While surfing the Net, I came across this website, Bam! Kapow! and found this particular article called 11 Superheroes That Look Like Supervillains. And while reading through this post, I found myself looking back at when I was 18 years old, just fresh out of school, joining the ranks of the working world. Somehow, American comics were my solace, bringing me from Singapore to America with just a turn of a comic page. I remembered browsing through comics like The Darkness, Witchblade, Kabuki and tohers. I was very mesmerized by all the nitty griity America that these comics showed me. Is that America in real life? But those people in the comics were cool and awesome, and the artwork too. Imagine to my pleasant surprise that I read on the Internet (somewhere out on a blog or Top Cow Productions site) that there is going to be a movie film release of The Darkness and all I do ask is that whoever is going to direct that movie, you had better choose a good actor to portray Jackie Estrcada. If not, I'll raise my knuckles and show you my middle finger. So, please do not make a mockery out of Jackie Estracada's character. In brief, here are the summaries of these 3 comics, according to Wikipedia:

The Darkness

The comic's central theme is the power known as The Darkness and its wielders. The Darkness is an ageless power dating back beyond human history. It is linked with the Angelus and the Witchblade. The Darkness is passed down a family line from father to son, leaving the previous user (and taking his life) as his first child is conceived. The power then manifests in the child on his 21st birthday.

Darkness users can create anything they desire with The Darkness, even sentient beings, but anything they make will crumble to dust in the light. The Darkness is quite deadly, allowing the user to call forth darkling minions to aid them, and even survive gunshots. The power can also be used to maul and feed on people.

Jackie Estacado is the current wielder of The Darkness and hitman for the Franchetti Family mob. He is a very violent and sexual man who, until gaining the powers of The Darkness, lived life in the fast lane. Of course, because of the possibility of impregnating a woman causing his own death through the mysterious ways of The Darkness, Jackie tries to refrain from sex, to his great frustration. Though Jackie lives life on the wrong side of the law and can kill without remorse, he has a set of morals he follows and always tries to protect those he cares about.

Jackie joined the mob at a very early age, after being recruited by a mafia don named Frankie "Kill-the-children-too" Franchetti. He was picked up at the orphanage after Frankie was prompted by a mysterious stranger named Sonatine, who told Frankie that having Jackie around would bring him tremendous power. Jackie came to the mafia life easily, losing his virginity to a female police officer over the interrogation desk at age 14. He grew up, or more accurately matured, very quickly, and soon enjoyed the life of sex and violence. However, when he turned 21, his dark powers awakened and he learned of his evil inheritance. At first, this power was a blessing, allowing his job as a professional hitman to run more smoothly and work in more novel ways. However, with this power came many enemies.

The Witchblade

The Witchblade is an intelligent, ancient, and conscious weapon with supernatural origins. It is one of thirteen artifacts of similar kind. It is the offspring of the universe's opposing aspects, the Darkness and the Angelus (the dark and the light). The Witchblade is a male aspect created to act as a balance, which must have a female as a host. The Witchblade was discovered in modern times in Greece by Kenneth Irons, but before he found it, it had many wielders. When not in use, it can look like an ornate, jewel encrusted, right-handed gauntlet. When wielded by an unworthy user, that person will lose their arm. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the host, who can hear the Witchblade. When used, it expands across the body of the wielder, shredding clothes and covering the body like an armour. The amount and coverage of the armour depends on the level of the threat.

For example, when facing mortals, it will usually generate less armour than when facing a demon of hell. This armor can produce extensions of itself that can form swords, other stabbing weapons, hooks, chains, shields, and wings, enabling the wielder to fly. It may also become temperamental if it chooses not to be used. When wielded, it can shoot energy blasts from the hand or sword, fire projectile darts, and whip-like grapples to attack or to climb. The Witchblade is also an excellent lock pick, and can heal wounds, even mortal ones. The Witchblade can re-animate the dead, empathically show the wielder scenes of great trauma, and allow the wielder to relive experiences from past wielders as dreams. The Witchblade has now split into two parts following the events in the "First Born" crossover. One half belongs to Dani while Sara has reclaimed the other half.

Kabuki

The main character, codenamed Kabuki, is the granddaughter of a former World War II Japanese military man known as "General Kai" and an Ainu comfort woman. While working for the Noh Assassins, she experiences much conflict with her life and personal identity.

In the beginning, Kabuki and the Noh are controlled by two masked men, who are known as the Devil and Dove, although the group serves the Company, lead by the General. The Noh is charged with the control and elimination of various yakuza groups in Japan, especially the yakuza organization of Ryuichi Kai.

However, Kai is powerful politically, and important to the Noh to keep alive for the time being. For her own personal reasons, and at the request of Dove, Kabuki goes against the General's orders and kills Kai and his gang. The Board of Directors of the Noh demand she be punished for her disobedience, and she massacres them before dying herself. She is revived, and brought to a facility run by the Control Corps, a combination prison and mental hospital where rogue agents can be reprogrammed. Her former associates, the assassins of the Noh, are sent to eliminate her, but she escapes, and takes on a new identity.

Other titles that I fondly remembered reading about are Spawn, Hellboy, Lobo, Taskmaster and a couple more that I can't remember now. And hence, I would like some help from my readers who read American comics (I realised that I might not sound like someone who would read American comics at all, what's more I'm a girl, but trust me, I started out with American comics before switching to manga and anime. And now, I would like to find back the joy I had in reading American comics again).

There is this American comic which I totally forgot its title, creator or production/creation house. It's a story about this boy who was seemingly a human until one day while out in the park, he and his friends were ambushed by a gang of kids. All his friends were killed but he survived. And apparently, a vampire brought him back to life, that is why he 'survived' from the attack but not his friends. The vampire who brought him to life told that boy that when he was first transformed into a vampire, he saw with his own eyes how he feed on pigeons and lusted for blood all the while being locked inside a giant birdcage. Of course, the boy didn't believe him and attempted to step out of the building only to realise the sun almost burned him to a cinder. A few nights later, this boy went to look for the gang of kids that 'killed' him and his friends to sought revenge and he won. And meanwhile, his parents were concerned that he had been kidnapped or ran away from home and had even informed the cops. Apparently, they didn't know that he was killed, raised from the dead and is now a vampire. But he has a little sister who believes that he is still alive and said that her brother comes home every night, like an angel.

Does this description ring a bell to any American comic reader out there? I hope it helps as I am currently trying to buy this comic with the exception that I do not know the title, creator and which production house it came from? So, please help by emailing me or leaving me a comment if any one of you knew. I'll say THANK YOU in advance first as I am keeping my fingers crossed.