American Vampire, Volume One

American Vampire Vol. 1
Scott Snyder and Stephen King, authors
Rafael Albuquereque, illustrator
Hardcover: 200 pages
Publisher: Vertigo (October 5, 2010)
Mature Audience
5/5 stars

I wish there was some way to convince those who raise their eyebrows and wrinkle their nose in distaste over graphic novels to just give them a try. I was one of those, and am so thankful I was a big enough fan of Neil Gaiman's novels to give his Sandman series a try. I've read some really good ones--few, if any, better than Britten and Brülightly--and some pretty poor quality ones as well.  I'm happy to say that American Vampire is creme de la graphic novel creme.

(speech bubble text removed)

There are two stories, told simultaneously in American Vampire.  The first, Snyder's part of the novel, is the story of Pearl trying to make her way in Hollywood during the 1920's.  Pearl falls victim to a vampire attack and a strange man vampire, Skinner Sweet, helps her out.  Sort of.  Pearl seeks revenge, thanks to Sweet's gift, and the reader watches her go from lovely, gentle flapper one moment to disgustingly grotesque and violent the next--and cheers for her the whole way. 

The story that begins with the second chapter is written by Stephen King, and is Skinner Sweet's back story, taking place some forty years early in the Wild West.  Through it, the reader finds out how and why Sweet became a vampire, and what is motivating him--and what makes an American Vampire different from the European vampires. As is to be expected, a hard new country like the United States creates a hard new kind of vampire.  In addition, he writes an excellent introduction, validating the graphic novel as a medium.  A very good read for those not convinced that it is a legitimate literary medium.

The stories are told alternating, first a chapter about Pearl, then a chapter about Sweet, so that they finish up together in the last two chapters.  It may sound awkward, but the back-and-forth flow was actually excellent, with a certain amount of parallels between the two stories.  Both Snyder and King write a good story, with solid characters, riveting plot lines and some terrifying instances.

Albuquereque brings it all to life with his drawings, full of bold lines and brilliant colors and lots of scary bits and gore.  His vampires are frightening and horrible and they do unspeakable (but not undrawable) things to their victims.  As the reader takes in the background, and sees the horror of the scenes, at times it's enough to turn the stomach.  On the other hand, his ladies are very lovely, he drew some strong heroes and used some very effective, unusual angles and compositions.  As for Skinner Sweet. . . well, darn it, despite King's introduction all about how American Vampire reclaims the evil vampire from the sexy mold it's been placed in of late, Albuquereque draws Sweet as rather desirable. Even seeing Sweet at his worst, I could turn the page and see him turn on the charm and forget just how evil he really was--and then be whammed again by his horrible actions.  I think that was the artist's intent: another way to show just how dangerous these American vampires are.

The collaboration between these three was wonderful and produced a story both haunting and satisfying.  American Vampire does reclaim the vampire from it's present fictional state, and successfully gives it new blood with this new American breed. I look forward to following Sweet's further adventures in American history, with pleasant trepidation because I expect the story will be creepy and icky but sensational, just like this volume.  (I already have Volume Two on pre-order!)

~~Read for the Graphics Novel Challenge.~~

Brains: A Zombie Memoir

Brains: A Zombie Memoir by Robin Becker

Since I first saw the original Night of the Living Dead at a drive-in back in the Seventies, I've been fascinated with zombies. I was preparing for The Zombpocalypse when most survivalists were waiting for the Soviets to invade. I have taken in every scrap of shuffler lore that time and finances would permit, and can say with all modesty that I am one of the South's leading experts on dealing with the undead menace.

But even a serious, life-and-death issue can have light moments, and Robin Becker gives us a break with Brains: a Zombie Memoir.

When Professor Jack Barnes is bitten and turned, he is surprised to discover he can still think. His body is rotting to pieces, but the mind continues to tick. In a mirror image of living survivors, he gathers a few other cognitive zeds and sets off to find safety.

Brains isn't particularly funny, but it's fun - fun to see things from the other end of the shotgun. Ms Becker certainly knows Zombies, and most every cliche is dusted off to make a twisted but welcome appearance. This is the kind of novelty that can only be done once, and lightly - Becker resists the obvious temptation to make a lengthy, serious statement-about-something-or-other. She treats her subject with all the respect it deserves.

Get it. Read it. Enjoy it... but don't let the fear that there might be something thinking in there let you hesitate when it's time to whack a zed. The only good zombie is a dead zombie!

Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft

Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft 
Joe Hill, author
Gabriel Rodriguez, artist
Hardcover: 152 pages
Publisher: IDW Publishing (October 7, 2008)
5/5 stars

Locke & Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft is a stunning graphic novel. It follows the children of the Locke family, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode, after a summer tragedy causes them to move to the family home Keyhouse in Lovecraft, MA with their uncle.

Each issue (chapter) focuses on one sibling, taking up the story from his or her perspective, as the children (and the reader) must come to terms with an unhinged killer, a malignant spirit and a house full of keys, doors and mysteries. The story builds to a crescendo and the tension is nearly tangible. As the final chapter ends, it is not with the relief of a crisis averted, however, as the reader and the youngest Locke (Bode) realize that there is more to come.

Hill's storytelling is fantastic. He weaves his tale seamlessly in both the past and present. The plot is fluid and, though fantasy, engrossing and believable.   The narrative style of this particular story is well suited to the graphic novel medium, and Hill uses it to his advantage.  It is violent and frightening, but most of all it is solidly well written and so exciting, it is impossible to put down once begun.

Hill's writing ability is not limited only to plot.  He does a fine job of creating his characters, in particular the Locke children. The emotions of these children are true to life, as are the very different ways they deal with their tragedy. Hill has fleshed out three very real characters that a reader can connect with quickly and firmly.

Rodriquez's art is flawless, facial expressions and body movements readable and accurate. His art not only brings the story to life, it adds to the story, helps tell it without words. Rodriguez draws the eye of the reader to cruical parts, sometimes subtly, other times with a violence befitting the subject. There is blood and gore and sometimes frightening images depicted, as the tale is a horror-fantasy story. Rodriquez illustrates the horrible expertly, but in a detached way, so that while still gruesome, the acts of violence are not being treated reverentially as I have seen in some graphic novels.

Overall the pairing of Hill's story with Rodriguez's art is simply fantastic, making for a graphic novel that is simply perfect.

~~Read for the Graphic Novels Challenge.~~

Heart-Shaped Box

Heart-Shaped Box
Joe Hill
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (December 22, 2009)
4/5 Stars

The hero of Heart-Shaped Box is Jude Coyne, a middle-aged metal-rock star with a fascination for the morbid which shows itself, not only in his music, but also in his collection of creepy curios. When he sees a ghost being auctioned on the internet, he knows he has to have it for his collection. If it's a real ghost, cool; if it's not, it's still good press.

The seller states that she will send the buyer her stepdad's suit, because that is what the ghost seems to be clinging to, in the expectation that the ghost will follow the suit.

The suit arrives.

All hell breaks loose.

Hill's supernatural thriller is intense and frightening in the first section as the ghost makes his plans known to Jude--so much so that I often felt the pound of my heart. In the second part, as Jude begins to formulate a plan to survive the ghost, it feels like an action thriller, with car chases and gun standoffs and physical danger. As the story winds up to the climax, it returns to pure preternatural terror and then, thankfully, the storm is over and the final sections pull it all together with fine prose.

Hill's writing is excellent. He displays emotions so well, layers upon layers of emotion, that the characters actions and reactions are fully believable. The emotional depth of this story was surprising at times, and there were some very beautiful moments in the midst of all the thrills.

The characters are well developed, with back stories being fleshed out in a natural way, through memories and conversation. The only flaw I found in the book was that the hero suffered from Dan Brown Syndrome--Jude was able to keeping going an unnaturally long amount of time while injured. That said, Hill explained Jude's relationship to pain earlier in the book, and Jude often passed out, slept, hurt and was cranky. So, while he had way more pain tolerance that was probably possible, Hill covered all his bases with that one and it isn't a serious problem.

The importance of music in the story was a nice angle. I particularly enjoyed all the references to classic metal-rock bands, musicians and songs, some obvious and some very subtle.

Overall I was very impressed with Hill's prose, style and plot development. Heart-Shaped Box is more than just a "horror" novel. It is a well crafted novel that is certainly worth reading.