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The Reformed
“I cannot die. But I cannot live. Let me go.
Remove this curse of eternal life!”
Handsome, wealthy, respected, Giancarlo has lived for hundreds of years, surrounded by splendor, shrouded in darkness, and enslaved by the insatiable hunger lurking inside him. In the glittering ballrooms where the privileged gather, he moves with cool elegance. But in the desolate alleys where the undead feed, he preys with murderous intent. Immortality is his, but love never will be–only an eternity of loneliness, filled with the blood of innocent victims.
But Jenny won’t be one of them. Something about this beautiful young woman stirs feelings in Giancarlo that he hasn’t known for centuries. For her, he will defy his dark brethren and fight to be mortal again. But he is a marked man. Ghoulish murders plaguing the city have made him the target of a relentless homicide cop. And a far more dangerous enemy–one of unspeakable brutality and bloodlust–hovers even closer . . . determined to annihilate Giancarlo and his last chance for salvation.
Remove this curse of eternal life!”
Handsome, wealthy, respected, Giancarlo has lived for hundreds of years, surrounded by splendor, shrouded in darkness, and enslaved by the insatiable hunger lurking inside him. In the glittering ballrooms where the privileged gather, he moves with cool elegance. But in the desolate alleys where the undead feed, he preys with murderous intent. Immortality is his, but love never will be–only an eternity of loneliness, filled with the blood of innocent victims.
But Jenny won’t be one of them. Something about this beautiful young woman stirs feelings in Giancarlo that he hasn’t known for centuries. For her, he will defy his dark brethren and fight to be mortal again. But he is a marked man. Ghoulish murders plaguing the city have made him the target of a relentless homicide cop. And a far more dangerous enemy–one of unspeakable brutality and bloodlust–hovers even closer . . . determined to annihilate Giancarlo and his last chance for salvation.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2008
4 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Hart
155 books205 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
I started drawing character designs and storyboards for a small animation studio in while in High School. Cartooning and animation was a magical experience to me. I try to bring that experience, as well as art tips, to my readers. Their enthusiasm also motivates me.
Early in my career, my cartoon work got noticed by Watson-Guptill, a premier publisher of art books. They asked me to do a book for them on drawing cartoons. It sold 200,000 copies, which is a healthy number. So we kept going. I discovered that I enjoyed the art of creating books, which has its own special requirements. I also worked as an author for Random House, Quarto and Soho Publishing. In total, I have had 8 million books sold, and have been translated into 20 languages.
My book, "The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates" has sold over half a million copies to date and is still very actively in print. An earlier book of mine, "Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics:" reached the number one art book in the country, according to Bookscan.
I've also been a cover story on the industry trade magazine, "Publisher's Weekly." And if you've read this far into my Bio, then I'm more impressed with you than you are with me!
Thank you so very much for letting me offer some inspiration to you in your art adventures.
Christopher Hart
I started drawing character designs and storyboards for a small animation studio in while in High School. Cartooning and animation was a magical experience to me. I try to bring that experience, as well as art tips, to my readers. Their enthusiasm also motivates me.
Early in my career, my cartoon work got noticed by Watson-Guptill, a premier publisher of art books. They asked me to do a book for them on drawing cartoons. It sold 200,000 copies, which is a healthy number. So we kept going. I discovered that I enjoyed the art of creating books, which has its own special requirements. I also worked as an author for Random House, Quarto and Soho Publishing. In total, I have had 8 million books sold, and have been translated into 20 languages.
My book, "The Master Guide to Drawing Anime: How to Draw Original Characters from Simple Templates" has sold over half a million copies to date and is still very actively in print. An earlier book of mine, "Manga Mania: How to Draw Japanese Comics:" reached the number one art book in the country, according to Bookscan.
I've also been a cover story on the industry trade magazine, "Publisher's Weekly." And if you've read this far into my Bio, then I'm more impressed with you than you are with me!
Thank you so very much for letting me offer some inspiration to you in your art adventures.
Christopher Hart
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 28, 2025
I liked the art, particularly the depictions of Giancarlo. But the story was pretty bad.
February 17, 2014
The Reformed is pretty much your typical vampire romance story: brooding vampire meets human girl and the story goes off from there.
While the idea is not original, despite Chris Hart apparently thinking it is based on the blurb in the back, and the story in general is packed full of cliches and stupidity, there are some gem of ideas.
Let's start with the good.
The first thing I have to note which I personally find interesting is that Jenny, our heroine, is hinted at being a stripper or prostitute. Hart doesn't go into much detail if it's either or but there are subtle indicators throughout the book: the way she dresses, her readiness to go to bed with Giancarlo (the vampire) and her acquaintanceship with some pretty raunchy women. This is somewhat refreshing. Jenny is neither a plain Jane living an easy life, a fighter or a high-class society lady. No, she's just simply a would-be singer who fell down on her luck and is making a living working in a real demeaning occupation. She's not the kind of girl most readers can probably relate to but it does make her more interesting.
Hart also does make an effort to explain some interesting facts about Giancarlo. It is revealed he makes money off trading on the Asian Market, which is why he has to be awake during the night due to time zone differences. Also rather than being changed into a vampire, he inherited it along with his wealth.
Hart also explains why the police force is so incompetent: turns out it's rigged by the mayor who is running for re-election. While not the best explanation ever, it does give us a back drop as to why Detective Frost has trouble pursuing the vampire killings.
One last thing I have to give Hart props to is the character of Blue. While not totally original, I feel refreshed to see an African American body guard who is neither bishonen (pretty boy) or entirely stereotypical.
Character wise, the dialogue is quite good on some parts. Detective Frost has by far the best dialogue but there are good lines throughout.
The art is also pretty well drawn on some parts while passable most of the time.
Now the bad.
And boy, does it get bad. From the very first few pages we see a punk trying to mug Jenny. . . Dressed as a golfer. I kid you not, he looks like a golfer! What thug would ever dress like that in this day and age?
The book is just full of inconsistencies. The first really bad one is the whole sub-conflict of Giancarlo murdering some thugs at a diner. Now note that: DINER. Got that noted? GOOD. This diner is also incredibly unrealistic for one straight reason--the damn waiter was a smoking THUG. WHAT DINER would ever hire such a man? So this thug waiter brings some other random thug with him to beat up Giancarlo so they could do the nasty with Jenny but Giancarlo promptly shanks one with a knife and pummels the other to the ground.
Here is where the inconsistency starts. When Blue mentions the murder he calls it a COFFEE SHOP. A COFFEE SHOP AND DINER ARE NOT THE SAME, MR. HART. Blue also states there were no witnesses yet the earlier panels CLEARLY show people there. How can there NOT be witnesses? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.
But the most jarring problem this book has is its pacing. Literally Giancarlo falls for Jenny in less than two bloody days. I'm guessing that Chris Hart tried to shove in as much story into less than 200 pages as possible but it removes a suspension of belief and makes it difficult for us to connect with the romance between Giancarlo and Jenny. They literally make love on the first damn night! Well I suppose that makes sense if Jenny is a prostitute. . . But that leads into another problem.
While I praise the fact Hart gives Jenny such a shady occupation rather than making her a school girl or some such bullshit, he never clearly defines whether she's a stripper or a prostitute. We get she's working at a club but she has prostitute friends? It seems Hart can't tell the difference. We also don't see why Giancarlo falls for Jenny. He looks at her and immediately takes an interest. Is it because she's not scared of him? It's all pretty vague.
If you love plot holes well then you're going to love this book! This book ends with so much unexplained it's ridiculous. We never know who the hell Giancarlo was yelling at on pg. 71 and that whole plot point about the "kiss of death" is never brought up again. Urso, our main antagonist who's a vampire vengeful of Giancarlo's betrayal, is as one sided as it gets. All we know about him is just his beef against Giancarlo and that he's incredibly sadistic and powerful. There's not much else. We don't know much more about him and I feel like neither does Hart himself. It's also hinted Giancarlo can read minds but this only happens in the beginning. I'm assuming he loses this ability as he refuses to feed but it's something I wish Hart would delve more into.
Sometimes the art just gets really bad, like Anzu said "*$#& it" and scribbled all over the paper. More consistency on the art would have been a plus considering that Anzu clearly has more skill than what she showed drawing this book.
And last thoughts. . .
While not the worst thing I've ever read, it's clearly not anything special. The ending is pretty unexpected but passable and gives open the possibility of a sequel. It's not a good book but it's a decent read just for the sheer amount of bad you can find in it to the point that it's humorous.
Check it out in your own risk. . . If you dare! *Dracula laugh*
While the idea is not original, despite Chris Hart apparently thinking it is based on the blurb in the back, and the story in general is packed full of cliches and stupidity, there are some gem of ideas.
Let's start with the good.
The first thing I have to note which I personally find interesting is that Jenny, our heroine, is hinted at being a stripper or prostitute. Hart doesn't go into much detail if it's either or but there are subtle indicators throughout the book: the way she dresses, her readiness to go to bed with Giancarlo (the vampire) and her acquaintanceship with some pretty raunchy women. This is somewhat refreshing. Jenny is neither a plain Jane living an easy life, a fighter or a high-class society lady. No, she's just simply a would-be singer who fell down on her luck and is making a living working in a real demeaning occupation. She's not the kind of girl most readers can probably relate to but it does make her more interesting.
Hart also does make an effort to explain some interesting facts about Giancarlo. It is revealed he makes money off trading on the Asian Market, which is why he has to be awake during the night due to time zone differences. Also rather than being changed into a vampire, he inherited it along with his wealth.
Hart also explains why the police force is so incompetent: turns out it's rigged by the mayor who is running for re-election. While not the best explanation ever, it does give us a back drop as to why Detective Frost has trouble pursuing the vampire killings.
One last thing I have to give Hart props to is the character of Blue. While not totally original, I feel refreshed to see an African American body guard who is neither bishonen (pretty boy) or entirely stereotypical.
Character wise, the dialogue is quite good on some parts. Detective Frost has by far the best dialogue but there are good lines throughout.
The art is also pretty well drawn on some parts while passable most of the time.
Now the bad.
And boy, does it get bad. From the very first few pages we see a punk trying to mug Jenny. . . Dressed as a golfer. I kid you not, he looks like a golfer! What thug would ever dress like that in this day and age?
The book is just full of inconsistencies. The first really bad one is the whole sub-conflict of Giancarlo murdering some thugs at a diner. Now note that: DINER. Got that noted? GOOD. This diner is also incredibly unrealistic for one straight reason--the damn waiter was a smoking THUG. WHAT DINER would ever hire such a man? So this thug waiter brings some other random thug with him to beat up Giancarlo so they could do the nasty with Jenny but Giancarlo promptly shanks one with a knife and pummels the other to the ground.
Here is where the inconsistency starts. When Blue mentions the murder he calls it a COFFEE SHOP. A COFFEE SHOP AND DINER ARE NOT THE SAME, MR. HART. Blue also states there were no witnesses yet the earlier panels CLEARLY show people there. How can there NOT be witnesses? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.
But the most jarring problem this book has is its pacing. Literally Giancarlo falls for Jenny in less than two bloody days. I'm guessing that Chris Hart tried to shove in as much story into less than 200 pages as possible but it removes a suspension of belief and makes it difficult for us to connect with the romance between Giancarlo and Jenny. They literally make love on the first damn night! Well I suppose that makes sense if Jenny is a prostitute. . . But that leads into another problem.
While I praise the fact Hart gives Jenny such a shady occupation rather than making her a school girl or some such bullshit, he never clearly defines whether she's a stripper or a prostitute. We get she's working at a club but she has prostitute friends? It seems Hart can't tell the difference. We also don't see why Giancarlo falls for Jenny. He looks at her and immediately takes an interest. Is it because she's not scared of him? It's all pretty vague.
