Cabra Cini is an Actuality Press character who has made a number of appearances in anthologies previously and now, for 2015, is getting a series of her own.
Dark New Year is a free to download Cabra Cini comic you can download from either Actuality Press or DriveThruComics.
Cini is a former hooker who reached breaking point living with her boyfriend-pimp. She dabbled with voodoo to get rid of him. It worked except the dark arts became her new addiction, replacing the hunger she once had for drugs.
I think that’s an interesting but challenging set up. That’s a tricky subject to do justice to and it might be tempting to keep the former prostitute dressed in skimpy, fan service, clothes. This issue of Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman avoids that trap. Let’s see whether creator and author Sam Johnson can keep the course.
In a press release, Johnson said;
Cabra has broken free of her life as a beaten-down hooker and is a badass, independent, strong woman,”
“With what’s coming her way in the mini-series, she’s going to need to be.”
In the opening story Cabra is hired to find a young man who killed his girlfriend by “playing vampire”. This means a trip through the limbo realm known as “The Infinity” and dealing with the intruder hating ruler of the realm known as “The Rook”.
After this re-presentation of Cabra’s debut story Dark New Year goes on to introduce new characters. There’s her pet werewolf El Hombre Lobo, friend-with-benefits Geoff and an insane Neo-Nazi called White Out and his lobotomized butler Chives. It’s a real shame Dark New Year doesn’t offer more insight into these characters and plot. I’m back to wondering about the direction Johnson will take his “voodoo junkie hitwoman”.
I’m hopeful. With art by Bruno Letizia, Nathan Ramirez and R.D. Ricci, this recommended for Mature Readers comic book has potential and Dark New Year was quite fun. It just feels like a dangerous character to be interesting with.
