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Review: Vampire State Building #2

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Vampire State Building #2

Vampire State Building #2 is the horror film where I could care less about the characters beyond their tropes, and instead, just go with the flow and enjoy it. That’s not a bad thing at all and emphasizes the action more than anything.

Written by Agne and Patrick Renault, the Empire State Building has been taken over by vampires who have awakened their leader who was buried within. Trapped within the building are tourists who are now either being sacrificed or trying to escape.

The story follows a lot of tropes in many ways but it still works. The group work their way through the maze of the building while trying to not get caught. Every exit and plan looks like it has peril ahead. And that’s the real entertainment of the comic. How are they going to escape, if they do at all? The main cast of characters feel a little disposable and within the first two pages are removed one by one. And those deaths? I feel nothing. There’s a missing connection where I care if someone lives or dies in the comic. It’s an action film, all splash, little depth.

Charlie Adlard‘s art is solid as expected. Joined by Sébastien Gérard on colors, the art is Adlard’s usual style. He knows when to show the gore and when to hint at it and let our minds run wild. There’s also a lot of characters packed in no matter how insignificant their role and each look unique. I’d love to know how well Adlard captures the building though. It’d be an excellent addition in a collection edition.

Vampire State Building #2 reveals some history as to the vampires and there’s some wincing moments as far as that but when it comes to the basics, the story is a good one. This is more of a disaster film like the Poseiden Adventure than a vampire story. If you enjoy Adlard’s work or a slightly different vampire story, check the series out. It’s worth the read.

Story: Ange, Patrick Renault Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Sébastien Gérard
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.95 Overall: 7.6 Recommendation: Read

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Review: Vampire State Building #1

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Vampire State Building #1

Vampire State Building #1 is a new entry in the vampire genre and delivers enough originality to stand out. The debut issue does a solid job balancing the introduction of characters and the eventual chaos of vampires. The story in a nutshell, a mysterious space is discovered in the Empire State Building which sends out a call to vampires living in New York City who attack the building trapping everyone within.

Written by Ange and Patrick Renault the debut issue focuses on two things. First, we have an introduction to the various characters of the series. We get a good idea as to who they are and what they bring to the table. There are some tropes in there and so far the characters don’t have a lot of depth but hopefully, we get more than horror film cliches. The second thing about the issue is building tension.

There’s a great build-up in the issue. There’s a tension there. That begins with some of the interaction of the characters and then explodes during the eventual vampire attack. The use of the character strife to then transition into chaos is a great move. It really helps with the emotional rollercoaster of the issue. There’s also a smart focus on the chaos of the attack itself and keeping the readers on their toes with who dies and what exactly is going on. We experience the same chaos as those in the building. It’s also clear that anyone can die in this series as some of the introduced characters don’t make it.

Vampire State Building #1‘s big selling point is the art of Charlie Adlard, the artist behind The Walking Dead. There’s a familiarity in Adlard’s style so much so his characters feel like they could be in The Walking Dead. There’s both good and bad with that. If you enjoy Adlard’s style, it works. There’s nothing groundbreaking in panel use. But, Adlard hits the right beats much as he did with the more famous property.

Vampire State Building #1 is a solid debut issue. It’s not anything new or amazing but it’s just an entertaining start for those into this type of story. We’ll see where it goes in this tale of survival and hopefully it brings something different. The debut issue has done its job in getting me excited to see what’s next.

Story: Ange, Patrick Renault Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Sébastien Gérard
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review