If you love plot holes well then you're going to love this book! This book ends with so much unexplained it's ridiculous. We never know who the hell Giancarlo was yelling at on pg. 71 and that whole plot point about the "kiss of death" is never brought up again. Urso, our main antagonist who's a vampire vengeful of Giancarlo's betrayal, is as one sided as it gets. All we know about him is just his beef against Giancarlo and that he's incredibly sadistic and powerful. There's not much else. We don't know much more about him and I feel like neither does Hart himself. It's also hinted Giancarlo can read minds but this only happens in the beginning. I'm assuming he loses this ability as he refuses to feed but it's something I wish Hart would delve more into.
Sometimes the art just gets really bad, like Anzu said "*$#& it" and scribbled all over the paper. More consistency on the art would have been a plus considering that Anzu clearly has more skill than what she showed drawing this book.
And last thoughts. . .
While not the worst thing I've ever read, it's clearly not anything special. The ending is pretty unexpected but passable and gives open the possibility of a sequel. It's not a good book but it's a decent read just for the sheer amount of bad you can find in it to the point that it's humorous.
Check it out in your own risk. . . If you dare! *Dracula laugh*
November 1, 2018
Αρκετά καλό και προσεγμένο σχέδιο και συμπαθητική ιστορία με βαμπίρ, η οποία όμως δεν έχει ίχνος πρωτοτυπίας. Η πλοκή ίσως προχωρά λίγο γρήγορα σε ορισμένα σημεία, αλλά αυτό είναι λογικό αν αναλογιστεί κανείς ότι πρόκειται για έναν τόμο που δεν συνεχίζεται. Σε γενικές γραμμές η ανάγνωση είναι ευχάριστη και λίγη ώρα αρκεί για να το τελειώσει κανείς και να πάει παρακάτω.
November 13, 2019
It was just meh all I will say.
April 6, 2026
lol despite being so cliche, the author seems to think he came up with something revolutionary. this book was nothing but mid. (sorry that was mean but it is my opinion 😭)
October 7, 2016
It was an all right one shot :) i was kinda expecting more but not to bad!! The art's pretty good too!!
October 19, 2016
Are you frightened, Jenny?
I don’t know. Should I be?
As one of the dozens of vampire manga that flourished during the post-Twilight boom, THE REFORMED does little to stand out amongst its peers. But when said peers lower the bar of expectations to begin with, it’s hard not to look fondly at a title that actually manages to be a competent, if predictable, story.
The book is a standalone that owes its roots to stories like INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, and most of the focus is on the horror of being a blood-thirsty, if unwilling, murderer. The story follows Giancarlo, an aristocratic vampire who ends up following in love with one of his intended victims. While Giancarlo struggles with his bloodthirsty nature and desire to be with a mortal, a series of vampiric murders of local prostitutes has set the local police’s best detective on Giancarlo’s trail. In other words, it’s literally any vampire romance published in the last decade. Minus the sparkles.
Unlike many other vampire manga, the world of THE REFORMED is very adult, and doesn’t shy away from depicting death and blood. Its world, meanwhile, blends the Victorian gothic and hard punk aesthetic. Anzu is a fantastic artist, sadly one who’s only known in the mainstream for being the artist behind the “X-Men: Misfits” manga, which suffered from such rampant piracy that it was cancelled after one volume and basically killed her career as an artist. Either way, here she balances the dark grittiness of the crime drama with the shojo aspects of Giancarlo’s romance, all while giving the world a unique touch to behold. The result is dark and gorgeous, certainly worth buying for the art alone.
It’s a touch ironic given that the story is written by Christoper Hart, infamous for his many, many terribad “How to Draw Manga” books.
THE REFORMED is a serviceable vampire story, and certainly worth a look if you need something to scratch your inner vampire itch. There’s something in it for everyone, be it the art, dark romance, or crime drama at its core.
I don’t know. Should I be?
As one of the dozens of vampire manga that flourished during the post-Twilight boom, THE REFORMED does little to stand out amongst its peers. But when said peers lower the bar of expectations to begin with, it’s hard not to look fondly at a title that actually manages to be a competent, if predictable, story.
