quote:Originally posted by Fat Cramer: Well, fearing reincarnation as a sloth, I ordered Volume 1 of American Vampire. I should have it by Friday and just hope I don't die in the meantime.
I hope you like volume 1, Cramey. IMO, Volume 2 is where it really found its voice, but Volume 1 is really good, too.
quote:Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: Actually, quite the opposite, Blacula! The monstrous character, Skinner Sweet, gets no sympathy from the readers or other characters. The 'bad guys' are truly bad and the writer makes no bones about it.
quote:Originally posted by Blacula: ^ That's good to know CK. In all the pre-release interviews for this book that I read it made it seem like Skinner Sweet was this great new identifiable character that readers would love while he killed people. Kind of like the Joker I guess (not that that works on me - as I find time to mention in every second post haha).
I'd say Skinner's a "love to hate" type. He's got his moments of charm, but he'll never be mistaken for a good guy.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I read Survival of the Fittest #3 recently, the middle issue of the 5-part AmVamp miniseries spin-off. Good, solid middle issue with Nazis and vampires working together! Interestingly, the Nazis have developed an anti-vamp gun that seems to work on all the different species. Not sure why the vamps support this, but I suspect they wish to use it on their own enemies in the world vampire community and trust the Nazis won't turn on them.
Good characterizations on our leads, Cash and Ms. Book, both of whom have personal interests in retrieving the Nazi's scientist and seeing if he has a cure for vampirism.
The art by Sean Murphy here is just outstanding! He nails all of his scenes in such a way that he gives regular AmVamp artist Raphael Albuquerque, no slouch himself, a run for his money.
I'm excited to see where this mini ends and hope to see much more of the characters in the ongoing again. Wouldn't mind Sean Murphy and writer Scott Snyder working together again either!
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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What can you say about a series that only receives pages and pages of praise? Well, for starters it's only getting better and better.
The main series concluded it's awesome WWII Pacific theater storyline with a long-awaited confrontation between Skinner and Pearl. It was not only awesome, it definitely leaves Pearl with some questions and doubts about herself.
The best sequence of the issue for me was when the three of them are in the water waiting for sunset while the Japanese vampires wait just below where the sunlight hits the water, ready to strike at a moments notice. Horrifying!! Really great stuff.
Meanwhile, in SotF, we get an equally fantastic story in the WWII European theater as Felicia and Cash continue to develop into as interesting and detailed characters as any in this franchise.
But what really makes this one so special for me is the incredibly awesome insight into the history of the vampires. It's done so well it feels like just a teaser and has me wanting more! I love the idea of ancient, giant vampires, dating back to even Egypt. Horrifying and fascinating all at once.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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I read Am Vamp one last night. TERRIFIC conclusion to the WW2 arc! The sequence Cobie mentions is a highlight. Some writers might have spent a whole issue on that horror scenario, but Snyder spends maybe a couple of pages. Very nice. (Moore did something similar on Swamp Thing, btw.)
The centerpiece was the final(?) confrontation between Pearl and Skinner and the unexpected fireworks that occurred. It kind of floored me while somehow feeling natural. It certainly didn't appear to be one-sided, I'd say. I have a hard time believing that a certain character is truly dead, but it certainly didn't look good.
I enjoyed the ending scenes with Pearl and Henry. Henry's a favorite character, and I'm curious to see what eventually happens to him. He and Pearl have a great chemistry to them. I wonder, though, what he was going to tell Pearl in his letter...
So the last page introduces a new vampire. Wonder what road he'll take.....
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Survival of the Fittest wrapped up the same way its been running all along: totally freaking awesome! Great finale to the story that concluded with all the action needed but also gave a nice, heart-stirring ending to the Cash & Felicia's storyline here.
I really wanted to see more of the ancient vampires but Snyder likely played it smart making us want to see more rather than the opposite.
Both Felicia and Cash are fantastic characters. Snyder has done a fantastic job building up the cast in this franchise since it started. I'm hoping every summer they do another mini like this that lets others get some focus (as well as present another storyline intrical to the larger story, as done here).
