DC New 52 Review: I, Vampire #3

Please note, I have reviews posted for I, Vampire #1 and I, Vampire #2.

I, Vampire #3
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Cover Price: $2.99

In a nutshell:
We finally get some supporting characters as we meet Andrew Bennet's (the pro-human vampire) closest friend as well as a new ally.

Synopsis:
Once again the story is told from the point of view of a character, this time that of Professor John Throughton, a human, who has been a friend and ally of Andrew Bennett since Andrew saved him from becoming a victim of Mary in 1979. We learn that before the current escalating war between vampires and humans there was five years of vampire ceasefire with the only violence against humans being isolated instances. Andrew and John discuss Andrew's connection with the other vampires and John wonders whether Andrew is aware that if he took his own life it would end the threat of his offspring. As they prepare their move against the evil vampire forces, Andrew is attacked by a young girl named Tig who was taught to fight vampires by her mom after her father was killed by one. We get here an idea of what the "good guy" team in the Vampire War will be.

Why did I pick it up?
While I do think that I, Vampire #2 killed some of the momentum of the first issue by basically rehashing a lot of the same information (but from a different point of view), I still felt a strong interest in this book and where it's going.

The Good:
We finally get some more characters. As much as I think the relationship between Andrew and his lover/enemy Mary is the core of this book, by the end of the second book I felt that by focusing two issues on just that, we weren't getting enough of a picture of the world they live in. The character of John gives us a broader perspective on Andrew in particular, as a character he feels a kinship with, but also as a character he has some questions about as well. The character of Tig is not the most original character so far but she has the potential to add another dimension to this book. The art continues to be amazing and I think it serves this story very well. In fact, I have a hard time envisioning this book with a different artist and I'm hoping that it doesn't come to that, at least anytime soon.

The Bad:
I feel like the first person narrative is limiting the pace of this story as well as boxing it into a corner that keeps us focused very close (which is good) but at the cost of really getting a sense of what the bigger world feels like. We've seen the horrific images, but we haven't really seen a lot of pedestrians and normal world interaction. I think that this format can also feel a little inauthentic if it becomes an ongoing formula. I guess my hope is that at some point the story is going to break this format so that the story can flow in a little more organic way and we can get a more diverse view of this world in an issue, because at this point, I feel like we should have a little more perspective. Luckily what this format has given us is strong enough to hold my interest, up until now at least.

Is it worth it?
Everything this book has presented has been good and has left me wanting more. I don't feel like we've gotten enough yet to get a sense that the story as a whole will be satisfying, but what we've gotten so far has held my interest and I would recommend. The third issues picks up the momentum that started to slow down in the second issue and I'm continuing to look forward to what's coming next.

DC New 52 Review: I, Vampire #2

I, Vampire #2
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Cover Price: $2.99

In a nutshell:
Mary, Queen of Blood's point of view

Synopsis:
This issue basically builds upon the introduction from the previous issue showing the action with captions in Mary's voice. Mary is what we would view as the villain of the story, in favor of Vampire world domination and unapologetic about her vampire nature including her bloodlust. Despite this, while the conflict is quite passionate, it would have to be to divide them considering how much Mary and Andrew love each other, the story is presented similar to that of a divorce, presenting both points of view without, at this point at least, the context of an objective morality. Mary is definitely more self indulgent which makes her more selfish and more destructive but she's also the more at peace with herself and seems to be more passionate and happier while Andrew seem to live with self imposed torture.

Why did I pick it up?
I, Vampire #1 intrigued me and I found myself anticipating this issue more as the weeks through the month went by.

The Good:
Besides giving us Mary's point of view, we also get to see her admiration for her enemy, which gives us the opportunity to see just how formidable and powerful Andrew is. We get to see some of their abilities and vampire characteristics. Both characters seem to be able to turn into wolves and it's not clear if this is a common trait for vampires in this world or if only a select few can.

The Bad:
So far we have a very limited view of the story through the relationship of these two characters and we don't have any supporting characters yet. We don't really learn much more than we did last issue. While I enjoyed the issue I did feel like the story I do feel the story has stalled a little before we really got too much information which I think is dangerous for a new series to do when it's trying to build some momentum. There are also pages where I was confused by some of the action and the colorist could have done a better job of creating some distinction between the different bodies.

Is it worth it?
I'm excited about this one!

DC New 52 Review: I, Vampire #1

This is my third review on the New 52 titles.


I, Vampire #1
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Cover Price: $2.99

In a nutshell:
Typical Modern Vampire Story set in the DC Universe

Synopsis:
In this story we meet what looks to be the two main players in this series, Andrew, who looks to be the main protagonist, is a vampire who wants to peacefully coexist with humans, and his lover Mary who has a blood lust and wants to lead a Vampire Army to take over the earth. The couple has been together for four hundred years, since Andrew turned Mary into a vampire, and we're lead to believe that they had some sort of relationship before she was turned and that she had a very different nature to her when she was human. Mary seems to fully love Andrew for what he is, even loving that he opposes her plans for conquest. Andrew on the other hand has a more puritanical view of Mary, still holding on to the human she used to me and denying the blood thirsty vampire that she has become. The story flips back and forth between their last night together and the war between them that follows.

Why did I pick it up?
I originally wasn't going to. The cover art is good but it's such a popular style these days that it really didn't give me an idea that this was any different than most other comics out there. But the timing just lined up right as I've been sucked into HBO's True Blood series which just ended their fourth season, and I was feeling some withdrawal. When I paged through the comic at the comic shop I was pleasantly surprised to find that the art had a more realistic and moodier style than what was represented on the cover, so I gave it a shot.

The Good:
What makes this comic interesting is that, so far at least, is the external conflict is just a reflection of the relationship issues between these two lovers. True Blood fans with notice the similarities between Andrew and Bill Compton in that they both are in denial of their more carnal vampire natures and they both wish to peacefully coexist with humans. Mary you can imagine might be what True Blood's Sookie might eventually become if she was changed into a vampire, letting go of the innocence and repression and fully realizing her hunger and passion. Andrew is haunted by the pureness in his love for the human that Mary was and his feeling that he has tainted her. And he is torn because he realizes that Mary is a serious threat to the world that he cares about. It's not a new story concept to have enemies who are connected this way, but it is one that draws you in.

The Bad:
When characters like Superman and Wonder Woman are mentioned as potential enemies for Vampires to fight, it is distracting as this story doesn't really feel like it exists in the same world as superheroes. Early issues of horror/fantasy comics Swamp Thing and Sandman also acknowledged the existence of DC's superheroes and yet their Vertigo runs were totally self contained and it's not hard to get past in this story but it would not serve this comic well if eventually the stories crossed over with superhero characters.

Is it worth it?
If your a fan of modern vampire stories, this looks like it's going to be a good series to follow. The first issue has me committed to buying the next.