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I, Vampire (collected editions) #1
I, Vampire, Vol. 1: Tainted Love
A New York Times Best Seller!
As a part of the DC Comics - The New 52 event of September 2011, I, Vampire is reborn in this new ongoing series!
For hundreds of years, vampire Andrew Stanton kept mankind safe from the horrors of the supernatural world, thanks to a truce he made with his ex-lover Mary, the Queen of the Damned. But now that truce has reached a bloody end and Andrew must do everything in his power to stop Mary and her dark forces from going on a killing spree - and she plans to start with the heroes of the DCU! Their past behind them, they find themselves ready to battle to the death...but only if those feelings really are all gone. Knowing the difficult battle before him, Andrew will have to work with John Constantine and Gotham's Dark Knight, Batman!
Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Andrea Sorrentino mix the world horror with super-heroes in one of DC Comics' most exciting new series!
Collecting: I, Vampire 1-6
As a part of the DC Comics - The New 52 event of September 2011, I, Vampire is reborn in this new ongoing series!
For hundreds of years, vampire Andrew Stanton kept mankind safe from the horrors of the supernatural world, thanks to a truce he made with his ex-lover Mary, the Queen of the Damned. But now that truce has reached a bloody end and Andrew must do everything in his power to stop Mary and her dark forces from going on a killing spree - and she plans to start with the heroes of the DCU! Their past behind them, they find themselves ready to battle to the death...but only if those feelings really are all gone. Knowing the difficult battle before him, Andrew will have to work with John Constantine and Gotham's Dark Knight, Batman!
Writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Andrea Sorrentino mix the world horror with super-heroes in one of DC Comics' most exciting new series!
Collecting: I, Vampire 1-6
144 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 2012
19 people are currently reading
825 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Hale Fialkov
445 books140 followersJoshua Hale Fialkov is the creator (or co-creator, depending) of graphic novels, including the Harvey Nominated Elk’s Run, the Harvey and Eisner nominated Tumor, Punks the Comic, and the Harvey Nominated Echoes.
He has written Alibi and Cyblade for Top Cow, Superman/Batman for DC Comics, Rampaging Wolverine for Marvel, and Friday the 13th for Wildstorm. He’s writing the DC relaunch of I,Vampire, as well as debuting the new Marvel character The Monkey King. This fall sees the launch of The Last of the Greats from Image Comics with artist Brent Peeples.
He also served as a writer on the Emmy Award Nominated animated film Afro Samurai: Resurrection, and as Executive Producer of the cult hit LG15: The Resistance web series.
Elk’s Run, Tumor, and Alibi are all currently in development as feature films. He has written comics for companies including Marvel, Wildstorm, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, Tor Books, Seven Seas Entertainment, Del Rey, Random House, Dabel Brothers Productions, and St. Martin’s Press. He has done video game work for THQ, Midway Entertainment, and Gore Verbinski’s Blind Wink Productions. He also wrote a Sci-Fi Channel movie starring Isabella Rossellini and Judd Nelson. Unfortunately, at no point in the film does Judd Nelson punch the sky and freeze frame. Joshua grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, went to college in Boston, where he got a BFA in writing and directing for the stage and screen, and then worked in the New England film industry, until finally deciding to move to Los Angeles to do it properly. He lives with his wife, Christina, daughter, Gable, and their cats, Smokey and the Bandit.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joshfialkov
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joshuahalefia...
Photograph by Heidi Ryder Photography
He has written Alibi and Cyblade for Top Cow, Superman/Batman for DC Comics, Rampaging Wolverine for Marvel, and Friday the 13th for Wildstorm. He’s writing the DC relaunch of I,Vampire, as well as debuting the new Marvel character The Monkey King. This fall sees the launch of The Last of the Greats from Image Comics with artist Brent Peeples.
He also served as a writer on the Emmy Award Nominated animated film Afro Samurai: Resurrection, and as Executive Producer of the cult hit LG15: The Resistance web series.
Elk’s Run, Tumor, and Alibi are all currently in development as feature films. He has written comics for companies including Marvel, Wildstorm, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, Tor Books, Seven Seas Entertainment, Del Rey, Random House, Dabel Brothers Productions, and St. Martin’s Press. He has done video game work for THQ, Midway Entertainment, and Gore Verbinski’s Blind Wink Productions. He also wrote a Sci-Fi Channel movie starring Isabella Rossellini and Judd Nelson. Unfortunately, at no point in the film does Judd Nelson punch the sky and freeze frame. Joshua grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, went to college in Boston, where he got a BFA in writing and directing for the stage and screen, and then worked in the New England film industry, until finally deciding to move to Los Angeles to do it properly. He lives with his wife, Christina, daughter, Gable, and their cats, Smokey and the Bandit.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/joshfialkov
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/joshuahalefia...
Photograph by Heidi Ryder Photography
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 140 reviews
May 17, 2019
3.5 stars
So, this was one of those New 52 titles that I've always wanted to read, but it was somewhat obscure and my library didn't have it at the time.
Fast forward and here I am finding it on the shelf while I'm searching for something else.
Very exciting! <--for me
Was it worth the wait?
I don't know. A lot of my folks thought it was crap, but I kind of enjoyed myself. Now, I'm not very familiar with Andrew Bennett as a character, but I did know he existed. So, whether or not this is a good representation of him? No idea.
It's not a straight origin story - which, honestly, would have been nice - but it did kind of hint around at some stuff in his past. But it's mostly about him trying to stop the (really fucking evil) lady he loves from sucking the world dry.
Ah, amore!
Also, for some reason, Batman is stuffed into this thing. It's weird and awkward. Definitely my least favorite thing about the storyline. <--he's not a real bat, people!
Reviews for this are mixed, so take this one with a grain of salt. But I'd like to finish out this run if I ever get the chance.
So, this was one of those New 52 titles that I've always wanted to read, but it was somewhat obscure and my library didn't have it at the time.
Fast forward and here I am finding it on the shelf while I'm searching for something else.
Very exciting! <--for me
Was it worth the wait?
I don't know. A lot of my folks thought it was crap, but I kind of enjoyed myself. Now, I'm not very familiar with Andrew Bennett as a character, but I did know he existed. So, whether or not this is a good representation of him? No idea.
It's not a straight origin story - which, honestly, would have been nice - but it did kind of hint around at some stuff in his past. But it's mostly about him trying to stop the (really fucking evil) lady he loves from sucking the world dry.
Ah, amore!
Also, for some reason, Batman is stuffed into this thing. It's weird and awkward. Definitely my least favorite thing about the storyline. <--he's not a real bat, people!
Reviews for this are mixed, so take this one with a grain of salt. But I'd like to finish out this run if I ever get the chance.
May 5, 2022
Vamperino thoughts.
1. It takes a lot to make vampires interesting to me. This book doesn't have it.
2. This book is dull. And long, the worst kind of dull.
3. It isn't bad, it's just really dull.
4. This reflects on Sorrentino's art, which I normally tend to like, but when the story is this plain, there's no contrast, and the art starts to look plain.
5. Vampires turn into farts in this one, and it still was dull.
6. (They don't really turn into farts, just mist, farts would've been too interesting..)
7. John Constantine shows up. He does a bit of magic. Then he's gone again. Bye, John Constantine.
8. Batman shows up. Batman is a hard character to write, you need some space to make him work. He doesn't get that space here. He does blend perfectly into the almost overwhelming dullness.
9. There's some stuff about killing sires, but nothing follows the rules oh who cares
10. A cliffhanger! I won't be reading more.
Buddy read with My Little Kadi, whom I will wreak my terrible revenge on, soon.. SOON!!
