Showing posts with label vampires. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vampires. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB II #3

NIGHT CLUB II #3 (OF 6)
DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITOR: Daniel Chabon
COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramirez
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (October 2024)

Rating: 18+

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club.  Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia.  After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Now, they're the superheroes:  Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy).  But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio...

Night Club II #3 opens as Sam begins to realize that he has made a mistake.  However, he is NOT ready to realize how big a mistake it is.  Once upon a time, three nerdy friends became the first vampire-superheroes and also the coolest superheroes around.  Now, their high school's worst bullies are a new gang of vampires.  Will this be a case of out with the old (The Night Club) and in the with the new (the assholes)?

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Night Club II #3.

Writer Mark Millar used the first issue of Night Club II to bring us to the current state of affairs.  With the second issue, Millar quickly moved things forward, and shit got real deep, real quick.  The result is that issue #3 is the best and most consequential of this series... so far.  Millar has mastered upping the ante, so he is relishing slowly tearing down everything we thought we knew about The Night Club.

Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil.  Now, Ramirez wants to rub the consequences in our faces with his quicksilver storytelling.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk to Ramirez widescreen antics in a way that makes this story pop off the page.  Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.

Yeah, shit 'bout to get even deeper.

Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers.  It's taking us where we never expected to go in vampire comic books.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The NIGHT CLUB VOLUME 2 trade paperback is available at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/
https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Tuesday, October 21, 2025

#IReadsYou Review: VATICAN CITY #1

VATICAN CITY #1 (OF 3)
DARK HORSE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Per Berg
COLORS: Per Berg
LETTERS: Per Berg
EDITOR: Daniel Chabon
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Per Berg
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Per Berg; John McCrea
40pp, Color, $5.99 U.S. (April 2025)

Rating: 18+

Vatican City created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Vatican City is a new Millarworld miniseries from Dark Horse Comics.  It is created and written by Mark Millar and drawn, colored, and lettered by Per Berg.  Vatican City is set in a world overrun by vampires, except for Vatican City, which is the main target of the vampires.

Vatican City #1 opens in Princeton, New Jersey.  There, Professor Derrida is about to discover that he is to play a key role in a vampire plot that is steadily taking over the world.

A few hours later, Guido Cavelti, recently of the Swiss Air Force, is in Vatican City, the independent city-state within Rome, Italy that is the government of the “Holy See” (the Pope and the Papacy).  Cavelti is there to be interviewed about a position with the Swiss Guard, the security that protects the Pope and the Apostolic Palace.

Before he knows it, however, Cavelti is in the middle of a rescue operation, trying to save everyone inside Vatican City.  There is an invasion of monsters just outside its borders.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Vatican City #1.

While reading this, I thought of a few apocalyptic and vampire films to which Vatican City #1 has at least a passing resemblance – in one way or another.  That includes 28 Days Later (2002), I Am Legend (2007), Daybreakers (2009), to name a few.  Of course, Vatican City's writer, Mark Millar, has dealt with vampires before, as he has did when he launched his wonderful vampire-as-superheroes franchise with Night Club #1.

Millar throws the readers right into the action, and as always, Millar action is bracing action – filled with equal parts thrills and chills.  I don't want to spoil anything, but, of course, there is a shocking surprise to close out this first issue.

The art, colors, and letters by Per Berg (also known as Per Darwin Berg or by the pen name, “Narwhal”) are both representational and impressionistic, possibly because Berg is depicting a world that is rapidly shifting from the natural to the supernatural.  One thing that Berg's storytelling certainly does is create the sense of rapid breakdown and hopelessness, which are perfect modes for apocalyptic fiction.  Berg wants the reader to guess at what is happening more than know what is happening.

Well, Millar and Berg have certainly given readers a reason to come back for the second issue.  I suggest that you do so, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar, of vampire comic books, and of horror apocalypse will want to read Vatican City.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The VATICAN CITY trade paperback edition is available at Amazon.

https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
https://x.com/mrmarkmillar
https://x.com/netflix
http://www.millarworld.tv/
https://www.darkhorse.com/


The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Thursday, August 7, 2025

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB II #2

NIGHT CLUB II #2 (OF 6)
DARK HORSE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramirez
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (September 2024)

Rating: 18+

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a new six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club.  Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club II focuses on 17-year-old Danny Garcia.  After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Now, they're the superheroes:  Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy).  But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio...

Night Club II #2 opens as Sam turns down an offer for new employment.  Now, he is burying his bitterness about the relationship between Danny and Amy between the legs of his new “girlfriend,” Kendra McQuade.

Not long ago, Sam was the sweet, chubby best friend at school.  Then, he became a vampire- powered jock who hammered win after win on the basketball court.  The girls love him, but has all that crazy stupid love simply made Sam stupid enough to create trouble for himself?

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Night Club II #2.

After reading the first issue of Night Club II, I suddenly remembered how much I really liked the first series and how much I really missed it.  However, the first issue of the second series was just a reminder of of the first series' craziness and warm-up for the new craziness that writer Mark Millar would bring to Night Club II #2.  I still say that this franchise is a vampire-superhero hybrid that takes DC Comics' Teen Titans and gives them a supernatural teen dysfunction makeover.

Artist Juanan Ramírez has built this narrative on capturing the reckless nature of young people with too much power, regardless of whether this power is natural or supernatural and criminal or evil.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo brings the funk to Ramirez widescreen antics in a way that makes this story pop on the page.  Clem Robins' lettering, as always, is a perfect accompaniment.

Night Club II does not disappoint, dear readers.  It's taking us where we never expected to go.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The NIGHT CLUB VOLUME 2 trade paperback is available at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/
https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Thursday, July 24, 2025

#IReadsYou Review: OUTSIDERS VOLUME 1

OUTSIDERS VOL. 1
TITAN COMICS/Titan Manga

WRITER-ARTIST: Akira Kanou
TRANSLATION: Molly Rabbit
LETTERS: Bendidi Ayoub
DESIGN: Matt Bookman
EDITOR: Louis Yamani
ISBN: 978-1787745711; paperback (June 17, 2025)
176pp, B&W, $12.99 U.S., $16.99 CAN, £9.99 UK

Age: 12+

Outsiders is a manga created by writer-artist Akira Kanou.  It was originally published in France by French manga publisher, Ki-oon, in 2021.  Titan Manga, the British manga imprint of Titan Publishing, is publishing an English-language edition under the series title, Outsiders, beginning June 2025.

Outsiders, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4, plus a “Prologue”) opens nearly two decades ago in West Germany near the French border where an important battle between “demihumans” comes to a close.  The threads of that incident carry over to present day Tokyo, Japan.

Meet 16-year-old Ema Asano, a high school student who is about to discover that her older sister, Yuko, is involved in something both dangerous and fantastic.  She discovers that her sister's boss, Tamaki Utsunomiya, CEO and chief designer of the interior design firm, Topos, is a 300-year-old vampire or “Aeternitas,” as they prefer to be called.  One of his employees, 33-year-old Taiga Wakaki, is a craftsman for Topos... and also a werewolf.

Now, Ema, who is a curious and brave girl, has found herself in a side of Tokyo that she did not know existed.  She has stepped into the city's shadows where she has started to uncover the secrets behind the ancient feud between Aeternitas and werewolf.  Full of energy and determination, Ema will navigate this dark fantasy world, a perilous path that will challenge her beliefs and reshape her destiny.  In the meantime, Ema has informed Tamaki and Taiga that she will keep them from killing each other, even if it might lead to her demise...

THE LOWDOWN:  Since October 2023, Titan Manga started providing me with print and PDF copies of their manga publications for review.  One of the latest is Outsiders Volume 1.

Outsiders Graphic Novel Volume 1 is deep inside my wheelhouse.  I am a huge fan the 2003 vampire vs. werewolf film, Underworld, and its sequels (although most of the sequels are inferior to the original film).  Whereas Underworld features a gun-wielding assassin, Outsiders' female protagonist, Ema Asano, is a plucky, determined girl right out of shojo manga.  So, Outsiders is probably closer to the much more popular vampire-werewolf film coupling that began with 2008's surprise hit film, Twilight, and that was adapted from Twilight, the 2005 novel that was the first of Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster series of novels.