The book is a standalone that owes its roots to stories like INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, and most of the focus is on the horror of being a blood-thirsty, if unwilling, murderer. The story follows Giancarlo, an aristocratic vampire who ends up following in love with one of his intended victims. While Giancarlo struggles with his bloodthirsty nature and desire to be with a mortal, a series of vampiric murders of local prostitutes has set the local police’s best detective on Giancarlo’s trail. In other words, it’s literally any vampire romance published in the last decade. Minus the sparkles.
Unlike many other vampire manga, the world of THE REFORMED is very adult, and doesn’t shy away from depicting death and blood. Its world, meanwhile, blends the Victorian gothic and hard punk aesthetic. Anzu is a fantastic artist, sadly one who’s only known in the mainstream for being the artist behind the “X-Men: Misfits” manga, which suffered from such rampant piracy that it was cancelled after one volume and basically killed her career as an artist. Either way, here she balances the dark grittiness of the crime drama with the shojo aspects of Giancarlo’s romance, all while giving the world a unique touch to behold. The result is dark and gorgeous, certainly worth buying for the art alone.
It’s a touch ironic given that the story is written by Christoper Hart, infamous for his many, many terribad “How to Draw Manga” books.
THE REFORMED is a serviceable vampire story, and certainly worth a look if you need something to scratch your inner vampire itch. There’s something in it for everyone, be it the art, dark romance, or crime drama at its core.
November 18, 2015
The Reformed is a gothic tale about a vampire with a conscious. He decides that he no longer wants to live the life of a vampire. I had a little problem with this. Vampires are the undead. They do not have a soul, which is why they can kill humans so easily. they feel no remorse. They cannot fall in love. Yet, Giancarlo does, which is why he wants to change.
I was reading the Afterward by Christopher Hart and he talks about how he had an idea breeze past his brain to have a vampire with a conscious and how this idea intrigued him. I had to laugh out loud. In 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired on television and ran for seven years. One of the main characters was Angelus "Angel", a vampire who had gotten his soul back because of a gypsy curse. On his spinoff show Angel, David Boreanaz continued playing Angelus and he would hunt down other demons and kill them while helping out humans. Hmmm . . . Giancarlo sounds strangely familiar.
Other than this obvious parallel, I quite enjoyed The Reformed. The storytelling was quite good and the artwork was good. I felt that the manga, although it was very detailed, seemed a little primitive, like Anzu is a new artist and hasn't quite got it all down yet. At least, that is what I felt. It may not be true. Still, even with all these minor things, I really enjoyed the book. I read it all in one sitting and was a little bummed that it is a one-shot. I did like all of the characters and the book ends with an interesting twist.
Overall, The Reformed is a great manga book and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves books about vampires.
I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.
I was reading the Afterward by Christopher Hart and he talks about how he had an idea breeze past his brain to have a vampire with a conscious and how this idea intrigued him. I had to laugh out loud. In 1997, Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired on television and ran for seven years. One of the main characters was Angelus "Angel", a vampire who had gotten his soul back because of a gypsy curse. On his spinoff show Angel, David Boreanaz continued playing Angelus and he would hunt down other demons and kill them while helping out humans. Hmmm . . . Giancarlo sounds strangely familiar.
Other than this obvious parallel, I quite enjoyed The Reformed. The storytelling was quite good and the artwork was good. I felt that the manga, although it was very detailed, seemed a little primitive, like Anzu is a new artist and hasn't quite got it all down yet. At least, that is what I felt. It may not be true. Still, even with all these minor things, I really enjoyed the book. I read it all in one sitting and was a little bummed that it is a one-shot. I did like all of the characters and the book ends with an interesting twist.
Overall, The Reformed is a great manga book and I highly recommend it to anyone that loves books about vampires.
I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.
June 28, 2013
Not bad. This OEL manga is a real page turner. Art is also good, so it's quite a nice book, especially for vampire lovers.
January 28, 2009
Eh, another unoriginal vampire loves human story. The artwork is beautiful, though.
May 18, 2017
Pending
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews