By Steve Niles & Menton3
This one-shot collects the four issues published originally in Dark Horse Presents #26-29. It opens with world where there is a vampire civil war, but the main story chronicles Vampiric couple who live by their own rules and love. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the events are most likely what triggered the strife amongst the undead species.
Steve Niles is no stranger to vampire tales. Seeing that he was writing this should capture the attention of any horror fan. He sets the majority of the comic in the 14th century due the reference that the bubonic plague is rampant. Now, this isn’t the first piece of vampire fiction to have the same setting, but what sells the book is the romance between the two main characters, Tarquin and Moria. Niles romanticizes their timeless love very well while setting it against a gothic, bloody atmosphere. It’s oddly beautiful and captivating; it definitely calls to mind Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D. What truly makes this one-shot striking is what happens to Moria at the end; it puts a fascinating spin on this horror sub-genre by blending in some science fiction!
Menton3 fully grasps and implements the dark, gothic tone masterfully. The plot of the comic seemed a bit banal initially, but his artwork is so stunning, one can’t help but feel compelled to see what Menton3 depicts on the next page. To convey the romanticism of the story, all he had to was one half-page panel. Tarquin and Moria are embracing each other in silhouette before a full moon-gorgeous! I may not have been familiar with his work until now, but I’ve become an instant fan!
Dark Horse has a long history of great horror comics and this is one is no exception. Sadly, this is only a one-shot. Keep this fingers crossed that it could become a monthly title…
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