As for Outsiders, readers can pour themselves into Ema and follow her into the world of the supernatural.  Like her, the readers will find themselves caught between the arrogant Tamaki and the sullen Taiga, whom I believe is the one of the two males leads to whom Ema is most attracted.  I find myself drawn to this dynamic, a kind of awkward love triangle that will both take us into a world that I love – the world of vampires and werewolves – and into the realm of young romance.

Akira Kanou's art is slightly more impressionistic than it is representational, but it is pitch perfect for depicting the world he is creating – a world beyond the natural where conflict and chaos reign in the shadows of Tokyo.  Kanou's storytelling moves along quickly, with flourishes of comedy and violence, centered around a heroine ready to do battle, to save lives, and to do right by everyone.  This first taste of Outsiders has me wanting to be on the inside of this dark fantasy manga.  After all, I believe that many readers will want to experience this eclectic take on the creatures of the night.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comics and of shojo manga will want to try Outsiders.

A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

OUTSIDERS VOLUME 1 is available at Amazon.


SAMPLE PAGES FROM OUTSIDERS VOL. 1:



-------------------------------

https://titan-comics.com/
https://x.com/ComicsTitan
https://www.instagram.com/titancomics/
https://www.facebook.com/ComicsTitan


The text is copyright © 2025 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).



Tuesday, June 24, 2025

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB II #1

NIGHT CLUB II #1 (OF 6)

LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Jae Lee with June Chung
32pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (August 2024)

Rated M / Mature

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club II is a new six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  A Dark Horse Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club II is a sequel to the 2023 miniseries, Night Club.  Both series focus on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club II's creative team.

Night Club introduces 17-year-old Danny Garcia, who had ambitions to gain fame and fortune as a YouTube star.  After being turned into a vampire, he passed his new found powers unto his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Now, they're the superheroes:  Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), Yellowbird (Amy).  But jealousy has broken up this vampire-superhero trio...

Night Club II #1 opens with Danny and Amy, now a couple, still playing superheroes and filming it for their lucrative YouTube page.  They are actively attacking the drug empire of Rufus Tee, much to the chagrin of the police.  Meanwhile, former “band mate,” Sam is using his vampire powers to ball hard, and now, he's gotten an attractive offer from a man who should be his enemy.

THE LOWDOWN:  This is the second time that I have been on any kind of list that provides PDF copies of titles published by Dark Horse Comics.  The latest received is Night Club II #1.

Reading this first issue of Night Club II, I suddenly remembered how much I really liked the first series and how much I really missed it.  I'd love for Night Club to be an ongoing series, but I know that Millarworld doesn't really work that way.  Night Club will have a beginning, middle, and end, but I feel like, as far as a vampire-superhero hybrid goes, it could be like DC Comics' Teen Titans.

Instead of offering big surprises in this return, writer Mark Millar and artist Juanan Ramírez build on the narrative that began in Night Club #1 and came to a head in Night Club #6.  Millar provides the character drama, and Ramirez spreads it out in big panels and in widescreen storytelling.  I think this means that there will be a lot of force applied by various interested parties to other interested parties in this second installment, and I think we'll like it, dear readers.

If you have ever seen the 1987 vampire film, The Lost Boys, you might have wondered what it would be like if the vampire boys got to play to their own interests.  Maybe, Night Club II is that story.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club II.

A
★★★★ out of 4 stars

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/

https://www.darkhorse.com/
https://x.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/darkhorsecomics/
https://www.instagram.com/DarkHorseComics/


The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

This series is collected in the trade paperback, NIGHT CLUB VOLUME 2, which is available at Amazon.

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Tuesday, August 13, 2024

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #30

KILLADELPHIA #30
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: J.A.W. Cooper
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (April 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part VI: “This One's for Ray”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., a ragtag team of fighters, and a menagerie of gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia.  Of note are a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), Anansi the Spider-God, and the infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter, Toussaint Louverture, and his army of killers.