1. It takes a lot to make vampires interesting to me. This book doesn't have it.
2. This book is dull. And long, the worst kind of dull.
3. It isn't bad, it's just really dull.
4. This reflects on Sorrentino's art, which I normally tend to like, but when the story is this plain, there's no contrast, and the art starts to look plain.
5. Vampires turn into farts in this one, and it still was dull.
6. (They don't really turn into farts, just mist, farts would've been too interesting..)
7. John Constantine shows up. He does a bit of magic. Then he's gone again. Bye, John Constantine.
8. Batman shows up. Batman is a hard character to write, you need some space to make him work. He doesn't get that space here. He does blend perfectly into the almost overwhelming dullness.
9. There's some stuff about killing sires, but nothing follows the rules oh who cares
10. A cliffhanger! I won't be reading more.
Buddy read with My Little Kadi, whom I will wreak my terrible revenge on, soon.. SOON!!
May 31, 2012
I, Vampire is part of DC's The New 52 and is a relaunch of the storyline that ran in the 1980's. I know nothing about the original series, so you'll find no complaints here about how this updated version matches up against the original because I have no idea. What you will find is a heap load of thanks to DC Comics for reclaiming the vampire from a swooning tween audience. Between I, Vampire and American Vampire (published by DC's Vertigo), vampires that hack, slash, bite, and kill have been returned to us. Blessed be the comic book gods.
Vampire Andrew Bennett made a serious miscalculation when he turned his lover, Mary. He apparently thought they would while away eternity together, needing no one but each other . . . and she thought they would raise a vampire army and conquer the world. It's not too long before Mary tires of Andrew's kinder, gentler vampire and decides to raise hell on her own. Taking the name Mary, Queen of Blood, she sets about gathering her minions (note to self: must get minions) and prepares to slaughter humanity. Of course, Andrew is the only one who can stop her. Ain't love grand?
I really enjoyed the first few issues of the series, especially the guest appearances by Batman and John Constantine, but the final issue in the Tainted Love story arc seemed rushed, as though they were just anxious to establish Andrew's connection to Justice League Dark. (I also read this in the issue format, not the collected volume, and it really pisses me off when part of the story appears in another comic book title; apparently, some pretty significant chunks of the story appear in Justice League Dark).
Particularly strong here is the artwork. Mary gracefully floats through the air, part mist and part beautiful, tattooed monster. Andrew shifts into various shapes, including a particularly horrifying werewolf. Andrea Sorrentino creates a dark, menacing world where characters appear in shadow and slink through the night, covered in blood.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
Vampire Andrew Bennett made a serious miscalculation when he turned his lover, Mary. He apparently thought they would while away eternity together, needing no one but each other . . . and she thought they would raise a vampire army and conquer the world. It's not too long before Mary tires of Andrew's kinder, gentler vampire and decides to raise hell on her own. Taking the name Mary, Queen of Blood, she sets about gathering her minions (note to self: must get minions) and prepares to slaughter humanity. Of course, Andrew is the only one who can stop her. Ain't love grand?
I really enjoyed the first few issues of the series, especially the guest appearances by Batman and John Constantine, but the final issue in the Tainted Love story arc seemed rushed, as though they were just anxious to establish Andrew's connection to Justice League Dark. (I also read this in the issue format, not the collected volume, and it really pisses me off when part of the story appears in another comic book title; apparently, some pretty significant chunks of the story appear in Justice League Dark).
Particularly strong here is the artwork. Mary gracefully floats through the air, part mist and part beautiful, tattooed monster. Andrew shifts into various shapes, including a particularly horrifying werewolf. Andrea Sorrentino creates a dark, menacing world where characters appear in shadow and slink through the night, covered in blood.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
May 22, 2016
I only read this because it has a crossover with Justice League Dark. I appreciate that the art was very different and darker from any other DC series since people are getting limbs and heads lopped off left and right, but that's pretty much the only positive I can think of, (though don't go into this thinking the interior looks as good as the covers because it doesn't come anywhere close.) I didn't care about the characters, and the whole "I'm a good vampire but I love a vampire who's evil and only I can stop them" trope has been done to death. (heh)
This got canceled so there are only 19 issues so I might finish it up anyway, but really, if you're reading JLD you don't need to bother with this series at all. You won't miss out on anything and I honestly think the tie-in was only created to drum up interest in this crappy series. Even throwing in a trip to Gotham with cameos by Batman and Batgirl didn't make this any more interesting for me.
Do yourself a favor and just skip this.
This got canceled so there are only 19 issues so I might finish it up anyway, but really, if you're reading JLD you don't need to bother with this series at all. You won't miss out on anything and I honestly think the tie-in was only created to drum up interest in this crappy series. Even throwing in a trip to Gotham with cameos by Batman and Batgirl didn't make this any more interesting for me.
Do yourself a favor and just skip this.
May 9, 2022
(Buddy read with Alexander King of Blood)
This was an entirely confusing and bland read where all the narrative sounded like generic sentences from a three minute trailer. The plot was repetitive, along with the dialogue. The characters were vague creations, not at all fleshed out, and the protagonist was idolised despite having next to no personality or redeemable qualities to make the other character’s idolisation of him seem less forced or even logical to begin with.
It was all tell and no show. All mediocre and no finesse. There was no crafting of characters or the plot which was a muddy mess with the protagonist running around after his ex constantly and other characters tagging along for no conceivable reason. Unsurprisingly for such a messy comic, there were also inconsistencies in the info dumps between issues. Perhaps the editor fell asleep reading and forgot to do their job, this really is boring enough for that to be understandable.
Ironically enough, the art was a major contributing factor to why this was so bad. The art style was heavy black inks and excessive shadows over characters’ faces which made it impossible to discern any emotion or really even clearly identify what characters looked like. That heavily influenced the suggestion that all of the characters were simply vague caricatures of vampires or other basic tropes like “smart, loyal friend” and “angsty teen seeking revenge”.
On top of all that, there was a distinct lack of DC in this and, no, one mention of Superman, one appearance of Constantine and Batman in which they both do absolutely nothing does not warrant calling this an in-continuity comic. If DC really wanted to do vampires that badly they should’ve made this a Vertigo comic.
This was an entirely confusing and bland read where all the narrative sounded like generic sentences from a three minute trailer. The plot was repetitive, along with the dialogue. The characters were vague creations, not at all fleshed out, and the protagonist was idolised despite having next to no personality or redeemable qualities to make the other character’s idolisation of him seem less forced or even logical to begin with.
It was all tell and no show. All mediocre and no finesse. There was no crafting of characters or the plot which was a muddy mess with the protagonist running around after his ex constantly and other characters tagging along for no conceivable reason. Unsurprisingly for such a messy comic, there were also inconsistencies in the info dumps between issues. Perhaps the editor fell asleep reading and forgot to do their job, this really is boring enough for that to be understandable.
Ironically enough, the art was a major contributing factor to why this was so bad. The art style was heavy black inks and excessive shadows over characters’ faces which made it impossible to discern any emotion or really even clearly identify what characters looked like. That heavily influenced the suggestion that all of the characters were simply vague caricatures of vampires or other basic tropes like “smart, loyal friend” and “angsty teen seeking revenge”.
On top of all that, there was a distinct lack of DC in this and, no, one mention of Superman, one appearance of Constantine and Batman in which they both do absolutely nothing does not warrant calling this an in-continuity comic. If DC really wanted to do vampires that badly they should’ve made this a Vertigo comic.
