American Vampire #27
Summary
The Nocturnes, part two, concludes last month’s story concerning Calvin Poole’s endeavours to protect his brother during the climate of racial segregation in the 1950’s. Yet, with the revelation of last month’s issue, this mission may have got a whole lot harder. Need I say it... there may be some vampires involved.
What I liked
· Enriching the lore: To me, the lore this series has created is essential to American Vampire’s popularity and success. Snyder creates a world where vampires are brought into a realistic setting with a large degree of logicality, which aids to explain variations of the vampire species in a plausible way. Although not essential to the narrative at hand, the most significant part of this issue, to me, is a phone call between Calvin Poole and, the head of the Vassals of the Morning Star, Linden Hobbes. During this conversation the term “vampire” is put into more contexts and the possibility of other gothic monsters, such as werewolves and zombies, becomes very likely within the confines of the story’s current lore.
· Historical Poignancy: Just like the rest of American Vampire, Snyder uses a significant point in American History as the backdrop to each story arc. However, I feel that just by saying that undersells a key part of this series. Not only is the setting of the story derivative of history, but also so is the tone and message of the story. This issue, specifically, deals with race and segregation, with the poignant message of not judging a book by its cover. Our hero, Calvin Poole is an outcast in more ways than one, and finds help from a somewhat unlikely crowd. Personally, I felt that the double entendre of line “But I saw something different here, in midway, and for now, that’s enough”, referring both to a new breed of monster and finding help in those he didn’t expect to, made the story feel meaningful in a subtle way.
· Characterisation: American Vampire does a good job of making each lead character feel different, equipped with their own personal problems and fears. This issue is no exception. Calvin Poole is different to Pearl Jones, who is different to Travis Kidd, who is different to Cash McCogan. It is this characterisation which adds to the feel of realism within a world of vampires and ghouls, and keeps the reader engaged.
What I didn’t like
· The art: I’m not one to criticise artistic talent, especially when it such a diverse and interpretive medium, unless it hampers my enjoyment of the narrative. Although the art wasn’t too ambiguous, I did find it hard to figure out how the anatomy of certain characters worked in some panels and, more importantly, what was actually happening in some scenes. It is worth noting that this is not the same art as in the previous issue.
· Random Scene: There was a random scene in this issue which didn’t seem to make much sense in relation to the rest of the story. Due to the art making it hard to identify if either of the characters had already been introduced before, this scene could be a flashback or further expanding the current situation. Either way, it last about two pages and, as far as I am aware, doesn’t add much to the story.
Verdict
When people get excited about American Vampire, they are getting excited about a standard far higher than this issue exemplifies, especially where the art is concerned. However, that said, this issue is very good, it simply isn’t American Vampire tuned up to eleven. It is these smaller story arcs which add richness to the world of American Vampire and help expand the fiction. I feel that if you are already reading this series you don’t need me to tell you to keep on reading. If you are just starting out with American Vampire, I recommend going back to the first issue (which you can now get in trade) and do the whole thing from the start; otherwise certain elements of texture may be lost on you.
7/10
