Pick of the Week
What did the
iFanboy
community think?
Pulls
Art and cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Size: 32 pages
Price: 3.99
In my experience, a comic book is usually exemplary for one of two reasons. It either does something new that no one has seen before, and does it well, or it does something that is not new, but does it very well, taking the established rules of what makes a good comic, and just doing everything right. American Vampire does the latter, and it does it better every single issue. There’s not one specific thing about this issue, or this series that makes it fantastic, but rather, the sum of all the parts, and all the little bits of excellent craft all add up to create one very fun read, month after month.
Issue eight is part three of the second arc, and thus, smack in the middle of the story. What’s impressive about it is that writer Scott Snyder keeps upping the ante, and revealing more about what’s going on with the characters, and the society of vampires and humans in this particular time period. If you haven’t been following along, this arc takes place in Las Vegas in the 30’s, during the building of the Hoover Dam. It should be said that vampires are all well and good, but what really sells American Vampire for me is the historical aspect. The setting for mid-Depression Vegas is fascinating and very well research, and other than the supernatural creatures, quite authentic. Now, three issues in to the story, we should be getting towards the conclusion, but Snyder threw out a handful of fantastic reveals that deepen the plot, reveal more about our characters, and most importantly, delight the hell out of me as a reader.
Specifically, Chief McCogan went through a roller coaster in this issue. A new character we met in issue six, I was instantly interested in his story. McCogan’s father, also a cop, was recently killed, and as we learned last issue, he’s convinced local crime boss, Jim Smoke, also known as Skinner Sweet from the first arc, was the one who murdered him. At the start of the issue, he wasn’t convinced there was even such a thing as vampires, but by the end, his whole world was shaken. I didn’t see what was coming at all, and Snyder really engineered an “oh shit!” moment of the best kind.
Meanwhile, we revisit Pearl, who’s recently been discovered by some vampire hunters, and they want to strike a deal with her. All the vampire hunters, by the way, are holdovers from the Stephen King story from the first five issues, and the world is coming together with a lovely cohesion. Pearl tried to settle down, despite her bloodthirsty proclivities, but as anyone who’s ever read any story about a retired criminal or cop, you can’t escape your past. She’s presented with some choices, and reading it, I had no idea where she would go with it, which always makes for an exciting story. A couple more twists and turns have set up the board for what promises to be a great conclusion.
Also, at one point, a flying vampire dropped a limousine on another car, and it crashed like a bomb. So that was just fun.
Story is but one half of the American Vampire wonder though. Rafael Albuquerque is an immeasurable talent, and we’re only just getting to know him now. Every page, every figure, every facial expression in this book is perfect. He’s mastered the art of creating a cast of characters who can be told apart from one another by their faces, and every one of those faces has a unique and appropriate character. I was looking at the face of Linden Hobbes (great name), the vampire hunter in the first scene, and his face is craggy, his eyes are narrow and squinting with apprehension and caution, with his cheeks drawn, as he’s had to keep fit and lean, despite his age. Then, I look at the face on Mr. Gracie, one of the vampire targets, and get a whole other kind of look, as he’s dressed in his WWI uniform, with his broad face and aged soldier’s posture, and you can see how good Albuquerque is, compared to so many artists who only have one type of model for “male figure.” At the same time, the pages are so dramatic, and various types of vampires are scary and alive. The page where the car is bombed by another car crackles with energy and speed. While the story is about the undead, these pages are alive, and Albuquerque is going to be a major star.
It’s easy to dismiss this as just another vampire story in a world replete with too many vampire stories. But American Vampire is so much more than that. It’s an exceptionally well done comic first, first and foremost. The planning and execution are all there, with a fun premise, a unique setting, and the talent firing on all cylinders. Each issue is better than the last, and when you get to the last page, you want the next issue right away. Snyder and Albuquerque are producing one fine comic book story, and every bite makes you hunger for more.
Josh Flanagan
"Hold it. Is that… a car?"
josh@ifanboy.com
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I thought for sure either Spider-man or T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents was going to get it this week. Still a good choice though
Good pick this week Josh. I wrestled with myself between this, Unwritten and Ultimate Thor. In the end Unwritten won for me. I felt the art in this one was cleaner than the previous two issues where, I confess, I was having some trouble telling a few of the characters apart. I appreciated getting some reveals here and was excited by the re-emergence of Pearl as a prominent character.