March 26, 2022
The New 52 series of I, Vampire, is notable in that it is the big breakout for Andrea Sorrentino who gets the chance to deliver lots of neat pages, including some great splash pages. The story? It's fine. I like how many of the issues have a different narrator, giving the lead villain of this arc the second issue all to herself was great at setting the stage. Otherwise... it doesn't do much special. It wants to focus on the romance between Andrew and Mary but after those first two issues we don't get much to build off of there. It's almost like this first arc is trying to prove that vampires can exist in the DC Universe, and tries to introduce the concept of how vampires work and why we should care instead of telling its own story. I guess the story of I, Vampire is why we should care about vampires? But the actual plot is all set-up for a crossover or some goofy twists that appear out of nowhere.
It's not a bad start to a series, but who knows maybe I'm just a sucker for vampires. Coming off of a universe reboot like the New 52 I can see it wanting to take a completely blank slate approach to vampires and being an "introduction" to them works better when there's literally nothing else in the universe to work off of.
It's not a bad start to a series, but who knows maybe I'm just a sucker for vampires. Coming off of a universe reboot like the New 52 I can see it wanting to take a completely blank slate approach to vampires and being an "introduction" to them works better when there's literally nothing else in the universe to work off of.
August 20, 2014
This series is definitely for fans of Gothic vampire stories. Andrew is the reluctant monster, a morally good vampire fighting the dark aspect of his nature and using the power it gives him to do good. There is no question of his power and his determination, and the force of his love. Yet, his fatal flaw is his love for Mary, self-titled the Queen of Blood. She embraces all the darkness that becoming a vampire has created in her, and wants her vampire species to rise up and decimate humanity, while Andrew wants to protect them. Andrew travels in her wake, seeing to derail Mary's plans. Along the way, he gains allies in his fight against the bloody vampire uprising.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The artwork is dark and not very colorful, other than the red tones of blood. I think the art is a bit murky for my tastes, but I understand that author wanted to add to the dark, Gothic feel of the storyline. One real advantage of this art is it captures motions so effortlessly. The writing is excellent, and I appreciate the shifting POVs between Andrew, Mary, and other pivotal character.
While I wouldn't exactly call this scary, it definitely has sense of suspense and thrills to the storyline. The ending is quite a cliffhanger that makes the reader want to run for the next volume. I'll definitely keep following this series.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The artwork is dark and not very colorful, other than the red tones of blood. I think the art is a bit murky for my tastes, but I understand that author wanted to add to the dark, Gothic feel of the storyline. One real advantage of this art is it captures motions so effortlessly. The writing is excellent, and I appreciate the shifting POVs between Andrew, Mary, and other pivotal character.
While I wouldn't exactly call this scary, it definitely has sense of suspense and thrills to the storyline. The ending is quite a cliffhanger that makes the reader want to run for the next volume. I'll definitely keep following this series.
November 20, 2017
I, like many people it seems, only read this because it's a tie-in with Justice League Dark. And also because Constantine was in issue 4, but really just for a few pages and it definitely wasn't worth reading the entire volume for. I see that this series apparently continues to crossover with JLD in future volumes but I think I'm probably going to just skip it and hope it's not important because this is just so uninspired.
The main character is a 'good' vampire that hunts other vampires so I guess it's basically Blade but stripped of anything that makes Blade even mildly interesting. Also apparently all the vampires are ALSO shapeshifters/werewolves??? Because why not I guess. Anyway he's in love with the evil girl vampire and has to kill her but oh it's so hard because he loves her so much and also he made her so he is ~responsible for her evil~ [loud groaning]
Pointless money-grabbing crossovers like this are the reason I swore off mainstream DC / Marvel titles years ago but then DC put Constantine back in the main universe so here I am anyway.
The main character is a 'good' vampire that hunts other vampires so I guess it's basically Blade but stripped of anything that makes Blade even mildly interesting. Also apparently all the vampires are ALSO shapeshifters/werewolves??? Because why not I guess. Anyway he's in love with the evil girl vampire and has to kill her but oh it's so hard because he loves her so much and also he made her so he is ~responsible for her evil~ [loud groaning]
Pointless money-grabbing crossovers like this are the reason I swore off mainstream DC / Marvel titles years ago but then DC put Constantine back in the main universe so here I am anyway.
June 5, 2014
I was put off Vampires after Twilight but this book restored my faith in the vampire/werewolf genre! This book tells the story a man who lost his love in the 1800s to a vampire and got himself bitten, he later met a vampire girl and shes his girlfriend. She now wants to kill humanity because shes tired of hiding, he however wants to save humanity so they become enemies. A great book funny, witty, serious just a fun story! Its also got guest appearances of Batman and Constantine which are cleverly done. I'm really pissed off DC cancelled this story though
January 15, 2013
The book definitely ends on a cliffhanger, but I enjoyed the tension created through both the dialogue and the amazing art. Oddly enough, the cover art doesn't seem like the same comic as the spectacular images within. Looking forward to the next edition.
January 20, 2017
Oh my, yesyesyes, this is just raving mad, "bloody" genius stuff right here!! :)
From the moment I started reading this, I almost knew for sure I was going to like this.. a lot... and I did..
Read it front to back in like 15 minutes :-P
For me this has everything.. Vampires, werewolves, nice dark atmosphere and looots of brutal action...
And the appearances of Constantine and Batman made it even better..
Oeh, also :
Andrea Sorrentino is my new favorite artist!!! Just look at it.. This is fantastic work.. It brings the whole story to the next level...
So: big time fan and I'm off to the next one!!
From the moment I started reading this, I almost knew for sure I was going to like this.. a lot... and I did..
Read it front to back in like 15 minutes :-P
For me this has everything.. Vampires, werewolves, nice dark atmosphere and looots of brutal action...
And the appearances of Constantine and Batman made it even better..
Oeh, also :
Andrea Sorrentino is my new favorite artist!!! Just look at it.. This is fantastic work.. It brings the whole story to the next level...
So: big time fan and I'm off to the next one!!
November 7, 2014
WTF.
Murky art.
Muddled story that isn't even comprehensible till the final 20 pages.
No relate-able or likeable characters.
And yet, and YET - at least two more volumes await.... Urg.
Murky art.
Muddled story that isn't even comprehensible till the final 20 pages.
No relate-able or likeable characters.
And yet, and YET - at least two more volumes await.... Urg.
July 20, 2016
The re-launching of the I, Vampire series is the second comic book I have read, only behind the revamp of the Harley Quinn book I read this year. Andrew Bennett, who was turned into a vampire in 1591, turned Mary Seward, who became Mary, the Queen of Blood, into a vampire in turn. The two had a bond with one another, but Mary went ahead and started an army of vampires that would take over the world, while Andrew is looking to defend the innocent and fight for humanity and against the vampires. With the help of Professor John Troughton (who Andrew saved), Tig (a vampire hunter whose father was killed by a vampire), Hellblazer, and even Batman, who is suspicious of Andrew at first, help join Andrew in his effort to stop an invasion of vampires.
I thought the first six in this series were okay. I really like the development of these characters and see great potential for this series. My issue, though, is that I felt that this was a bit paper thin. I feel that the books were somewhat rushed and that I did not get so much substance in this story. When I read Harley Quinn, I felt there was a little more substance. This novel relies heavily on action, but it really needs to clear things up. There were moments where I felt confused as to who was who and what their purpose was at any particular time. While I felt it was a bit zippy and jumbled, I am really curious to see what is to come and I feel that when it came to creating cliffhangers, Fialkov and Sorrentino are clever with their strategy.
I would continue to buy and read this series, but I certainly hope that it picks up.
I thought the first six in this series were okay. I really like the development of these characters and see great potential for this series. My issue, though, is that I felt that this was a bit paper thin. I feel that the books were somewhat rushed and that I did not get so much substance in this story. When I read Harley Quinn, I felt there was a little more substance. This novel relies heavily on action, but it really needs to clear things up. There were moments where I felt confused as to who was who and what their purpose was at any particular time. While I felt it was a bit zippy and jumbled, I am really curious to see what is to come and I feel that when it came to creating cliffhangers, Fialkov and Sorrentino are clever with their strategy.
