It's not dark in the sense of gloom and doom; it is dark in colouring.
And it reads well, yes.
Thank you gregory for your take on it ! For some reason, I've been willing to invest on a mixed media deck for a while. I had my eye on the Urban but after using its app, I figured it was not for me. GREAT art but we didn't click
The appeal of the Stretch, though, has been more visceral. It IS a "dangerous" deck in a good/exciting way, like swimming in the ocean at night. And I've read the stock is superb and the price is quite reasonable. If I'm not mistaken, LeFanu is also a fan. I might take the plunge and order.