Killadelphia #30 (“This One's for Ray”) opens with the story of Raynard, a friend of our vampire prodigy, See Saw.  In the story of Raynard, we see the origins of See Saw's curiosity and of how he views the world.  It all leads to his terrible and transformational decision, one that will spawn great consequences.

Meanwhile, holed up in their apartment are Jim, Jr. and a pregnant Jose.  They're about to receive a visitor, and it isn't one they expect.  But it is one that had to happen, considering what Jim left behind in Baltimore, Maryland.

THE LOWDOWN:  We have reached the final chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true – even truer than true.

In many of my previous reviews of Killadelphia, I have talked about how Barnes and artist Alexander have embraced change.  The surprises and shockers aren't just story arc to story arc or even just issue to issue.  Change and transformation are the foundation of the rhythms of this narrative.

Barnes has taken history, mythology, myth, and lore and used the connections that bind them to weave a complicated dark fantasy that is as much supernatural realism as it is vampire comic book.  And it is a very good vampire comic book.  Killadelphia is simply world-building that excepts change and chaos more than it deals with order and canonical trappings and other tropes of fictional universes.

The art team for Killadelphia #30, Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe, offer a poignant closer that explodes in preparation for what comes next.  Yes, we didn't know what was coming in Killadelphia #30, but we did know that the unexpected was coming.  That much is always assured.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

NOTES:

 - Killadelphia #30 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

 - This issue includes an “Afterword” by Rodney Barnes


Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259
https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Wednesday, July 31, 2024

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB #6

NIGHT CLUB #6 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Scalera with Giovanna Niro
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Matteo Scalera
36pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  An Image Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club focuses on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club's creative team.

Night Club introduces 17-year-old Danny Garcia, who had ambitions to gain fame and fortune as a YouTube star with his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Then, after a terrible accident, a vampire bites him, and his life goes awry.  Instead of living like a stereotypical vampire, Danny decides to live “la vida loca” of a superhero.

Night Club #6 opens with Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), and Yellowbird (Amy) prepare to get the vampire gang overlord, Gunner Joe, and crew his crew before they get them.  The best laid schemes o' mice an' men an' teen vampires, however, is a way of saying that things will not go according to plan.  In the final showdown, it is clear that one side will have to annihilate the other.  So what happens after that?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sends me PDF review copies of their comic books.  Thus, I have been lucky enough to get review copies of all six issues of Night Club.

Writer Mark Millar and artist Juanan Ramírez offered big surprises in Night Club #5.  There was an intriguing origin story and the depiction of the strife between the (apparently) small number of vampires that currently exist.  In this finale, Millar sets the groundwork for more rivalries and offers a revelation that it is not so much that power corrupts, but that it inflates the ego.

Ramirez attacks the action in this final issue with gusto.  It is somewhere between supernatural violence and rural crime thriller.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo captures the subtly moments and the violence with equal aplomb.  Letterer Clem Robins also captures the shifts and tones in mood that lay the groundwork for what is to come in future Night Club series.

Night Club is a truly unique spin on vampire comic books the way the 1997 film, Near Dark is certainly a unique  take on the vampire movie.  Night Club #6 is quite a nice end of the beginning, and it will probably seem even better in trade paperback form

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The trade collection of this series, Night Club Volume 1, is available for sale at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Tuesday, April 30, 2024

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #29

KILLADELPHIA #29
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Christopher Shy
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (March 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part V: “My Country, 'Tis of Thee”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., a ragtag team of fighters, and a menagerie of gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia.  Of note are a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), Anansi the Spider-God, and the infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter, Toussaint Louverture, and his army of killers.

As Killadelphia #29 (“My Country, 'Tis of Thee”) opens, it is the sunset of former President John Adams, slave owner turned vampire.  The smoldering skeletal remains of the detective, James Sangster, Sr.; former Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson; Adams' wife Abigail; and two loyal slaves, are his to ponder.

Now, Adams must finally, truly contemplate what he and the “Founding Fathers” wrought?  Was it really meant to be perfect, especially if it were created by the imperfect?  And what is freedom, really?  And time is short for the answering.

