In this story, Dark Rain is commanded by Colonel Driggs, and there’s no doubt about the man’s villainy. He is definitely the antagonist Dabny and Emmit have to fear most. As well as the raging storm sweeping through New Orleans.
The graphic novel takes a long time to get to the actual heist, but there is a lot going on. I’m undecided about how much of the story ended up being a deflection of the plot rather than an enhancement. Johnson shows a lot of the problems that when on during the hurricane and its aftermath, but that slows down the pace of the crime story. The story about the people and the horrors they suffered is well done, but sometimes it seems shuffled into the main crime plot. Crime novels surrounding a heist like this generally are lean and mean, staying close to the bone.
The ending turns out to be somewhat predictable and all the characters ended up pretty much where I thought they would. For the most part, I was really happy with the story and entertained throughout. Simone Gane’s artwork complements the story and I liked the aqua tones that overlay the inks. There was no way the invading waters from the Gulf would have any hint of blue even before the storm, but using gray or sepia tones wouldn’t have done the panels justice and would have made it all look the same.
Dark Rain overall is a good story with enjoyable and easily understood characters during a situation that most readers can easily envision due to all the media coverage at the time.
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