armstron@sjuvax.UUCP (L. Armstrong) (10/29/85)
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I happen to be at a small comic convention this week and met Richard Shanklin
who was autographing pre-release copies of his soon-to-hit-the-specialty-shops
min-series, "The Blood of the Innocent".
I picked up issues 1 and 2. That was all he was selling. But the series will
actually contain 4 WEEKLY issues -- yep, that's right WEEKLY! You will be
able to read the whole story within a month.
And let me tell you this. The story is certainly worth it! With out giving
anything away let me tell you this much: The story mixes fact with fiction.
The fact part deals with the rein of Jack the Ripper in merry old England
cerca 1888. The story uses one of the more popular beliefs as to Jack's
identity. (I won't say who here) The fiction comes from the use of
Translyvania's favorite son, Count Dracula, as a very nice comparison/contrast
to Jack.
The art also has an exciting news look to it. It's all done in beautiful,
full color, but the very drawings of the character themselves seem to take on
a truely unique flavor. It kind of reminded me of what Giffen had INTENDED
his Superman/Creeper cross over in D.C. presents to look like. WAIT though!!
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I thought Giffen's art in that
issue was good (On the contrary... it made my blood boil!) but what I am saying
is that I believe Giffen had an idea in his mind of what he wanted that issue
to look like... and if he could have done what he wanted... this would be close
to what he had in mind. The art in "Blood" was VERY GOOD indeed, but please,
judge this for yourself.
Now that we've covered art, let's talk plot-line for a moment. "Blood"
gives comics today something that's new and different. A very nice blend of
fact versus fiction. And what's more, Shaklin does this by adding new
dimensions to these legendary figures... and he does so without ruining any
image of them that already exists. He simply opens new dimensions around them,
and let's the audience see that there are two sides to every coin. Yes,
Dracula still remains a blood-sucking vampier, and Jack is still a murderer
of prostitutes, but we get a small look into their own rationalities and
thoughts, and it's just enough to really start us thinking.
Finally, the first two issues (and I assume the last two) also include essays
about Jack, the Count, and the legends behind them. And these essays make for
just as good reading as the story itself.
Oh well, that's all for my hype of the story. But I hope that others who get a
chance to read "Blood" will place their comments on the net as well. For me,
"Blood of the Innocent" is truely a wonderful piece... of LITERATURE... not
just another comic story.
--
NAME Len Armstrong
UUCP {astrovax | bpa | burdvax | allegra }!sjuvax!armstron
ORGANIZATIONS RCA Advanced Technology Labs
St. Joseph's University
PHONES (WORK) (609) 866-6647