Recently, I was asked to review a new graphic novel. That's enough to hook me instantly. Make it accessible to my Kindle? DING DING DING! Some of you may remember Khalid Birdsong from a previous review: the Fried Chicken and Sushi webcomic. Haven't read it? I suggest you submerse yourself in all things Japan and start there! Anyway...Khalid Birdsong is the genius behind the webcomic, and he's now the proud creator of "Tales of Tritoria: Youngbloods"! Every reviewer has the option of telling every aspect of the novel and eliminating the need for potential audiences to actually READ. I'm not going to do that. Every reviewer also has the option of telling as little as um...review...ing...ly (?) possible and risk turning a potential audience off of the concept of the novel (who likes that, anyway?? I wanna know if I'm interested in this thing or not!). I'm not here to do that either. What I like to do is give enough detail that you get a good, rounded vision of what the novel is about but leave enough out so that when you actually read the novel you're thinking "WOW! Ashleigh never mentioned THIS!" and it's full of surprises. Forgive me if I fail miserably, Khalid! I'm going to TRY! ;)
The novel opens with a setup (beautifully done, may I say!) that introduces you to the world that Paul and his family are living in. It's one quite the opposite of ours, to say the least. One night a month, the vampires (created by a virus as a result of lab testing gone wrong) of the city come out to feast. Paul and his two daughters find themselves out on this night, walking to the local store to get beer and pancake batter (no...I'm not kidding! Great combination!). In the store, everything goes wrong. A gang of vampires enters the store and takes out everyone within. The thing about the virus is that sometimes it kills the drained victim and sometimes it transfers to the victim and brings them back as...you guessed it...a vampire. Jackie, Paul's daughter, is the only "lucky" one. As her life flashes before her eyes, the virus makes its way through her body. She awakes to an extreme feeling of rage and a thirst for revenge and sets out to murder the ones who murdered her family. In a tough spot after finding the gang, Jackie is soon rescued by the original "vampires" (you'll have to read to see why I hesitantly call them so!) who escaped from the lab. They're called the Youngbloods. The leader of the gang, Saint, is leading the group across town to a medical center that claims to have a serum to help heal any infected and make night living bearable for humans. As with any new science, there. will. be. controvercy! Follow Jackie and the Youngbloods as they make the dangerous journey across town. The rest of the graphic novel is a noble quest, a vampire battle, a possible cure, a reunion, and hope shining once again.
As far as what I thought...
Creativity of Writing: I feel like this story was set up differently than most vampire stories in that it explains in detail a lot of what let to the infection and those directly involved in the cause of it. I LOVE how the opening scene is set up and the transition from TV horror into real life. The journey takes just a day, but the story is so intense and detailed that I feel like the story took place over a week. Despite that fact, it wasn't slow or boring...ever!
Creativity of Art: Holy Smokes, Khalid! What did you do?? Looking at Fried Chicken and Sushi and Youngbloods side-by-side, I can tell a big difference! Both look amazing but Youngbloods shows a different side of your artistic talents! I'm a fan of both art styles, but I believe that Youngbloods has been good for you as an artist! The panels are more detailed, the backgrounds of the city and sewer are nice, and I LOVE your skill at battle scenes! The fights were seriously some of the best fight scenes I've seen in graphic novels and comics! They're so animated and your characters show so much emotion. Does this novel come in a print version that's color? If not: color, color, color! I think it'd be awesome (and a LOT of work, lol!)
Overall Rating: 4.5/5 I say this because I really want more! Is it in the works? I think color could do a lot for this comic, but your story line and basic art aren't lacking at all!
Thank you, Khalid, for giving me the opportunity to review your graphic novel! I look forward to, and support, your future endeavors!
Until next time, nerdlings! XOXO
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