Zeb Aslam
Apr 27, 2004, 01:05 am
<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ind/d@17bos1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ind/d@17bos1t.jpg" align=left alt="DEAD@17: BLOOD OF SAINTS #1"></a>Reviewer: Zeb Aslam, shrinkingleviathan@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Blood of Saints – Pt. 1
Nara Kilday and the gang return amid a bunch of crazy hijinks…those kooky kids!
Written By: Josh Howard
Pencilled By: Josh Howard
Inked By: Josh Howard
Colors By: Josh Howard
Letters By: Greg Gatlin
Publisher: Viper Comics
Truth be told…this issue completely slipped my notice. I loved the first Dead@17 series, and instantly became a big fan of Josh Howard upon reading it. I was looking forward to this follow-up mini…but with exams and a larger pull list then ever before, this got lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, my comic store owner managed to hold a copy for me and I finally got it a few days ago.
This series picks up approximately 3 months after the last series left off. Nara is now living with her best bud Hazy, who has had to drop out of school due to the events in the first series. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding Nara’s death and subsequent resurrection are being repeated…this time with a different girl.
Okay, this issue did one thing excellently; that was having a recap page. The major flaw with the first series was that lacking a recap page, it was very hard to tell what was going on as there were so many storylines starting and winding up simultaneously. This issue has an excellent recap page which deals with the back-story and thus allows the actual book to jump directly into the middle of the story. An excellent tactic, and very reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as many people have pointed out.
This book is following on the current trend of “season” books; this being “season 2” of this series. In this “season” we finally see how being “dead” is affecting Nara. The core cast, I’m glad to say, is much better this time around. When, before the characters acted somewhat wooden and it seemed as if the writer was unsure of his creations…this time around Howard seems to have a firm grasp of the individual characterizations and habits. Seeing Nara yearning for her parents, and coping with a life of near-isolation was very touching, and I thought very real. It was also a treat to see that Raddemer has not ben forgotten; my favorite character from the original series, I was disappointed at not seeing him this issue, but it was nice to see that Nara still thinks about him. Especially since her origins might very well be more than a little linked to him.
Finally the new characters introduced in this series thus far. Violet Grey, the girl to die this issue seems to be an interesting addition. The whole notion of a team of “Saints” such as Nara is quite appealing in itself, and makes me think more than a little that this series could quite conceivably develop an excellent mythology. Howard is taking the best aspects of all fantasy shows, books, and even recent comics, and combining them to create something entirely new, and absolutely excellent.
Coming to the art…here’s where the book fails me somewhat. I actually enjoyed the art before for its novelty, and originality, but Howard does not seem to have matured at all. I like to see the artists grow with their books. An excellent example is Andi Watson on Skeleton Key. You could actually tell how Watson was improving arc by arc and sometimes even issue by issue, but sadly I see no such progression here. Lacking that, I really did enjoy this issue’s coloring. The last series was plagued by weird coloring which severely affected the reading of it…thankfully this one has no such problem.
I also enjoyed Howard’s little touches. The disguise of Nara, the look of the demons, and most especially Malachi, all were excellently rendered. Malachi especially has a very unique character design, and is a very fascinating character. I would love to see a showdown between him and Raddemer, although I get the feeling they might already know each other.
Lately, I find myself drawn more and more towards independent publishers. Not to say anything against the super-hero industry, but it does get tiring to see people in tights beating the crap out of other people in tights. At those times I turn to books like Dead@17. It’s smart, funny, and most importantly, it is the best book out right now for people who want to read non-superhero titles but are afraid to try something completely different. This book has a very sci-fi/fantasy feel to it, but at the same time, it has fighting, and super-heroics…just of a different nature than most mainstream super-hero titles. I recommend it to everyone who misses Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or enjoys such teen drams as The O.C., or even if you’re a fan of an action show like Alias. Trust me, this book has something for fans of all these myriad genres, and most importantly, for fans of comics. So go out there and try something new, and let that new thing be Dead@17: Blood of Saints!!