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the penultimate chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

I am at a loss for words again.  So, I'll take the easy way out.  Rodney Barnes script is great.  Jason Shawn Alexander and Germán Erramouspe are a great art team.  Lee Loughridge is always a good colorist.  And Killadelphia could not be great without a great letterer – Marshall Dillon.

If The 1619 Project offends you, then, dear readers, your ass is really going to be chapped by Killadelphia.  I can't imagine that public libraries and public and private school libraries in the states of the old Confederacy will allow any copies of Killadelphia trade and hardback collections on their shelves once they discover what it is.  Killadelphia, however, so bold, that it'll get on those shelves anyway.

I love reading Killadelphia so much.  Guys, I'm on my knees, too, but in a slightly more dignified manner.

NOTE: Killadelphia #29 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259
https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Thursday, April 25, 2024

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB #5

NIGHT CLUB #5 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Ben Templesmith
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Ben Templesmith
28pp, Color, $1.99 U.S. (April 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  An Image Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club focuses on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club's creative team.

Night Club introduces 17-year-old Danny Garcia, who had ambitions to gain fame and fortune as a YouTube star with his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Then, after a terrible accident, a vampire bites him, and his life goes awry.  Instead of living like a stereotypical vampire, Danny decides to live “la vida loca” of a superhero.

Night Club #5 opens with Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), and Yellowbird (Amy) in a tight spot.  The man who rescued them, the former police Detective Nick Laskaras, is simply Laskaras, and he is holding them as his prisoners.  He is creating an army, and he wants to be their leader – if they join him.  Not that they have much choice, and they must listen to his origin story.

Danny and friends must realize that their superhero days are over.  They must become bloodthirsty murderers, but for whom?  Will it be Laskaras or vampire gang chieftain, Gunner Joe?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sends me PDF review copies of their comic books.  Thus, I have been lucky enough to get review copies of the first five issues of Night Club.

Writer Mark Millar and artist Juanan Ramírez are offering big surprises with Night Club #5.  Sure, there is an intriguing origin story, but this series is more than just about biting necks.  Now, we're seeing strife between the (apparently) small number of vampires that currently exist.  So with colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins, Millar and Ramírez flip the script for a really excellent read in this penultimate issue.

Night Club is infectious and addictive, a vampire comic book determined to be a new kind of batty.  I am recommending Night Club #5 as I did the previous four issues.  Drink deeply of its fun; this comic book has flavors in layers and waves.  And it only costs a $1.99.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).


Thursday, February 15, 2024

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #28

KILLADELPHIA #28
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander with Robert Melendrez
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Chris Anthony
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part IV: “Death of the Dream”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr., a ragtag team of fighters, and a menagerie of gods and monsters on one side or the other or both in the vampire invasion of Philadelphia.  Of note are a special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”), Anansi the Spider-God, and the infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter, Toussaint Louverture, and his army of killers.

As Killadelphia #28 (“Death of the Dream”) opens, immortal (vampire) Thomas Jefferson mourns the destruction of his compatriot-turned-immortal, George Washington.  But why can't eternally young old Tom Jefferson show real love to the man who has loved him like he was blood, his slave turned vampire, Jupiter?

Plus, See Saw suffers an existential crisis.  What has really changed in Philly since the vampire infestation, he wonders?  Is shit the same in Killadelphia?  Meanwhile, Anansi, a trickster god, tries to trick the great deceiver himself.

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the middle point of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

I'm not sure what to say about Killadelphia #28, although I can say that love it … to death.  Some of it reads like an enthralling, fiery Black Panther Party tract that throws jet fuel on a gasoline fire.  Other parts read like a hypnotic revenge fantasy inspired by “The 1619 Project.”

In my recent reviews of comic books written by Mark Millar (such as Nemesis Reloaded), I talked about how they recall the craziness and rebellion of 1980s comic books.  Killadelphia is beautifully crazy.  If Fox News and other conservative, right wing, reactionary, KKK media organizations knew about Killadelphia, they would dog Rodney Barnes' name they do Nikole Hannah-Jones.