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Finally! got American Vampire volume 1 and read it on Hallowe'en night.
I figured this was going to be one of those books that is well-written with good art but not to my taste. However, it was quite surprisingly captivating. There's blood and guts and severed heads, but just enough to establish the violence of vampires. These guys aren't romantic - they're killers - but like the humans they once were, they retain their personalities and human attributes. Skinner Sweet was a thug and murderer in his old life - turned into a vampire, he just ups the ante. Pearl, the wannabe actress, remains compassionate and caring for her friends, but has no hesitation pulling out the fangs and killing for vengeance or self-defense.
I thought the relationship between Sweet and Pearl was quite interesting. He helps her when she's first turned into a vampire; is he lonely for another of his kind, joining forces against a common enemy or just hot for a good-looking woman?
Far from a gore-fest, the story covers a great, decades-spanning hunt with the new American vampires chasing the old Europeans who created them, and three generations of human lawmen chasing Skinner Sweet.
The most fascinating twist on the vampire story is that the American vampires are different from the Europeans - they can stand sunlight, for one thing, which gives them a huge advantage. They're young and full of energy - it's really symbolic of America itself: at once wild and violent (Sweet) and positive and determined (Pearl), displacing fusty old Europe. I'm very interested to see if this theme carries through the series.
posted
I also got the first trade with my DCBS shipment, and had it as my second-to-read trade after TWD HC#7. How is it that two of the best series going today are horror books? It's a genre I don't particularly care for... I don't watch scary movies with the lights out wanting to be scared silly, or anything... but both of these are really GOOD.
I like the take on Vampirism here as a communicable, bloodborne pathogen/illness, as well as the evolution of the vampire species. Interesting how the American species resembles lycanthropy in its ties to lunar patterns and vulnerability to metal, in this case gold. Definitely looking forward to more trades in my next DCBS or IST order!
-------------------- "Anytime a good book like this is cancelled, I hope another Teen Titan is murdered." --Cobalt
"Anytime an awesome book like S6 is cancelled, I hope EVERY Titan is murdered." --Me
From: Up a Gumtree | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
I love Jordi Bernet's artwork and I love American Vampire, so the combination of the two is like DC / Vertigo decided to create a Christmas present just for me. And with the second part of three out now, they've exceeded even my high expectations.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the western era story of Skinner & Book as part of the U.S. cavalry; it's like a John Ford movie meets AmVamp horror.
LOVE the background on the first "new" American vampire and her role in the story thus far. The way Bernet draws her doesn't hurt either.
Just like with Batman, Severed and Swamp Thing, Snyder uses his story-telling tool of moving the issue forward while very slowly building the tension, almost like a tea kettle on the stove at a low heat. It's not outright scary but there's something gradually unsettling about it--and I want MORE.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
This thread has been quiet for way too long! The current fuel stories are fantastic right now! Just when I thought last years WWII stories couldn't be topped, this years are giving it a run for their money. Ok, maybe more the Dracula one story-wise, but the Pearl / Henry / Skinner drama is intense!
AmVamp continues to kick ass every month. Snyder does pretty good work in the DCnUCoke, but its clear his Vertigo work blows that away.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
Still loving AmVamp and the new spin-off mini Cobie mentions ("Lord of Nightmares").
The sucky news out of NYCC is that AmVamp's going on hiatus for a while (starting in January, I believe) for Snyder and Albequerque to recharge their batteries and work on some other projects. Snyder promises, however, some minis and one-shots in the interim, so we don't go into total withdrawal. Gonna miss my regular fix, though.
-------------------- "Suck it, depressos!"--M. Lash
From: The Underbelly of Society | Registered: Jul 2003
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Man that sucks! I totally missed that! Ugh, that blows.
They better be doing something good. Because Snyder could at least do a few arcs with some fill-in artists instead of a lame ass comic like Talon or his latest Swamp Thing stories.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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