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Vertoscope: A Villainous Collection by Many Devious Minds
VERTOSCOPE is an original comics anthology that specializes in beasts, villains, shadows, and anything else you might find by taking the wrong way home. The theme of the book is “antagonist as protagonist” — to look at things from the other side...
- GenresComicsGraphic Novels
221 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 31, 2017
Most of the stories weren't great. Some were illustrated quite capably, but not most of them
April 29, 2016
Nechama Frier is a friend, and I've met Ten Van Winkle, but I also really, really adored the idea behind this anthology: stories from a villain's perspective. The authors that contributed are very diverse and talented.
Glaskönigin by Ten Van Winkle: I aboslutely adored this little story. It set the tone for the anthology brilliantly. Her comments in the Process Work made it all the better.
The Devil's Dentist by Mady G: Teeth horror always gets me. The art style for this was cute (or as cute as it can be in this genre), but it was still creepy. The ending killed me.
The Bear and the Jester by Enoch: The story was interesting, but it was the art that really impressed me. The style was developed and very clean.
Taming You by Grace Park: Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.
Coping Mechanism by Ursula Wood and Jenn Doyle: Oooh, I liked this one too. That smack page! I've got a thing for EYES.
Tincture by One of Two: The art on this is great as well as the historical references (the costumes and cultures and iconography, oh my). I loved the POV character as well.
C-259 by Nechama Frier: I may be biased since I've been a fan of Nechama's artwork and stories for ages, but I absolutely loved this. The scale of the villainy plus the depth of the character, yes. Yes.
The Devil's Pupil by Ashley McCammon: The artwork on this is just...unf. I want to stare at it for hours.
Bear My Teeth by FATE: The workplace environment just makes this one all the sweet and satisfying.
The House of the Immaculate by Sey Vee: This one was pretty predictable, but it is a good classic horror plot.
Striker by Tim Stowell, Steph Stober, and Shazzbaa: Johnson! It's nice to see a non-supernatural story thrown in here too.
Witchweed by Ama: I loved the design of the witch. In Process Notes she mentions her inspiration, and all I can say is an unironic, "NAILED IT!"
Tails by Emilee McGlory: This was interesting too; it made me hungry.
Breakfast in Bed by Sarah Winifred Searle and Hannah Krieger: I've loved this one since I saw the preview. I loved the non-traditional roles in the relationship.
The Wonderful World of Wasps by Fal and Miru: I loved the cheery narrative of this juxtaposed against the gory monster-movie-esque artwork. The designs were pretty awesome.
I was thoroughly impressed, and I hope to see more from all these artists, and I hope that there are more anthologies to come.
Glaskönigin by Ten Van Winkle: I aboslutely adored this little story. It set the tone for the anthology brilliantly. Her comments in the Process Work made it all the better.
The Devil's Dentist by Mady G: Teeth horror always gets me. The art style for this was cute (or as cute as it can be in this genre), but it was still creepy. The ending killed me.
The Bear and the Jester by Enoch: The story was interesting, but it was the art that really impressed me. The style was developed and very clean.
Taming You by Grace Park: Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes.
Coping Mechanism by Ursula Wood and Jenn Doyle: Oooh, I liked this one too. That smack page! I've got a thing for EYES.
Tincture by One of Two: The art on this is great as well as the historical references (the costumes and cultures and iconography, oh my). I loved the POV character as well.
C-259 by Nechama Frier: I may be biased since I've been a fan of Nechama's artwork and stories for ages, but I absolutely loved this. The scale of the villainy plus the depth of the character, yes. Yes.
The Devil's Pupil by Ashley McCammon: The artwork on this is just...unf. I want to stare at it for hours.
Bear My Teeth by FATE: The workplace environment just makes this one all the sweet and satisfying.
The House of the Immaculate by Sey Vee: This one was pretty predictable, but it is a good classic horror plot.
Striker by Tim Stowell, Steph Stober, and Shazzbaa: Johnson! It's nice to see a non-supernatural story thrown in here too.
Witchweed by Ama: I loved the design of the witch. In Process Notes she mentions her inspiration, and all I can say is an unironic, "NAILED IT!"
Tails by Emilee McGlory: This was interesting too; it made me hungry.
Breakfast in Bed by Sarah Winifred Searle and Hannah Krieger: I've loved this one since I saw the preview. I loved the non-traditional roles in the relationship.
The Wonderful World of Wasps by Fal and Miru: I loved the cheery narrative of this juxtaposed against the gory monster-movie-esque artwork. The designs were pretty awesome.
I was thoroughly impressed, and I hope to see more from all these artists, and I hope that there are more anthologies to come.
April 21, 2016
This was a really good anthology. It's a collection of stories about villains, told from their perspectives. Most of them are really sympathetic. A few are truly evil. One is about goddamn wasps and that story should be burned with the same fire used to burn wasps. But the rest were great! As an anthology, there's a wide range of writing and art styles, which means that not all the stories will work for all readers, though I enjoyed them all. Most readers should be able to find plenty to enjoy here, too.
Interestingly, there's fewer stories than one might expect about villains having more fun. Several of the stories are truly tragic. Others are intense. My favourite might be the Magical Girl Villainess who believes she's doing what's necessary, but decides that if the Magical Girls will paint her as a villain, she will be a villain.
This is a very enjoyable anthology, and I definitely recommend it.
Interestingly, there's fewer stories than one might expect about villains having more fun. Several of the stories are truly tragic. Others are intense. My favourite might be the Magical Girl Villainess who believes she's doing what's necessary, but decides that if the Magical Girls will paint her as a villain, she will be a villain.
This is a very enjoyable anthology, and I definitely recommend it.
May 30, 2019
Most of the comics in this anthology have a definite "amateur" feel to them, with uneven art, layouts, writing, and pacing. That being said, there are a few standout stories that feature interesting interpretations of the theme of "villainy" and read smoothly as sequential art. My favorite piece was "Witchweed," which is essentially Sailor Moon as seen from Queen Beryl's perspective. I also enjoyed
"Bear My Teeth," in which a downtrodden office worker turns into a literal bear and devours her boss and coworkers after she is denied a promotion.
"Bear My Teeth," in which a downtrodden office worker turns into a literal bear and devours her boss and coworkers after she is denied a promotion.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews