3 out of 5

Did I read part 1 or 2?  No.  Sometimes that’s how things go.  Cinebook has an intriguing output of European artists; the cover of a gloomy Darwin in chains and moody, graphic interiors lulled me in enough for a purchase.

So in the world of ‘Diaries,’ Mr. Darwin is a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde, with his ‘evil’ persona (his dual nature) being that of a ravenous beast.  It’s unclear to me from this volume if he can control himself in beast form, but at the very least, the transformations can not be triggered manually (springing forth as a result of fear or pain) and Darwin wishes to be rid of the change.  I’d suspect volumes 1 and 2 build up a mystery around several ghastly slayings of which Darwin cannot say whether or not his animal-side is involved; volume 3 expands things to show us that there is a small race of people with the same shifting abilities, and those causing the killings are a group of upstarts looking to proclaim themselves as the next step in evolution.  The 50-something page book moves along pretty quickly.  Much of the pages are taken up by swooping action of the beasts, drawn with a seriously effective sense of motion by artist Eduardo Ocaña.  However, Runberg gave me, as a new reader, plenty of personality – in Darwin’s narration, in other characters’ dialogue – to give the various players in the volume enough depth such that it’s more than just a picture book.  The narration also smartly separates several principle characters into clear good / evil scenarios such that, even though Ocaña does give us unique and recognizable characteristics for the leads, had those not existed, the story would provide enough cues to be able to tell people apart… which I only mention as it’s something that can be difficult in historical pieces where all the dudes dress the same and have generic names like Charles.

But some of our pacing is off.  I can’t say who did the lettering, but assuming word bubble to panel directions were in the script, several scenes are seriously hampered by odd timing of words and actions: responding to things before or after they happen.  This is also where Ocaña’s art does not assist, as, motion and some pretty cool icky gore aside, there’s rarely a sense of focus in the panels – the characters seem to look at or respond to something that we could easily assume is off panel, when it’s actually front and center but not clearly defined, or perhaps off in an odd corner.  Compound this with a pretty murky color palette by Maz! and bland production by Cinebook (the pages are paper and not glossy, so don’t lend themselves well to colors which blend together) and part of why you’re zipping through the book is because you’ve been given no visual indications to pause.

‘Darwin’s Diaries vol. 3’ is an average adventure.  The last panel’s ‘The End’ makes me assume this is the conclusion of Darwin’s tale, but even without his Hyde-side, Runberg’s blend of the supernatural and evolutionary science is a worthwhile enough setup – and the writing and art do absolutely create a mood, even if it doesn’t quite read perfectly from panel to panel – that I was certainly entertained while reading, and I’d definitely give future volumes a glimpse if the story were continued.