Crimson: A Tale of Heaven & Earth

Crimson (collected editions) #2

by Brian Augustyn

Follows Alex Elder, a reluctant vampire, who is in search of his origins and his enemies.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Comic Book

Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Augustyn got his start in the industry in 1986 as an editor for Tru Studios' Trollords. He then edited Syphons and Speed Racer for NOW Comics in 1987. In 1988, he joined DC, starting out as a co-editor on Action Comics during its period as a weekly title.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s Augustyn was an editor for DC Comics, where he edited The Flash, Justice League and the Impact Comics line of titles.

Augustyn was recognized for his work in the industry with the Wizard Fan Award for Favorite Editor in 1994.
He served as the managing editor of Visionary Comics Studio.
As editor of The Flash beginning in 1989, Augustyn brought in Mark Waid as writer in 1992, which led to an acclaimed eight-year run. Under Augustyn's stewardship, the Flash was brought out from the shadow of his predecessors and increased his powers dramatically. Other Augustyn-Waid editor-writer partnerships included The Comet (DC/Impact, 1992) and Impulse (DC, 1995–1996).

Augustyn currently works as story editor for publisher Red Giant Entertainment and their Giant-Size Comics line of free print comic book titles which debuted on May 3, 2014 as part of Free Comic Book Day.[

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Simply a story I could not get through; after trying hard to make it through the first volume, the second volume was even tougher. I believe it has to do with the graphics, which were a little too "Japanime" for my tastes, and a story which seemed hokey as it pulled from legends of Adam/Eve, God/Devil.

[J.M. Giovine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing the adventures of young Alex Elder, this newest entry show us the inclusion of a new enemy for the Chosen One, the Templar Knights, who pretty much like the Red Hoods, are sworn to protect human kind against the forces of evil by any means necessary, with the difference of them being truth to God's will. My complain about the first volume relayed on the story being generic and by-the-books, in which these approaches we already saw a thousand times, and this is a title that came up before the Young Adult genre turn heavily popular in the early 2000s, but this still feels as something that belongs to that style. In here, while it still has that same vibe, the story decides to work around this new enemy, including the last-minute-reveal of the Mother of All Vampires, Lissette, who's around for like an issue and a half so there isn't that much to discuss about her... For now. I remember wanting more "Epic-Biblical" themes in the story, as the first volume introduced, and here the story goes into those territories, but without feeling as epic or as impactful as I would've wish. As expected, Scarlett starts to form a certain attachment towards Alex, in sort of a "Teenager sex-fantasy" that I wasn't surprise was included in the middle of this book. The most interesting character portrayed in here was Officer George, who in the first book promised to Alex's parents to find their son at all costs, however, he's now possessed by the spirit of the ancient warrior, Saint George, who in addition to the leader of the Templars, D'Orense, will attempt to capture and use Alex as the Chosen One in order to destroy the forces of Darkness. Ironically, the best issue in the volume was the first one; not to give anything away but there's angels, God and the Devil himself involved, and this is exactly what I wish this story would go. Don't get me wrong, I like seeing vampire and monster action, and I like bad-ass sexy femme fatales dressed as provocative as it goes, but I also like to be invested in a title, specially a comic book. Ramos's art remains the same, except he dedicates several panels to dialogues between characters, and that's fine, but one thing bothered me throughout these issues was the lack of action. As generic and standard as the first book went, it had tons of gore and vampire action, at times too much, but it was never boring. Here it seems he wanted a serious approach and, well, I respect that take, but the lack of action was a huge let down. Augustyn's writing remains exactly the same; too detailed and formal when it comes to dialogues, and too conventional for narrative purposes, but I do admit there's a certain cliffhangerish aspect of it I do enjoy and I do feel invested in. I guess this is heading to the right direction, and I do expect, at least the fourth book might seem like a big improvement, since I believe the third will be pretty much the same content, with the same lack of proper character treatment and development, and the same narrative structure that pretends way more importance and seriousness than it should. It still fun and has its moments, but I do expect this story could be the epic human-vs-vampire tale it has the potential of being.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slight improvement from the first volume as the cast of characters grows and the big picture becomes a little clearer.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humberto Ramos's dark fantasy series Crimson kicks into high gear in Heaven and Earth, the second (of four) volumes. In the first book, troubled teenager Alex Elder is turned into a vampire, and not just any vampire. Could he be the prophesied Chosen One that will end the vampires' cycle of destruction?

Heaven and Earth starts with the famous Christmas issue, which to this day remains one of my all-time favorite single-issue comics. In this issue Alex is put on trial by the Archangels of Heaven, and none other than Lucifer himself arrives to cast the deciding vote. This unforgettable issue is proof positive that Crimson was so much better than people realized. The rest of the book is non-stop action starting with Alex's kidnapping at the hands of the Templars, who embark on a crusade to purge New York City of all Darklings, no matter how many innocent bystanders are caught in the crossfire. Saint George, Ekimus, and Scarlet X all play key roles in this story, and by the end of the book Alex encounters his real enemy - the vampire queen Lisseth.

Ramos and Augustyn really shine here. The storytelling is action-packed, but very well thought out. There's obviously a greater plan for the series, and every event builds momentum for a major conflict that we still can't glimpse.

The artwork was amazing as usual. Ramos has a very unique style that draws from Arthur Adams's detailed X-Men work as well as Japanese anime, and it continues to evolve with each volume in this series. His characters look a lot more cartoony and stylized, but at the same time his action sequences and overall storytelling is more cinematic. The scenes where Archangel Michael and Lucifer draw down on each other and Saint George's battle with the Dragon are flat-out astonishing. The coloring is another huge plus. I don't think I've seen another series this vividly colored.

Crimson is pure gold for dark fantasy fans. Anyone who enjoys Harry Potter, the Dresden Files, Buffy, and/or Anita Blake should definitely check out Crimson.

[Rowal · Rating 5 out of 5]

TPB 2 of 4
Khidupan Alex Elder sbagai Vampire dan The Choosen One mulai smakin riweh!
Dia harus mengalami pengadilan dr para ArchAngels termasuk Lucifer, melawan para ksatria Templar, , mlawan Senator Vampire, mengungsi bersama para makhluk2 aneh, dan mnyelamatkan Ekimus dr tangan Lisseth, the Queen mother of all Vampires!


buku kedua makin SERU!!!
harus bacaaa!

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exceptionally good comic series. While the main character is a vampire the story is really more about the struggle between Heaven and Hell with the material Earth as the battleground. A host of celestial characters appear in the series: God, Satan, Lilith, Gabriel, St. George, The Archangel Michael..ect. Great read with very good artwork. Very Recommended

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volume 2 still features some cheese and juvenile qualities, but it is leaps and bounds better than the first one. The story is getting really good.

[Andre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things develop and get more interesting as more players are involved. Contains the best single-issue comic I've ever read (the first one).