If such criticism and negativity were to become a reality, however, they would ask you a simple question, dear readers.  If you aren't reading Killadelphia, then, why isn't your dumb ass reading Killadelphia?

NOTE: Killadelphia #28 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can buy KILLADELPHIA VOL. 5 at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
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https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
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https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------

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Thursday, December 21, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #27

KILLADELPHIA #27
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Ben Templesmith
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (January 2023)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part III: “When God Turns Away”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and a ragtag team fighting the vampire invasion of Philadelphia.  Among them are a medical examiner (Jose Padilla), werewolves, a witch, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”).  But their current adversary is an infamous rebel leader turned monster hunter and his army of killers.

As Killadelphia #27 (“When God Turns Away”) opens, Anasi the Spider-God is contemplating his place and the place of humans in all things reality.  War and death and gods occupy his mind, and now, he must return to the streets of Hell for a meeting with an entity that does not seem bothered by deep thoughts.

Meanwhile, former President George Washington – the undead, vampire version of him – and his vampire army are put on the defensive as they fight for survival against Toussaint Louverture and his Haitian guardians.  Will the Founding Father and his boys be able to turn the tide, or will heavy losses and insurmountable odds seal their fate as another American myth bites the dust.

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the middle point of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc – which has proven to be true, very true.

The first two issues of this arc caused me sadness with their shocking endings.  This time, however, writer Rodney Barnes made me happy.  His glorious scripts are in tune with the current state of the good ol' U.S. of A.  This nation must reckon with its racist and genocidal past, and it is too late for that racial reckoning to go down gently.  At times, metaphorical and allegorical, Killadelphia is perhaps a modern Book of Revelation – with some cool vampire action driving the revelation.

New pencil artist Germán Erramouspe and colorist Lee Loughridge have joined artist Jason Shawn Alexander for this arc.  The result is a fiery cataclysm of comic book storytelling that is seemingly not sparing sacred cows.  Holding this comic book might cause our hands and forearms to catch fire before it is finished, dear readers.

Sometimes, it is okay not to be prepared for the shocks that a creative team is delivering.  Issue #27 has left me pleased.  Come share this pleasure with me.

NOTE: Killadelphia #27 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259
https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

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Tuesday, December 5, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB #3

NIGHT CLUB #3 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramírez
28pp, Color, $1.99 U.S. (February 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club is a six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  An Image Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club focuses on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club's creative team.

Night Club introduces 17-year-old Danny Garcia, who had ambitions to gain fame and fortune as a YouTube star with his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Then, after a terrible accident, a vampire bites him, and his life goes awry.  Instead of living like a stereotypical vampire, Danny decides to live “la vida loca” of a superhero.

Night Club #3 opens with an introduction.  Meet Starguard (Danny), Thundercloud (Sam), and Yellowbird (Amy).  They are Night Club, Philadelphia's first and only superhero team.  But playing superhero isn't as easy as comic books make it seem.  Some bad guys will put up a terrific fight, and some vampires don't want the publicity...

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sends me PDF review copies of their comic books.  Thus, I was lucky enough to get a review copy of the first three issues of Night Club.

Writer Mark Millar reveals in Night Club #3 that with great power must come great realization.  It was never going to be so simple that Danny and friends could use their vampire powers to become superheroes.  In a sense, they don't know what they don't know.

Millar builds tension, now and going forward, by revealing that Danny and his friends are vulnerable, even to the chance and happenstance of humanity.  Millar, who is exceptionally adept at shocking his readers, now makes it clear to them.  Danny being bitten by a vampire isn't the big surprise; it is merely the first of many surprises, and it may be the most mundane of them.

Artist Juanan Ramírez continues to bring Millar's story to life in a graphical storytelling that has enough energy to light up every corner of this narrative.  Ramirez's art is both stylish and gritty and simultaneously representational and abstract.  Fabiana Mascolo's colors make the story look as if it came out of an old-fashioned four-color comic book, while also looking like what it is at times – bloody vampire horror.

