a great way to wind down the strip, with a new character arriving, a new love for Carolyn, and a reminder that the story always continues.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by DRW50