I'm so effing tired of wimpy vampires. Seriously? When I was a kid, I saw >a< vampire movie and it scared the living crap out of me. Years have gone by, and the most recent "vampire movie" I've seen was Twilight. Those vampires aren't scary! They don't evoke anything in me except curiosity at how the REAL bad @$$ vampires out there don't slaughter them! I was SO thankful to read "Baltimore: The Plague Ships" by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck. It's got the psycho, bloodthirsty demons that we all know and love.
The story is set shortly after WWI (in fact, its the plague of vampires that ends the war). Europe is overtaken by the demons bent on destruction. The comic opens with one man, Henry Baltimore, exploring a tunnel (um...hello? BAD idea! Dark tunnel? At NIGHT?!?) and wiping out any vampires he finds. With the supposed assistance of a witch and her granddaughter, Henry escapes a group of the demons and pries the information he needs from the witch's granddaughter (that the big, bad vampire leader is heading away on a ship). Later, Henry is arrested (the town suspects he is a devil) and thrown in jail. With her "influence" (come on...we all know that means 'sex'...) the witch's granddaughter convinces the guard to set Henry free. Henry is dead set against traveling with the girl. The comic closes with Henry telling the girl that she's making a big mistake by wanting to travel with him. She's grown tired of dealing with the plague and doesn't heed his warnings. What makes this comic so friggen awesome?
Creativity of Writing: 5/5 I know the whole vampire-hunter story has been done. I know that there's (though not in the forefront recently) a lot of comics with the demonic version of vampires. The way this comic is written is honestly different somehow. I think that its the element of mystery of that hooked me the most. Besides the constant action, the writing and the layout of pages is extremely to read and understand. The comic is historically accurate and its very obviously researched. You can see it through both the art and the way the people talk. This first issue has me extremely hooked and I can't wait to see the next issues!
Creativity of Art: 5/5 It looks AWESOME! I'm most impressed with the people. There's so much detail in this comic! The faces are each unique. The line detail is nice as well. It's there, but it's not overwhelming. Normally, I tend to like bold, contrasty lines better than finer detail. Considering the era this comic was set in, the art style works PERFECTLY. The color scheme is muted also. This reminds one of old, sepia-colored photographs. Needless to say, the art/writing team was perfect for this comic.
Overall Casual Read Rating: 5/5 I can't wait to read more! I'm really interested to see what sets this comic series apart from the rest of the vampire stories. It's a very entertaining read. There's a lot of action, and a lot of sudden plot changes. Normally, I don't like reading single issues (I'd rather read a volume) but I feel pretty satisfied with what I've read. If you want to start them, don't worry about a wait! They're coming out very rapidly!
Note to the Creator(s): I'm hooked! I can't wait to see what's next and I thoroughly enjoy reading your comic. I hope to get it autographed some day! *wink, wink* Everything is SO beautiful together. AWESOME job!
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