Night Club is infectious and addictive.  I am recommending Night Club #3 as I did the first two issues.  Drink deeply of its fun; this comic book has flavors in layers and waves.  And it only costs a $1.99.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

---------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).


Wednesday, November 8, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #26

KILLADELPHIA #26
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Jason Shawn Alexander (Spawn variant); Chris Visions
32pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (December 2022)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part II: “No Woman, No Cry”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  The series is currently written by Barnes and drawn by Alexander and Germán Erramouspe.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., a vampire!  Father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner (Jose Padilla), werewolves, a witch, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly.  Their adversary is a former First Lady, the vampire Abigail Adams.

As Killadelphia #26 (“No Woman, No Cry”) opens, Anasi the Spider-God parlays with gods from many pantheons.  How many can he convince that one of the four great demon lords, Corson, is preparing to conquer all the realms?  Can he convince them of Corson's plot?  Will they even give a f**k?

At the same time, Abigail Adams, who started the vampire fire, remembers her past:  her childhood, how she meet John Adams, and how they became vampires.  Meanwhile, after having killed a Sangster, General Toussaint Louverture and his Haitian army of monsters continue to slay vampires.  And the General has his sights on another big prize … in the name of God, of course.

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the second chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  Before this arc debuted, creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander warned readers that they were not prepared for what was coming in the arc.

I doubted.  I mean I didn't doubt as hard as the Apostle Thomas.  However, I believed that because I had been reading Killadelphia from the beginning, I had seen so much...  So what could they possibly do that I would not expect?  What could I see?

New pencil artist Germán Erramouspe and colorist Lee Loughridge have joined a creative team that continues to produces the “world's greatest vampire comics magazine.”  Long time readers are being rewarded for sticking around, but I can say that those who have not yet joined should get started now so that they can eventually get current.  Killadelphia just slays me.

So, yes, I have seen the previously unseen.  I am seeing things … for which I was not prepared, as I was warned.  I believe, and I am still not prepared for what is to come.

NOTE: Killadelphia #26 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

A+
10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Comics-Inc/178643148813259
https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

--------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).


Wednesday, October 11, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: NIGHT CLUB #2

NIGHT CLUB #2 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Juanan Ramírez
COLORS: Fabiana Mascolo
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Juanan Ramírez with Fabiana Mascolo
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Juanan Ramírez
28pp, Color, $1.99 U.S. (January 2023)

Rated M / Mature

Night Club created by Mark Millar at Netflix

Night Club is a new six-issue miniseries written and created by Mark Millar and drawn by Juanan Ramírez.  An Image Comics publication and a Netflix production, Night Club focuses on a teen boy who is bitten by a vampire and decides to make the best of his new condition.  Colorist Fabiana Mascolo and letterer Clem Robins complete Night Club's creative team.

Night Club introduces 17-year-old Danny Garcia, who had ambitions to gain fame and fortune as a YouTube star with his friends, DJ Sam Huxley and Amy Chen.  Then, after a terrible accident, a vampire bites him, and his life goes awry.  Instead of living like a stereotypical vampire, Danny decides to live “la vida loca” of a superhero.

As Night Club #2 opens, Danny has just revealed to Sam and Amy that he is a vampire and a vampire who wants to be a superhero.  Plus, he wants them to be a part of his new life!  If they let Danny bite them, they can join him in the superhero team he is forming.  There are wrestling masks to buy and scores to settle, but do Danny and his new jack superheroes really understand what they are and what new limitations they have?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sends me PDF review copies of the their comic books.  Thus, I was lucky enough to get a review copy of the first two issues of Night Club.

In Night Club, writer Mark Millar has created a modern and edgier teen superhero comic book in the spirit of the original Teen Titans of writer Bob Haney and artists Bruno Premiani and Nick Cardy.  Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, and then, Wonder Girl were always having such delightful adventures saving the day from bad guys and solving mysteries that involved unusual settings and strange people and beings.

In Night Club, the heroes are the strange and unusual beings, but they are still having fun.  And this fun is infections.  Millar has the uncanny touch of making me feel like I want to join Danny and friends.  Even if you are not inclined to be a vampire, dear readers, Millar makes you want to see his young character be bad – really bad – the kind of bad that is just so fun to watch.

