DC COMICS – @DCComics
[This review was originally published on Patreon.]
STORY: Kyle Higgins; Tim Seeley; Mairghread Scott; Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing; Paul Dini; Mark Russell; Steve Orlando; Alisa Kwitney; Phil Hester; James Robinson
PENCILS: Kelley Jones; Giuseppe Camuncoli; Bryan Hitch; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
INKS: Kelley Jones; Cam Smith; Andrew Currie; Javier Fernandez; Guillem March; Frazer Irving; Nick Klein; Stephanie Hans; Mirko Colak; John McCrea
COLORS: Michelle Madsen; Tomeu Morey; Nathan Fairbairn; Trish Mulvihill; Dave McCaig; Frazer Irving; Nic Klein; Stephanie Hans; Michael Spider; John Kalisz
LETTERS: Rob Leigh; Clayton Cowles; Carlos M. Mangual; Sal Cipriano; Travis Lanham; Tom Napolitano; Dave Sharpe; Clem Robins
COVER: Kelley Jones with Michelle Madsen
80pp, Color, $9.99 U.S. (April 2018)
Rated T+ for “Teen Plus”
Young Monsters in Love in a one-shot, comic book anthology and holiday special from DC Comics. A comic book celebration of Valentine's Day 2018, Young Monsters in Love presents 10 tales of twisted love and strange romance starring some of DC Comics' most most infamous monster and dark fantasy characters (although Swamp Thing, who is one of them, is in a different story).
Young Monsters in Love opens with Dr. Kirk Connors a.k.a. “Man-Bat” trying to find love again, but in the story “Nocturnal Animal,” he will learn that sometimes you have to stopping loving the one who will not stop loving you. Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. proves that Frankenstein has the soul of a poet, but will his “Bride” see that in “Pieces of Me.”
Superman gives a helping hand to Solomon Grundy in “Buried on Sunday,” but Superboy does not feel the love. The Teen Titans' Raven has to take it to the dance floor in “The Dead Can Dance.” Deadman takes a bullied child into his care and helps victim and victimizer in “Be My Valentine.”
Swamp Thing discovers that he can't have anything nice, even love, in “Heart-Shaped Box.” Long-time friends and Doom Patrol haters, Monsieur Mallah & The Brain have to face the truth in “Visibility.” I, Vampire is featured in “The Turning of Deborah Dancer.” The Demon goes to Hell for one more kill in “To Hell and Gone.” Finally, the Creature Commandos get bad news from the home front in “Dear Velcoro.”
In a recent article for The Washington Post, the author (Geraldine DeRuiter of everywhereist.com) offers a heart-breaking story, entitled “I thought my bully deserved an awful life. But then he had one.” that is also a great read. She discovered that the boy who bullied her in school, a boy she always wished bad for, was actually murdered when he was 25-years-old. She wondered, in this time when the culture has the long knives out for bullies, if we forget that bullies may need help as much, if not more, than their victims.
Without spoiling it, this is more or less the theme of writer Paul Dini and artist Guillem March's Deadman story, “Be My Valentine.” First, to my imagination, it feels like a classic Deadman story from the 1960s, written by either Arnold Drake (Deadman's creator) or Jack Miller and drawn by either Carmine Infantino or Neal Adams. Secondly, Dini and March's story is one of the best comic book stories about bullying that I have ever read. It alone is worth Young Monsters in Love's cover price of $9.99. Colorist Dave McCaig and letterer Sal Cipriano also do some of their best work in creating a graphical package that is classic cool.
Young Monsters in Love is full of wonderful stories besides “Be My Valentine.” Five of them are truly greats comic book short stories, including the powerful “Heart-Shaped Box” and “Visibility.” Two are quite good, including the Creature Commandos story, which is my first reading experience of these characters. Three of these stories are not as well executed as they could have been, including the opening Man-Bat story.
I usually ignore DC Comics' holiday specials, but Young Monsters in Love makes me think that I should not be so quick to dismiss them. So if you missed it, dear readers, run back to your local comic book shop and find Young Monsters in Love.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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