I would continue to buy and read this series, but I certainly hope that it picks up.
July 19, 2021
I went into this with zero background knowledge, drawn purely by the promise of Sorrentino's art.
And while the art certainly does not disappoint, Fialkov has also penned a dramatic and exciting vampire story of violence and redemption. Despite cameos from some key DC characters, I, Vampire feels less like a superhero comic and more like a vampire horror story. With muted colors from Maiolo, the visual tone is perfect and the violence is gruesome without crossing the line into garish.
As with most vampire stories, the lines between sensuality and violence blur and blend across this story of tainted love and unrestrained death. As one lone vampire and his meager team of allies tries to stem the tide and make amends for the mistakes of the past, betrayals from within and a powerful enemy they do not understand may prove to be more of a challenge than they can overcome. It's a bold and action-packed tale with effective characters at its heart--and a whole lot of fantastic art bringing events to life as things go from bad to worse and set off a conflict that will shape the future of the world.
And while the art certainly does not disappoint, Fialkov has also penned a dramatic and exciting vampire story of violence and redemption. Despite cameos from some key DC characters, I, Vampire feels less like a superhero comic and more like a vampire horror story. With muted colors from Maiolo, the visual tone is perfect and the violence is gruesome without crossing the line into garish.
As with most vampire stories, the lines between sensuality and violence blur and blend across this story of tainted love and unrestrained death. As one lone vampire and his meager team of allies tries to stem the tide and make amends for the mistakes of the past, betrayals from within and a powerful enemy they do not understand may prove to be more of a challenge than they can overcome. It's a bold and action-packed tale with effective characters at its heart--and a whole lot of fantastic art bringing events to life as things go from bad to worse and set off a conflict that will shape the future of the world.
June 28, 2013
**spoilers appear toward the end of my review - don't read if you want to avoid**
Cool. The story of the "good vampire" fighting and killing his evil counterparts is certainly not a new one, but is told well here with appropriately moody artwork by Andrea Sorrentino. I'm not sure how well this vampire story fits into the regular DC Universe. The Batman guest appearance feels a bit gratuitous. The cameo by Constantine fits much better, but feels kind of pointless. Maybe one or both of these things will make more sense as the series progresses, but for the first trade, neither do. Despite these occasional missteps, the story by Joshua Fialkov is appropriately creepy and well-written. Different issues (or chapters herein, if you prefer) are narrated by different characters, and it helps give a bit of insight into their motivations. The ending of the trade which leaves the main character apparently dead (he's stabbed through the heart and beheaded) certainly leaves me wondering what happens next.
Cool. The story of the "good vampire" fighting and killing his evil counterparts is certainly not a new one, but is told well here with appropriately moody artwork by Andrea Sorrentino. I'm not sure how well this vampire story fits into the regular DC Universe. The Batman guest appearance feels a bit gratuitous. The cameo by Constantine fits much better, but feels kind of pointless. Maybe one or both of these things will make more sense as the series progresses, but for the first trade, neither do. Despite these occasional missteps, the story by Joshua Fialkov is appropriately creepy and well-written. Different issues (or chapters herein, if you prefer) are narrated by different characters, and it helps give a bit of insight into their motivations. The ending of the trade which leaves the main character apparently dead (he's stabbed through the heart and beheaded) certainly leaves me wondering what happens next.
October 29, 2012
I had the chance to meet the author and get the book and get it signed at the Austin Comic Con (the Dragon's Lair table - P.S. THAT is the place in Austin to buy your books!). I'd heard that the title was excellent, but hadn't had a chance or reason to read it. I decided to give it a go, though, and found the positive commentary to be accurate. The story is firmly set in the DCU and crosses over with several character lines (most notably Batman's, since the story does drift into Gotham pretty swiftly), but doesn't require a strong knowledge about the DCU overall. The book keeps a good balance between the mystery of the vampiric condition in the new DC universe and revealing just enough to keep them from being unreasonably strong, and the pathos is very intriguing.
April 12, 2018
This is a series that made Batman lame, reinforced the "angsty, emo vampire" stereotype and also made them magical gothic fairies that fly around chucking spells at people. But, the biggest problem of all is that it is just plain boring.
September 8, 2012
El mejor cómic sobre vampiros que he leído en mucho tiempo.
La atmósfera logra que te introduzcas en la historia. Un cómic de terror perfecto.
La atmósfera logra que te introduzcas en la historia. Un cómic de terror perfecto.
November 19, 2015
buy this. just fantastic.
April 17, 2017
Stary i doświadczony wampir, który przeszedł na dietę próbuje naprawić swoje błędy z czasów młodości. Całkiem dobra, klimatyczna historia, która trzyma się kupy.
April 26, 2017
I just read a bad vampire book. No, not this one. This one, it gets what good storytelling is. Good storytelling allows you to fall into it, lose yourself in the logic of the story. Bad storytelling, well...
But, this is a good one. A graphic novel, sure, the first of three collections from Joshua Hale Fialkov, one of the most fascinating comic book writers working today, but still mostly undiscovered. His breakthrough work was Elk's Run , a small press effort from a decade ago. Like I, Vampire it's a horror story but it beats with an authentic pulse. I, Vampire itself was one of the horror efforts launched at the start of the "New 52," an initiative of DC to reemphasize its creative potential. But, as the name of the era implies, it launched with 52 new titles, and much was lost in the shuffle, including this material.
Potential readers couldn't help but have been intimidated. Fialkov and the masterful artwork of Andrea Sorrentino dive directly into their story, a tale of an old vampire and the war to his doorstep by the love of his life. Fialkov knew that readers today have sparkly vampires in mind, but he gambled that comic book readers were sophisticated enough to embrace something immediately ambitious, a vampire story to end all vampire stories. Andrew Bennett has been alive for six hundred years, but even today he struggles to redefine what being a vampire means. He recruits allies both willing (John Troughton, a kind of Van Helsing) and reluctant (the firebrand Tig), and as this volume progresses, Batman.
Reluctant readers might take the last one in mind as they try and figure out what Fialkov is trying to accomplish. His Batman is classic (in some alternate reality he and Sorrentino would've been recruited for Dark Knight tales long ago), but Andrew proves a perfect match for him. A lot of this calls an earlier mainstream DC horror effort, Simon Dark, to mind, but the sheer bombast and narrative momentum puts Fialkov's work in a class of its own.
I sampled the series when it was being serialized originally, but can say without a doubt that it reads so much more compellingly in collected form. The one drawback is that when there's finally a cliffhanger at the end of the volume, you're left wanting more, the first time Fialkov feels like he left something unfinished. But that's comics for you. In a just world, I, Vampire would be loved enough to fix that with an omnibus collection...
But, this is a good one. A graphic novel, sure, the first of three collections from Joshua Hale Fialkov, one of the most fascinating comic book writers working today, but still mostly undiscovered. His breakthrough work was Elk's Run , a small press effort from a decade ago. Like I, Vampire it's a horror story but it beats with an authentic pulse. I, Vampire itself was one of the horror efforts launched at the start of the "New 52," an initiative of DC to reemphasize its creative potential. But, as the name of the era implies, it launched with 52 new titles, and much was lost in the shuffle, including this material.
Potential readers couldn't help but have been intimidated. Fialkov and the masterful artwork of Andrea Sorrentino dive directly into their story, a tale of an old vampire and the war to his doorstep by the love of his life. Fialkov knew that readers today have sparkly vampires in mind, but he gambled that comic book readers were sophisticated enough to embrace something immediately ambitious, a vampire story to end all vampire stories. Andrew Bennett has been alive for six hundred years, but even today he struggles to redefine what being a vampire means. He recruits allies both willing (John Troughton, a kind of Van Helsing) and reluctant (the firebrand Tig), and as this volume progresses, Batman.