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg
ISSUE OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg
Quick Rating: Very Good
Story Title: Blood of Saints – Pt. 1
Nara Kilday and the gang return amid a bunch of crazy hijinks…those kooky kids!
Written By: Josh Howard
Pencilled By: Josh Howard
Inked By: Josh Howard
Colors By: Josh Howard
Letters By: Greg Gatlin
Publisher: Viper Comics
Truth be told…this issue completely slipped my notice. I loved the first Dead@17 series, and instantly became a big fan of Josh Howard upon reading it. I was looking forward to this follow-up mini…but with exams and a larger pull list then ever before, this got lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, my comic store owner managed to hold a copy for me and I finally got it a few days ago.
This series picks up approximately 3 months after the last series left off. Nara is now living with her best bud Hazy, who has had to drop out of school due to the events in the first series. At the same time, the circumstances surrounding Nara’s death and subsequent resurrection are being repeated…this time with a different girl.
Okay, this issue did one thing excellently; that was having a recap page. The major flaw with the first series was that lacking a recap page, it was very hard to tell what was going on as there were so many storylines starting and winding up simultaneously. This issue has an excellent recap page which deals with the back-story and thus allows the actual book to jump directly into the middle of the story. An excellent tactic, and very reminiscent of Buffy the Vampire Slayer as many people have pointed out.
This book is following on the current trend of “season” books; this being “season 2” of this series. In this “season” we finally see how being “dead” is affecting Nara. The core cast, I’m glad to say, is much better this time around. When, before the characters acted somewhat wooden and it seemed as if the writer was unsure of his creations…this time around Howard seems to have a firm grasp of the individual characterizations and habits. Seeing Nara yearning for her parents, and coping with a life of near-isolation was very touching, and I thought very real. It was also a treat to see that Raddemer has not ben forgotten; my favorite character from the original series, I was disappointed at not seeing him this issue, but it was nice to see that Nara still thinks about him. Especially since her origins might very well be more than a little linked to him.
Finally the new characters introduced in this series thus far. Violet Grey, the girl to die this issue seems to be an interesting addition. The whole notion of a team of “Saints” such as Nara is quite appealing in itself, and makes me think more than a little that this series could quite conceivably develop an excellent mythology. Howard is taking the best aspects of all fantasy shows, books, and even recent comics, and combining them to create something entirely new, and absolutely excellent.
Coming to the art…here’s where the book fails me somewhat. I actually enjoyed the art before for its novelty, and originality, but Howard does not seem to have matured at all. I like to see the artists grow with their books. An excellent example is Andi Watson on Skeleton Key. You could actually tell how Watson was improving arc by arc and sometimes even issue by issue, but sadly I see no such progression here. Lacking that, I really did enjoy this issue’s coloring. The last series was plagued by weird coloring which severely affected the reading of it…thankfully this one has no such problem.
I also enjoyed Howard’s little touches. The disguise of Nara, the look of the demons, and most especially Malachi, all were excellently rendered. Malachi especially has a very unique character design, and is a very fascinating character. I would love to see a showdown between him and Raddemer, although I get the feeling they might already know each other.
Lately, I find myself drawn more and more towards independent publishers. Not to say anything against the super-hero industry, but it does get tiring to see people in tights beating the crap out of other people in tights. At those times I turn to books like Dead@17. It’s smart, funny, and most importantly, it is the best book out right now for people who want to read non-superhero titles but are afraid to try something completely different. This book has a very sci-fi/fantasy feel to it, but at the same time, it has fighting, and super-heroics…just of a different nature than most mainstream super-hero titles. I recommend it to everyone who misses Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or enjoys such teen drams as The O.C., or even if you’re a fan of an action show like Alias. Trust me, this book has something for fans of all these myriad genres, and most importantly, for fans of comics. So go out there and try something new, and let that new thing be Dead@17: Blood of Saints!!
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg
ISSUE OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vipnone.jpg