The Tenth, Vol. 1 Abuse of Humanity #3

Picking up immediately after the chaos of Issue #2, Esperanza Del Toro is still running for her life inside the industrial under-levels of Darkklon, trying to escape the mutated bio-creatures engineered by Rhazes Darkk. Her connection to The Tenth, the unstable super-being created from Darkk’s experiments, makes her the focal point of Darkk’s twisted “evolution” plans.

While searching for safety, Esperanza stumbles upon a disturbing hidden enclave beneath the main complex — a fanatic cult of Darkklon citizens who worship Rhazes Darkk as the “true savior of mankind.” The cult believes that humanity is inherently corrupt and that Darkk’s genetic engineering is the path to “purification.” To them, Esperanza is a sacred “catalyst” for Darkk’s transformation and must be captured for a ritualized offering.

Meanwhile, The Tenth, driven by instinctive loyalty to Esperanza, battles through Darkk’s biomechanical hunters while struggling with his own deteriorating stability. His implanted memories conflict with the violent impulses forced upon him, making his pursuit desperate and chaotic.

As Esperanza is dragged deeper into the cult’s lair, she discovers the extent of Darkk’s influence — followers willingly undergoing body modification, chemical mutation, and biological augmentation in preparation for what they believe is an impending evolutionary purge.

The issue builds to The Tenth smashing his way into the cult’s chamber, erupting into a brutal confrontation with Darkk’s mutated disciples to free Esperanza. Although they manage to reunite, Darkk’s forces close in, setting up the climax of the four-issue mini-series in Issue #4.

Product Details
Series Group	The Tenth
Genre	Action, Adventure, Horror, Super-Heroes, Teen
Color	Color
Country	USA
Language	English
Release Date	1997-04-16

Personal Details
Collection Status	In Collection

Value Details
Grade	9.4 Near Mint

The first Tenth comic published by Image Comics is technically a 4-issue mini-series released in 1996–1997. However, many comic book databases—including CLZ, ComicVine, and other collector systems—categorize this mini-series as “Volume 1” rather than calling it simply a “mini-series.”

This happens for a few reasons:

1. Database Standardization

Most comic catalog systems treat any first published storyline—whether mini-series or ongoing—as Volume 1 of a title.
This keeps the numbering system consistent when later series or ongoings are added.

2. Avoiding Confusion With Later Series

After the mini-series ended, Image Comics launched a full ongoing series of The Tenth beginning in 1997.
To keep the order clear, many databases label:

Mini-Series → Volume 1

Ongoing Series → Volume 2

Even though Image Comics never officially used “Volume 1” or “Volume 2,” this system prevents later issues from being misfiled.

3. Uniform Organization for Collectors

Collectors prefer having everything grouped under volumes rather than mixing “Mini,” “Series 2,” “Reboot,” “One-Shot,” etc.
Using “Vol. 1” for the mini-series keeps everything:

numerically ordered

easy to sort

consistent with most apps and inventory tools

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⭐ How CANDM Merchandise Handles It

To maintain consistency across my entire comic database:

I list the original 4-issue mini-series of The Tenth as “Vol. 1.”

This matches the way most modern collector systems organize the title.

The ongoing 1997–1999 series is listed as “Vol. 2” in my catalog for clarity.