Reluctant readers might take the last one in mind as they try and figure out what Fialkov is trying to accomplish. His Batman is classic (in some alternate reality he and Sorrentino would've been recruited for Dark Knight tales long ago), but Andrew proves a perfect match for him. A lot of this calls an earlier mainstream DC horror effort, Simon Dark, to mind, but the sheer bombast and narrative momentum puts Fialkov's work in a class of its own.
I sampled the series when it was being serialized originally, but can say without a doubt that it reads so much more compellingly in collected form. The one drawback is that when there's finally a cliffhanger at the end of the volume, you're left wanting more, the first time Fialkov feels like he left something unfinished. But that's comics for you. In a just world, I, Vampire would be loved enough to fix that with an omnibus collection...
November 2, 2012
You can find the full review over at the Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/11/...
This is part of the TFF comics roundup, dated November 1st.
And finally, I get to one of the best comics I’ve read so far this year, with no superheroes or mutants or such in sight, just plain old ass-kicking vampires of the Bram Stoker variety with a healthy dose of True Blood and Buffy/Angel thrown in. I first heard about Fialkov when he was announced as the new writer on the He-Man and the Masters of The Universe reboot, doing a one-shot (is it a one-shot?) with Skeletor and telling a story that harks back to the Keldor days of the character, which is one of the best representations of Skeletor that I’ve read to date. One thing led to the next, I found out Fialkov was also writing I, Vampire for DC’s New 52 relaunch and so I had to check it out, get a taste of his style and what not. And to be completely honest, the experience has been amazing.
With I, Vampire writes a series that takes influence from a lot of Vampires lore from various sources and works it into something new and different. Andrew Bennett reminds me of Angel while the antagonist Mary, his progeny, reminds me off the Vampire Bill’s sire from True Blood. Or even the Vampire-King of Mississippi, who was the best villain on the show for the first three seasons. The script is slightly confusing in issue #1 and takes a bit to get going, but when it does, it moves at a fast-pace that can leave you breathless. And it really is a very deep script that pulls the reader in and keeps them immersed in the world that Fialkov is creating, even though the setting is Gotham, Batman’s hunting grounds.
Bennett’s attempts to bring Mary to reason and stop her ill-advised purge of humans, the scenes with the vampires fighting in different forms, Bennett’s casual badassery, and the special appearance of John Constantine (who I’ve seen only in the Keanu Reeves movie, which I loved), dare all great secondary selling points of the script. The primary selling points are of course, Fialkov’s characterisation of both Bennett and Mary. Their clash of… ideologies is at the heart of this first arc, collected together as I, Vampire Volume 1: Tainted Love.
Although Fialkov writes a tightly-focused script, there were a few things I had an issue with. The first is that while we do get a superhero in the comics, and its Batman of course, his inclusion just seemed really unnecessary. This shows through more in #6 than in #5 since he is a pretty major factor in the last issue. He appears and gives us some of his good-guy spiel where he doesn’t want to kill anyone and so on, but it just didn’t work for me. Plus #6 is an issue that appears to have been rushed, which is another downside.
And finally, the art. Andrea Sorrentino illustrations are really eye-catching, but there is too much frailty to her characters. This is really common for both Andrew and Mary. They look like the wind could blow them over! Which is at odds with how action-y these two are in the script. I like her art overall, but feel that it could be quite a bit better. Also, Mary’s design really confuses me and I can’t make out whether she is naked and has painted tattoos on her body, or if it is all just some kind of an outfit. Very perplexing.
Still, I’m really liking this comic and the ending of the first arc promises a great many good things for the second arc, which I’m rather anxious to read. Plus, given all the twists and turns to the script in the first arc, it means that the series is very unpredictable and I just love that!
Rating: 9/10
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/11/...
This is part of the TFF comics roundup, dated November 1st.
And finally, I get to one of the best comics I’ve read so far this year, with no superheroes or mutants or such in sight, just plain old ass-kicking vampires of the Bram Stoker variety with a healthy dose of True Blood and Buffy/Angel thrown in. I first heard about Fialkov when he was announced as the new writer on the He-Man and the Masters of The Universe reboot, doing a one-shot (is it a one-shot?) with Skeletor and telling a story that harks back to the Keldor days of the character, which is one of the best representations of Skeletor that I’ve read to date. One thing led to the next, I found out Fialkov was also writing I, Vampire for DC’s New 52 relaunch and so I had to check it out, get a taste of his style and what not. And to be completely honest, the experience has been amazing.
With I, Vampire writes a series that takes influence from a lot of Vampires lore from various sources and works it into something new and different. Andrew Bennett reminds me of Angel while the antagonist Mary, his progeny, reminds me off the Vampire Bill’s sire from True Blood. Or even the Vampire-King of Mississippi, who was the best villain on the show for the first three seasons. The script is slightly confusing in issue #1 and takes a bit to get going, but when it does, it moves at a fast-pace that can leave you breathless. And it really is a very deep script that pulls the reader in and keeps them immersed in the world that Fialkov is creating, even though the setting is Gotham, Batman’s hunting grounds.
Bennett’s attempts to bring Mary to reason and stop her ill-advised purge of humans, the scenes with the vampires fighting in different forms, Bennett’s casual badassery, and the special appearance of John Constantine (who I’ve seen only in the Keanu Reeves movie, which I loved), dare all great secondary selling points of the script. The primary selling points are of course, Fialkov’s characterisation of both Bennett and Mary. Their clash of… ideologies is at the heart of this first arc, collected together as I, Vampire Volume 1: Tainted Love.
Although Fialkov writes a tightly-focused script, there were a few things I had an issue with. The first is that while we do get a superhero in the comics, and its Batman of course, his inclusion just seemed really unnecessary. This shows through more in #6 than in #5 since he is a pretty major factor in the last issue. He appears and gives us some of his good-guy spiel where he doesn’t want to kill anyone and so on, but it just didn’t work for me. Plus #6 is an issue that appears to have been rushed, which is another downside.
And finally, the art. Andrea Sorrentino illustrations are really eye-catching, but there is too much frailty to her characters. This is really common for both Andrew and Mary. They look like the wind could blow them over! Which is at odds with how action-y these two are in the script. I like her art overall, but feel that it could be quite a bit better. Also, Mary’s design really confuses me and I can’t make out whether she is naked and has painted tattoos on her body, or if it is all just some kind of an outfit. Very perplexing.
Still, I’m really liking this comic and the ending of the first arc promises a great many good things for the second arc, which I’m rather anxious to read. Plus, given all the twists and turns to the script in the first arc, it means that the series is very unpredictable and I just love that!
Rating: 9/10
April 22, 2016
In 2011, DC comics rolled out wave 1 of their rebranded company product called the New 52. This wave contained 52 series. With this volume, I have now read at least volume 1 of 31 out of those 52 series. This series wasn't something really high on my to read list because I had never heard of the main character Andrew Bennett prior to this book's release. Since then, I've read the first 3 volumes of Justice League Dark in which Andrew Bennett made a few guest appearances. My interest in the character was piqued a little after I read those. Since I'm trying to read every single thing that was published under the New 52, I'm finally getting to series, but I still moved it higher up my to read list than it previously was.
Joshua Hale Fialkov is the writer for this series. I had never heard his name prior to sitting down to read this book today. I don't think that his writing is superb, but it is pretty solid. Andrew Bennett isn't the first vampire, but he is the sire of the other most important vampire in this book. Andrew sired Mary several hundred years ago and the two have been at odds for many years even though they both love each other. Andrew wants Mary to live in peace with him and avoid any conflicts with the humans. Mary wants Andrew to join her in taking over the planet and ruling over the humans. She hates that Andrew, and all the other vampires through the past several years, has decided to not feed on the humans and stay to the shadows away from open confrontations. Mary is known as the Blood Queen by the rest of the vampires and she has been building an army to go to war with the humans and their superheroes. This entire volume is a build-up to the vampire war. Along the way, Andrew acquires a couple of allies and crosses paths with both John Constantine and Batman. The story of a vampire and their sire going to war with each other is kind of cliché now, but Fialkov's story being set in a world of superheroes and villains does add a new touch to that type of story. There are certainly some cool possibilities for this series going forward. Writing gets 3.5 stars.
Andrea Sorrentino is the artist for the series. Her art has a rough jagged look to it that is completely different that the smooth, fluid style of comic art that I really love. The characters are too heavily shaded in most panels to look good. They lack much detail because of the overuse of inks on the characters. It just seems like the inks were used so heavily to keep from spending too much time on the details, but the details are what makes truly great comic art stand out from the rest of the pack. The art here is mired in the mediocrity of being mid-pack in the world of comic artists. Art gets 2.5 stars.
The 3.5 star writing score and the 2.5 star art score average out to a 3 star overall rating for the book. While I am glad that I finally got the chance to read this, I doubt that I'll ever read it again. It would be hard to recommend this to the average comics reader because there is so much better stuff out there. Unless you are like me and just want to read every single thing in the New 52 because of the crossover stuff, just skip this one and move along to something else.
Joshua Hale Fialkov is the writer for this series. I had never heard his name prior to sitting down to read this book today. I don't think that his writing is superb, but it is pretty solid. Andrew Bennett isn't the first vampire, but he is the sire of the other most important vampire in this book. Andrew sired Mary several hundred years ago and the two have been at odds for many years even though they both love each other. Andrew wants Mary to live in peace with him and avoid any conflicts with the humans. Mary wants Andrew to join her in taking over the planet and ruling over the humans. She hates that Andrew, and all the other vampires through the past several years, has decided to not feed on the humans and stay to the shadows away from open confrontations. Mary is known as the Blood Queen by the rest of the vampires and she has been building an army to go to war with the humans and their superheroes. This entire volume is a build-up to the vampire war. Along the way, Andrew acquires a couple of allies and crosses paths with both John Constantine and Batman. The story of a vampire and their sire going to war with each other is kind of cliché now, but Fialkov's story being set in a world of superheroes and villains does add a new touch to that type of story. There are certainly some cool possibilities for this series going forward. Writing gets 3.5 stars.
Andrea Sorrentino is the artist for the series. Her art has a rough jagged look to it that is completely different that the smooth, fluid style of comic art that I really love. The characters are too heavily shaded in most panels to look good. They lack much detail because of the overuse of inks on the characters. It just seems like the inks were used so heavily to keep from spending too much time on the details, but the details are what makes truly great comic art stand out from the rest of the pack. The art here is mired in the mediocrity of being mid-pack in the world of comic artists. Art gets 2.5 stars.
The 3.5 star writing score and the 2.5 star art score average out to a 3 star overall rating for the book. While I am glad that I finally got the chance to read this, I doubt that I'll ever read it again. It would be hard to recommend this to the average comics reader because there is so much better stuff out there. Unless you are like me and just want to read every single thing in the New 52 because of the crossover stuff, just skip this one and move along to something else.
November 8, 2013
Reprints I, Vampire #1-6 (November 2011-April 2012). Andrew Bennett has created a problem. He was born hundreds of years ago and is a vampire. He has learned to live his life without succumbing to the hunger for blood. A vampire he created and once loved does not share his feelings toward humans. Mary Seward (also known as Mary, Queen of Blood) is creating an army of vampires and is about to take her vampire war public. Only Bennett can stop Mary with his allies John and Tig.
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, I, Vampire represents a darker side of the New 52 with nice illustrations by Andrea Sorrentino. I, Vampire was well received upon its release but found smaller sale numbers when compared to bigger books of the New 52.
I actually really like I, Vampire. Andrew Bennett was a lesser known character who first appeared in House of Mystery (1) #290 (called I…Vampire at that time). He was the lead of that series from House of Mystery (1) #290 to House of Mystery (1) #319. After that series, Bennett was generally relegated to back-ups and cameos. The New 52 took a lot of chances with their first line-up and I, Vampire is one of those chances and also firmly establishes Andrew in the DC Universe.
It hasn’t become a large part of the story as of yet, but it is this deep integration of the vampires into the DC Universe that is interesting. Vampires versus super-heroes is similar to Marvel Zombies versus super-heroes, but DC seems to be taking a less aggressive approach. It is less humorous and seems more real-world than the over-the-top zombies. It will be interesting when this starts to really happen. Here we see Andrew with John Constantine and the obligatory Batman appearance, but still it is interesting.
In this collection, Mary kicks off her war with Andrew opposing it. Tig is introduced and Tig’s storyline starts a course that leads into the next storyline of Rise of the Vampires (which crosses over with another “fringe” title Justice League Dark). That means this story feels like a lot of building, but I like the art and like Andrea Sorrentino’s style also. It has a very wispy feel while at the same time creating a real feel.
I, Vampire is one of those books I recommend, but I also fear for it. It is very fringe and almost has an Image or independent feel to it. I don’t know how I, Vampire will hang with the other members of the New 52, but do hope that DC gives it a chance to develop itself. I also worry that the show could be a bit too non-directional and might end up boring people if more storylines are not developed and solved. I, Vampire 1: Tainted Love is followed by I, Vampire 2: Rise of the Vampires which includes the crossover with Justice League Dark.
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, I, Vampire represents a darker side of the New 52 with nice illustrations by Andrea Sorrentino. I, Vampire was well received upon its release but found smaller sale numbers when compared to bigger books of the New 52.
I actually really like I, Vampire. Andrew Bennett was a lesser known character who first appeared in House of Mystery (1) #290 (called I…Vampire at that time). He was the lead of that series from House of Mystery (1) #290 to House of Mystery (1) #319. After that series, Bennett was generally relegated to back-ups and cameos. The New 52 took a lot of chances with their first line-up and I, Vampire is one of those chances and also firmly establishes Andrew in the DC Universe.
It hasn’t become a large part of the story as of yet, but it is this deep integration of the vampires into the DC Universe that is interesting. Vampires versus super-heroes is similar to Marvel Zombies versus super-heroes, but DC seems to be taking a less aggressive approach. It is less humorous and seems more real-world than the over-the-top zombies. It will be interesting when this starts to really happen. Here we see Andrew with John Constantine and the obligatory Batman appearance, but still it is interesting.
In this collection, Mary kicks off her war with Andrew opposing it. Tig is introduced and Tig’s storyline starts a course that leads into the next storyline of Rise of the Vampires (which crosses over with another “fringe” title Justice League Dark). That means this story feels like a lot of building, but I like the art and like Andrea Sorrentino’s style also. It has a very wispy feel while at the same time creating a real feel.
I, Vampire is one of those books I recommend, but I also fear for it. It is very fringe and almost has an Image or independent feel to it. I don’t know how I, Vampire will hang with the other members of the New 52, but do hope that DC gives it a chance to develop itself. I also worry that the show could be a bit too non-directional and might end up boring people if more storylines are not developed and solved. I, Vampire 1: Tainted Love is followed by I, Vampire 2: Rise of the Vampires which includes the crossover with Justice League Dark.
March 25, 2014
I've decided to discuss the series as a whole, because it began with such promise and ended so poorly.
The first volume, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, featuring art by Andrea Sorrentino, is an exceptionally well-polished story. The character development is nuanced, the dialogue crisp, and the art is reminiscent of Gene Colon at his shadowed, moody best. The characterization of Andrew Bennett as a vampire-slaying vampire hopelessly in love with the most evil vampire of them all - Mary, the Queen of Blood - was phenomenal. I hadn't felt so mesmerized by a mainstream comic series since the Bendis/Maleev run on Daredevil. I finished volume one with one thought in mind: buy volumes two and three. Because I had to know the rest of the story.
"Why oh why did they cancel such an amazing book after only nineteen issues?" I wondered while I waited for volumes two and three to arrive on my doorstep. Not long after I tore the package open and began reading, I had my answer.
Vol. 2 is not horrible, and the original creative team of Fialkov/Sorrentino remained in place (with the exception of the Justice League Dark issues) throughout this arc of the story. But the nuances that distinguished the early issues were gone, replaced by non-stop action and a "big crossover event" feel that severely undermined the moodiness.
I don't know if Sorrentino shared this feeling and jumped ship or if there was simply a scheduling conflict, but his art is barely present in vol. 3 (despite his name being featured on the cover). About half a dozen artists divide the chores on the last 7 issues of the series. Both the story and the art feel patched together, a cluster of last minute ideas and last minute assignments jammed together to fill the pages. This series deserved far better than that.
NOTE: There are three volumes collecting the I, Vampire series (part of DC's The New 52 relaunch). Vol. 1 Tainted Love, collects I, Vampire 1-6. Vol. 2 Rise of the Vampires, collects I, Vampire 7-12 and Justice League Dark 7-8. Vol. 3 Wave of Mutilation, collects I, Vampire 13-19.
The first volume, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, featuring art by Andrea Sorrentino, is an exceptionally well-polished story. The character development is nuanced, the dialogue crisp, and the art is reminiscent of Gene Colon at his shadowed, moody best. The characterization of Andrew Bennett as a vampire-slaying vampire hopelessly in love with the most evil vampire of them all - Mary, the Queen of Blood - was phenomenal. I hadn't felt so mesmerized by a mainstream comic series since the Bendis/Maleev run on Daredevil. I finished volume one with one thought in mind: buy volumes two and three. Because I had to know the rest of the story.
"Why oh why did they cancel such an amazing book after only nineteen issues?" I wondered while I waited for volumes two and three to arrive on my doorstep. Not long after I tore the package open and began reading, I had my answer.
Vol. 2 is not horrible, and the original creative team of Fialkov/Sorrentino remained in place (with the exception of the Justice League Dark issues) throughout this arc of the story. But the nuances that distinguished the early issues were gone, replaced by non-stop action and a "big crossover event" feel that severely undermined the moodiness.
I don't know if Sorrentino shared this feeling and jumped ship or if there was simply a scheduling conflict, but his art is barely present in vol. 3 (despite his name being featured on the cover). About half a dozen artists divide the chores on the last 7 issues of the series. Both the story and the art feel patched together, a cluster of last minute ideas and last minute assignments jammed together to fill the pages. This series deserved far better than that.
NOTE: There are three volumes collecting the I, Vampire series (part of DC's The New 52 relaunch). Vol. 1 Tainted Love, collects I, Vampire 1-6. Vol. 2 Rise of the Vampires, collects I, Vampire 7-12 and Justice League Dark 7-8. Vol. 3 Wave of Mutilation, collects I, Vampire 13-19.
April 10, 2014
With all the teen dramas involving lovey dovey, glitter skin vampires flooding the market lately. I thought I would give this series a go to try and renew my faith that vampires can be brutal and bloody. And this series has indeed done that.
Andrew Bennett is a 600 year old vampire, who is sort of like DC's version of Blade. He doesn't feast on human blood, and he slays the ones that do. I really enjoyed the path they took with the vampires and their abilities in this book. Bringing a fresh exciting take on an old idea. In this volume Andrew is trying to track down and kill his ex lover Mary, aka the Queen of the Damned. Who just happens to be an evil bitch wanting to feast on all of us non blood suckers. The supporting characters where enjoyable and well written for the most part. Although I'm really hoping they delve into the characters more on the next volume, as some of it feels a bit too rushed. The writers also add in some cameos to remind the reader that it is all going down in the new 52 universe. Most of it is done right, but I felt some of them where just put there simply to be there. The Constantine cameo is a prime example, with him being there long enough to establish who he is, but not long enough to make any impact on the story. And of course if anybody goes anywhere near Gotham city you know your going to see Batman, and this is no exception. I don't know if it was just me, but Batman's dialogue really didn't click in this. He kind of came off like a bit of a dick, more so than usual.
The art is what really makes this book stand out from any other in the new 52. Creating a dark atmosphere with dull colours and heavy use of black. It is a very unique looking book and I enjoyed the change from the norm.
Overall I would probably boost this up to 3.5 stars. It was an entertaining read and the end leaves you hanging, as should any ending. This book has it's flaws, but I enjoyed it enough to continue following it. Looking forward to seeing where they take this series next!
Andrew Bennett is a 600 year old vampire, who is sort of like DC's version of Blade. He doesn't feast on human blood, and he slays the ones that do. I really enjoyed the path they took with the vampires and their abilities in this book. Bringing a fresh exciting take on an old idea. In this volume Andrew is trying to track down and kill his ex lover Mary, aka the Queen of the Damned. Who just happens to be an evil bitch wanting to feast on all of us non blood suckers. The supporting characters where enjoyable and well written for the most part. Although I'm really hoping they delve into the characters more on the next volume, as some of it feels a bit too rushed. The writers also add in some cameos to remind the reader that it is all going down in the new 52 universe. Most of it is done right, but I felt some of them where just put there simply to be there. The Constantine cameo is a prime example, with him being there long enough to establish who he is, but not long enough to make any impact on the story. And of course if anybody goes anywhere near Gotham city you know your going to see Batman, and this is no exception. I don't know if it was just me, but Batman's dialogue really didn't click in this. He kind of came off like a bit of a dick, more so than usual.
The art is what really makes this book stand out from any other in the new 52. Creating a dark atmosphere with dull colours and heavy use of black. It is a very unique looking book and I enjoyed the change from the norm.
Overall I would probably boost this up to 3.5 stars. It was an entertaining read and the end leaves you hanging, as should any ending. This book has it's flaws, but I enjoyed it enough to continue following it. Looking forward to seeing where they take this series next!
May 24, 2012
The art is the most interesting of any of the books in the New 52. The covers, even once the regular artist starts doing them, never look nearly as good as the art inside the book. The art is always beautiful, even if the page is full of blood and monsters. While the art is gorgeous, sometimes it can be difficult to tell what is supposed to be happening. It isn't as much of a problem reading I, Vampire in a volume instead of single issues. The number of panels that are not very readable is less than the number of panels that are really stunning, so I would still consider the art a major advantage.
The story is very good, too. Fialkov seems to start with the assumption that the majority of readers will be unfamiliar with I, Vampire. More than any other series in the New 52, I, Vampire really feels like it is getting a fresh start. Mary is a great antagonist, and I really enjoyed getting to read some of her narration in issue #2. Andrew is a little flat as a character until we first start to see him interacting with other characters. Unfortunately, this volume ends with an issue that mainly serves to set up a cross-over with Justice League Dark and is a little underwhelming as an ending, even with a major twist in the last few pages.
One of the best parts of I, Vampire is trying to figure out how it fits into main DC Continuity. The appearance by Batman is my highlight of this volume. Fialkov is able to integrate him into the series seamlessly, and I was also impressed by how good Batman looked drawn in Sorrentino's style, especially as I was expecting and dreading something more ghoulish. The series hasn't yet answered all the questions that I have about how things fit together, but Fialkov seems more than capable of giving satisfying answers.
The story is very good, too. Fialkov seems to start with the assumption that the majority of readers will be unfamiliar with I, Vampire. More than any other series in the New 52, I, Vampire really feels like it is getting a fresh start. Mary is a great antagonist, and I really enjoyed getting to read some of her narration in issue #2. Andrew is a little flat as a character until we first start to see him interacting with other characters. Unfortunately, this volume ends with an issue that mainly serves to set up a cross-over with Justice League Dark and is a little underwhelming as an ending, even with a major twist in the last few pages.
One of the best parts of I, Vampire is trying to figure out how it fits into main DC Continuity. The appearance by Batman is my highlight of this volume. Fialkov is able to integrate him into the series seamlessly, and I was also impressed by how good Batman looked drawn in Sorrentino's style, especially as I was expecting and dreading something more ghoulish. The series hasn't yet answered all the questions that I have about how things fit together, but Fialkov seems more than capable of giving satisfying answers.
February 3, 2013
Knowing nothing of vampires in the DC universe, I decided to pick up this reboot comic. Having just finished it, I can definitely say I will be picking up the rest of the series.
The writing is really well done. The tale plays out really well, from start to finish there's an equal amount of action and plot. The characters are really well done, including the inclusion of Batman in the last part of the book. Each person is believable, their reactions are realistic, and you feel for each and every one of them.
And in this lies one of the shining elements of this comic. The book itself ends with a character element that left me swearing and cursing one of the characters for their actions. It takes a lot to involve me to that amount in a simple comic, and yet this one succeeded in doing that. In the final chapter, I was flipping from page to page hoping what I thought was going to happen wasn't going to happen.
The art is also very well done. The darker style suits the feel of the comic and helps to draw the reader into everything is happening. The color palette is black, grey with stark crimson splashes across the pages, helping to move the eye from one panel to the next. The lines are also sharper, aggressive, and this too plays to the plot of the story.
There isn't a lot wrong with this book. I am wondering what the other super heroes are doing while vampires are running amok around the world, cause after all, that's what the JLA is for isn't it?
In the end, if you like vampires and comics, this is for you. It takes a lot of the cliche out of the standard vampire story and creates something more. I look forward to reading more in this storyline.
The writing is really well done. The tale plays out really well, from start to finish there's an equal amount of action and plot. The characters are really well done, including the inclusion of Batman in the last part of the book. Each person is believable, their reactions are realistic, and you feel for each and every one of them.
And in this lies one of the shining elements of this comic. The book itself ends with a character element that left me swearing and cursing one of the characters for their actions. It takes a lot to involve me to that amount in a simple comic, and yet this one succeeded in doing that. In the final chapter, I was flipping from page to page hoping what I thought was going to happen wasn't going to happen.
The art is also very well done. The darker style suits the feel of the comic and helps to draw the reader into everything is happening. The color palette is black, grey with stark crimson splashes across the pages, helping to move the eye from one panel to the next. The lines are also sharper, aggressive, and this too plays to the plot of the story.
There isn't a lot wrong with this book. I am wondering what the other super heroes are doing while vampires are running amok around the world, cause after all, that's what the JLA is for isn't it?
In the end, if you like vampires and comics, this is for you. It takes a lot of the cliche out of the standard vampire story and creates something more. I look forward to reading more in this storyline.
November 22, 2012
“Я, вампир” – олдскульный стрип, выходивший в начале 80-х под обложкой хоррор-антологии “House of Mystery”. Никто из современных читателей не помнит этот шлак, но создатели “New 52” решили, что история вампира Эндрю Беннета обладает хорошим потенциалом для рынка. Не ошиблись. Первые два выпуска – отличные. Много жанровых клише и обычных банальностей, но качественный сценарий и самобытная графа позволяют смотреть на пошлость сквозь пальцы.
Главный герой линейки – 400-летний вампир Эндрю Беннет, отказавшийся много лет назад от человеческой крови. Беннет научился контролировать своего зверя, поэтому его миссия – очищать мир от себе подобных. Главный враг Эндрю – его чилд и любовница Мэри Сьюард. Уверенная, что вампирам пора выйти из тени и покорить человечество, Мэри создала армию себе подобных, с которыми планирует устроить на планете тотальную бойню.
Как я уже сказал, первые два выпуска – отличные. Третий – тоже неплохой, там появляются главные соратники героя на всю франшизу – профессор Джон Тротон и юная охотница Тиг Рафелсон. Но вот с четвертого выпуска начинаются проблемы в виде ебанутых кроссоверов. Сначала в историю приходит Джон Константин, потом Бэтмэн, после него большой толпой прибегает вся Темная Лига.
Без этого цирка с клоунами из нового комикса мог бы получиться отличный “вертиговский” продукт, но, увы, пока не срост.
Главный герой линейки – 400-летний вампир Эндрю Беннет, отказавшийся много лет назад от человеческой крови. Беннет научился контролировать своего зверя, поэтому его миссия – очищать мир от себе подобных. Главный враг Эндрю – его чилд и любовница Мэри Сьюард. Уверенная, что вампирам пора выйти из тени и покорить человечество, Мэри создала армию себе подобных, с которыми планирует устроить на планете тотальную бойню.
Как я уже сказал, первые два выпуска – отличные. Третий – тоже неплохой, там появляются главные соратники героя на всю франшизу – профессор Джон Тротон и юная охотница Тиг Рафелсон. Но вот с четвертого выпуска начинаются проблемы в виде ебанутых кроссоверов. Сначала в историю приходит Джон Константин, потом Бэтмэн, после него большой толпой прибегает вся Темная Лига.
Без этого цирка с клоунами из нового комикса мог бы получиться отличный “вертиговский” продукт, но, увы, пока не срост.
February 26, 2013
I really liked this, even though I am not a fan of the artwork, reminds me of Jae Lee.
I already knew this series was cancelled before reading this volume, reading it in the news makes me want to know why or what DC is thinking of?!. Joshua Fialkov did a great job writing this book, I do understand that for the past 15 years the comicbook industry has to survive at what really sells versus to fan favorites or cult favorites. I think it takes guts to say "Hey let's have this series run for 10 years and see what happens". After knowing the fact that Hellblazer ended its historic 25 year run, reading this and knowing it ended in issue #19 breaks my heart. With all the New 52 books that came out, this one stands out more than Batwoman or Justice League of America combined.
I think that the industry is similar to the pro sports business here in the U.S.A. no such thing as loyalty, As long as the book sells even it if the don't like it, they company does not care. I hope that Constantine and Justice League Dark would run for 5 years, but I doubt that. I also hope that Mr Fialkov would get a book that would make him write at least 30 issues.
Is there a Michael Brian Bendis who would write the same book for 10 years for DC?
I already knew this series was cancelled before reading this volume, reading it in the news makes me want to know why or what DC is thinking of?!. Joshua Fialkov did a great job writing this book, I do understand that for the past 15 years the comicbook industry has to survive at what really sells versus to fan favorites or cult favorites. I think it takes guts to say "Hey let's have this series run for 10 years and see what happens". After knowing the fact that Hellblazer ended its historic 25 year run, reading this and knowing it ended in issue #19 breaks my heart. With all the New 52 books that came out, this one stands out more than Batwoman or Justice League of America combined.
I think that the industry is similar to the pro sports business here in the U.S.A. no such thing as loyalty, As long as the book sells even it if the don't like it, they company does not care. I hope that Constantine and Justice League Dark would run for 5 years, but I doubt that. I also hope that Mr Fialkov would get a book that would make him write at least 30 issues.
Is there a Michael Brian Bendis who would write the same book for 10 years for DC?
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