The Tenth, Vol. 1 Abuse of Humanity #4
Image Comics (F5 Entertainment)
In Collection
#23976
0*
Abuse Of Humanity, Chapter 4
1997-06-01  Tony Daniel Standard Cover
Comic  Modern Age $2.50
9.4
Read It: No 32 Pages

The final chapter of the Abuse of Humanity mini-series opens immediately after The Tenth destroys the cult chamber to rescue Esperanza Del Toro. Their escape triggers a full-scale mobilization inside Darkklon, as Rhazes Darkk unleashes his most advanced bio-engineered shock troops to retrieve Esperanza at any cost.

As The Tenth begins to lose stability—both mentally and physically—his earlier experimental conditioning kicks in. His body mutates further, surging with uncontrollable power that threatens everyone around him, including Esperanza. His internal struggle becomes a major focal point of the issue: fighting the programming Darkk embedded in him versus the instinctive bond he feels toward Esperanza.

Esperanza tries desperately to reach the humanity inside The Tenth, reminding him of who he is beneath the layers of forced memory and genetic manipulation. Her attempts partially succeed, stabilizing him long enough to push toward the exit of the sprawling underground complex.

But Darkk is waiting.

The confrontation between The Tenth and Rhazes Darkk becomes the climax of the series. Darkk reveals that The Tenth was never intended to escape his control—he was designed to lead Darkk’s “new race,” a twisted evolution meant to replace flawed humanity. Darkk unleashes a wave of mutated soldiers whose sole purpose is to overwhelm The Tenth through attrition.

The final battle is brutal, chaotic, and destructive. The Tenth’s raw power tears through Darkk’s creations, but every attack pushes his unstable physiology closer to collapse. Esperanza becomes the emotional anchor that keeps him from losing himself completely.

As the chamber falls apart and Darkklon begins to self-destruct, The Tenth makes a desperate final effort to save Esperanza. The ending is left partially open—The Tenth survives the collapse, but his condition and future path are uncertain. Darkk’s ultimate fate is ambiguous, hinting at possible future conflicts.

The story concludes with Esperanza escaping to the surface, forever changed by what she witnessed, and The Tenth’s silhouette emerging from the ruins—alive, but irrevocably altered.

Product Details
Series Group The Tenth
Genre Action, Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction, Teen
Color Color
Country USA
Language English
Release Date 1997-05-14

Personal Details
Collection Status In Collection

Value Details
Grade 9.4 Near Mint
Notes
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.