Artist Juanan Ramírez continues to bring Millar's story to life in a graphical storytelling that has enough energy to light up a city.  Ramirez's art is both stylish and gritty and both explosive and smooth.  Fabiana Mascolo's colors make the story pop off the page.  It is as if the story is always throwing confetti in my face.  Even Clem Robins' lettering jumps like a musical score.

Night Club feels infectious and addictive, and the last page of each first two issues makes me jittery because I feel as if the publisher is cutting off the drug that causes my vampire superhero high.  I am recommending Night Club #2 as I did with the first issue.  Drink deeply of its fun.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of vampire comic books will want to be bitten by Night Club.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).


Thursday, September 21, 2023

#IReadsYou Review: KILLADELPHIA #25

KILLADELPHIA #25
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Rodney Barnes
LAYOUTS: Jason Shawn Alexander
PENCILS: Germán Erramouspe
INKS: Jason Shawn Alexander
COLORS: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Marshall Dillon
EDITOR: Greg Tumbarello
COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: HC Anderson
28pp, Colors, 3.99 U.S. (November 2022)

Rated “M/ Mature”

Killadelphia created by Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander

“There's No Place Like Home” Part I: “A Cold Place in Hell”

Killadelphia is an apocalyptic vampire and dark fantasy comic book series from writer Rodney Barnes and artist Jason Shawn Alexander.  Published by Image Comics, it centers on a conspiracy in which vampires attempt to rule Philadelphia.  Colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Marshall Dillon complete Killadelphia's creative team.

Killadelphia focuses on James “Jim” Sangster, Jr. and his father, revered Philadelphia homicide detective, James Sangster, Sr., a vampire!  Father and son lead a ragtag team comprised of a medical examiner (Jose Padilla), werewolves, a witch, and a rebellious, but special young vampire (Tevin Thompkins a.k.a. “See Saw”) in a bid to save Philly.  Their adversary is a former First Lady, the vampire Abigail Adams.

As Killadelphia #25 (“A Cold Place in Hell”) opens, Anasi the Spider-God parlays with Corson (the demon lord who raised some … Hell in Baltimore, Maryland in Nita Hawes' Nightmare Blog).  Can Anasi save the world and therefore humanity, whose worship sustains many supernatural beings?  Does Corson give a damn?

Meanwhile,  General Toussaint Louverture and his Haitian army have been resurrected by the side of the light for one thing and one thing only: exterminate all vampires.  So what happens when one of our favorite vampires has a confrontation with him?

THE LOWDOWN:  We are at the first chapter of Killadelphia's fifth story arc, “There's No Place Like Home.”  According to the musings of creators Rodney Barnes and Jason Shawn Alexander, we, the readers, are not prepared for what was coming.

Killadelphia #25 affirms that.  I can say of Barnes and Alexander what I say about Mark Millar and his collaborators:  they not only deliver superb comic books, but they also deliver twists and turns to challenge their readers' imaginations.  One can be cynical, or one can chose to believe that they love their readers.

New pencil artist Germán Erramouspe and colorist Lee Loughridge deliver a burning spectacle of  confrontations and rumination.  I am enjoying their new contributions, but I'm still in a daze because of this issue's sudden turn of events.  And, dear readers, this first chapter is a jumping-on point, so...

NOTE: Killadelphia #25 is also available in a “Noir Edition,” featuring black-and-white line art interiors.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of vampire comic books and of exceptional dark fantasy will want Killadelphia.

[This issue contains an afterword by Jason Shawn Alexander.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/TheRodneyBarnes
https://twitter.com/jasonshawnalex
https://twitter.com/luisnct
https://twitter.com/MarshallDillon
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://imagecomics.com/
http://rodneybarnes.com/
https://www.instagram.com/imagecomics/
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https://www.twitch.tv/imagecomics
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmaKLo0FXWIPx-3n6qs3vQ
https://www.linkedin.com/company/image-comics/


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).