The Darkness #2

In *The Darkness #2* (2003), Paulie tightens his grip on the local crime family by hiring the mysterious Triplets to eliminate Jackie, while Jackie scrambles to secure an uneasy alliance with Nicky Barrucci to fight back. Written by Paul Jenkins and brought to life with gritty precision by Dale Keown—both on pencils and inks, with colors by Matt Milla and letters by Dreamer Design’s Robin Spehar and Dennis Heisler—this issue deepens the simmering conflict with a tense, character-driven push-and-pull that keeps the stakes personal and the danger palpable. The cover, also by Keown, captures the raw intensity of the story’s central struggle.