So, I’m definitely going to start picking up American Vampire now.
Great review Josh.
My POTW was Chew #15 though. Yeah it had amazing art and shocking revelations. But you have the mayor of awesome town involved. So we all win there.
Amazing Spider Man #648. But I am getting more & more tempted to try out this book.
Matthew
yeah, i got the first two issues of this arc two weeks ago. i was totally lost. It’s not bad, i was just lost
I guess I’ll pick up the first trade.
@edward seriously? I did the same thing, I kept hearing ifanboy rave about this book so I decided to try it out with this new arc, so far it seems pretty straightforward. Cant say that I love this book as much as the ifanbase so far, but I’ve enjoyed each issue and will continue to read it since it looks like its building to something really cool
When is the first paperback coming out? That hardcover was overpriced (King tax?) so I’m waiting for the trade.
@Nawida Instock trades has the hardcover for 15.49 with 4.00 shipping. Thats a deal you cant beat!!!!!!!
Awesome review !!
Has anyone else notice that some of the covers are different like on mine it has Chief McCogan instead of i think it’s Skinner? So is it just a variant or something? But yeah I’ve been following this series from the begging and its just getting better. Great review Josh.
I was starting to take this book for granted. but the reveal near the end really showed me how good this book is and should be cherished. cant wait for the last chapter!
Great pick. This was a tough week for me. I had about five books – including this one – all in the running for my POTW. Went with Chew 15 on the basis of the awesome cover(s), but it could just as easily have been this. American Vampire IS the cure for vampire fatigue.
Meh. This is a book for people that are too cool for Twilight.
@KickAss So you’re on Team Jacob, then?
But seriously, I wouldn’t have given this a second thought but I think I’ll give the first trade a shot.
Nice surprise for pick. No earth shaking twists, new creators, new status quo, end of an era shenanigans, or any of the other things that sometimes set a book out, just pure quality all the way. Good choice.
I htink Josh puts it best when he says that this world is authentic and is one of the reasons why this book works, because it intwines the real and the supernatural together and in believable ways. its the little things that make this book good. i can honestly say i struggled through the first arc, just because of the split in story, but it almost seems to make the second arc even better because we know so much. This book was close to PoW for me, but I went with THUNDER Agents cause it really surprised me!
Edward used to be a cool name.
No, wait a second. That’s not true, it was never cool.
But, Seriously, the book totally leaves me cold
i can’t be within arms reach of anything that has anything to do with vampires. Even before twilight I abhored them. ASM = my POW.
I picked up the hardcover a few days ago and I was a little disappointed. Certainly this is not a bad comic, on the contrary it’s very interesting; but it doesn’t live up to all the praise that it ‘s been getting. Especially the Steven King story got completely derailed in its last part. I admire King as a writer but by the end of his story the whole thing became an extensive set up for future issues without emotional impact. (Spoilers ahead) The love story between Jim Book and Abi was hastily introduced and their relatioship had no depth. So the hard choices they make at the climax of the story despite being very dramatic, don’t really matter because their relationship is unconvincing.
However I ‘ll pick up the second trade for 3 reasons: 1) Snyder’s story was very interesting, 2) together with King they have created a compelling antihero/ villain at the face of Skinner Sweet and 3)as Josh pointed out the concept of vampires through out american history is just great and full of possibilities.
There’s a fourth reason too… Albuquerque’s work is brilliant!
Ultimate Thor was my pick of the week, but this was my second choice. Everything I read from Vertigo is pretty much awesome these days.
Albuquerque has got it going bossa nova. He’s fucking unreal, I love him. Albuequerque FOREVER!
@NawidA – The price seems steepish until you consider it’s 200 pages – most Marvel hardcovers run around $13-16 bucks and 120-150 pages sooo, it actually seems like a pretty decent deal.
I don’t think you guys mentioned Sweet Tooth in your Vertigo list. I was getting weird looks as I shouted "SWEET TOOTH!" while out walking and listeing to the show.