Anyone who knows me and/or has been following this blog for any length of time know how much I enjoy comic books published by independent companies. The quality of the comics pushed by the bigger companies (DC and Marvel) has dropped drastically over the last several decades, and I don't enjoy their titles as much as I did when I first started reading comics. But small, independent companies who sell their books at small tables at small comic conventions many times offer much better stories than DC or Marvel could ever come up with today. I've noticed the Silverline books at a number of local conventions, but I never picked any up - until the recent Daytona Beach Comic Convention in September. Talking with Roland Mann, who had a display of various titles from the publisher, I saw the cover to the first issue of this series, and well - when they say "don't judge a book by its cover," let's say I've never really followed that rule!
Twilight Grimm captured my attention first because of its main character featured on the cover. The man with the shoulder-length brown hair, holding up a lighted object in his right hand, wearing a long, gray overcoat. At first glance, I would have sworn this was the Eighth Doctor, as portrayed by Paul McGann (c'mon - tell me you've seen Doctor Who, yes?!). Roland Mann was quick to correct me, as this man was the title character of the book - a destroyer of vampires and protector of the innocent, in a world where the powerful - both in money and influence - prey upon the weak. Not exactly a new concept. I mean, let's face reality - there have been plenty of books, movies, television shows, and comics that deal with vampire hunters over the course of the last century or more. But that Doctor Who-esque cover definitely had me intrigued, and since it was only a four-issue mini-series, I decided to give it a try.
Second, let's look at the overall story. Hallowed Heights is a city living in peace and comfort. But beware - if you break the law, you face stiff penalties - including being outcast from the protective walls of the city, forced to face the run down outskirts of Hallowed Heights, which are filled with despair and death, having been completely taken over by the vampires. The humans who do live outside the walls of Hallowed Heights live in constant fear. And the vampires who live there are always looking for new prey - new food - fresh blood! A young woman - a thief - is thrust out into the blood zone as the sentence for her crime. She quickly discovers that her time there may be short, as she is chased by hungry vampires - only to be rescued at the last moment by the man in the overcoat ... a man carrying a shining cross, a gun, and some very special knives. The vampires fear him. The humans seek his protection. And for young Suzi Q (yes, that is her name), he is her savior. For the night, anyway. At the same time, another young woman is enjoying what she believes to be a wild night at a club in the blood zone. When her car is attacked as she is preparing to leave, only Grimm can save her. And last, but not least, is the young vampire woman who steps out of the shadows to warn Grimm. Scarlet - a vampire who loves Grimm - has come to warn him that war is coming, as her vampire brethren are preparing to launch an all-out war against the humans in Hallowed Heights!
That's quite a bit of story for just the first issue, which, for me, was a nice surprise. So many of today's mainstream comics are easily read in under five minutes because they are filled with huge splash pages or two- to three-panel pages with the focus on the art and less on the story. Twilight Grimm, however, gives readers a feast of story and art that will take the reader a bit more than just five minutes to enjoy. In the second issue, we learn about Grimm's "origin" story, as well as why the priest in the blood zone stays there to help him. The third issue sets up the events for the final battle, and in the fourth issue, we get a superbly written and drawn climactic fight between the vampires and the humans ... the rich and the poor ... the haves and the have-nots ... the righteous and the evil. Not all vampires are bad and not all humans are good, and this story brings across that point beautifully. And while that final conflict seems to bring to conclusion the initial battle, it is definitely not the end of the war. The four issues tell a complete story, but there is definitely room left for more stories to come!
I have to give the writer, R.A. Jones, credit for coming up with a unique take on an old concept. I know it's not easy to do, but Jones provides readers with an intriguing story with characters who are anything but stereotypes. And I am SO grateful Jones followed the old-school writers and provided a background story that didn't require a six-issue arc to tell - instead, he provides readers with everything they need to know about Grimm in just a few pages. As for the other characters, readers get to learn more about them as the story progresses, in a natural way, and I'm sure there is still plenty more to learn about all of the supporting cast (a writer has to save something for future stories, right?). The art, by Rob Davis, works well with the story, and Davis has a pretty good grasp on facial expressions - issue one alone provides plenty of perfect examples: Suzi's hopelessness on page 1, panel 3 ... her fear on page 4, panel 6 ... Ms. Dupree's high on page 17, panel 2, just to name a few. And the crowded club scene on page 16! That page truly sparkles with life! If there is a follow-up mini-series to this one, they better keep Davis as the artist!
Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read. With quality books like this, Silverline is sure to rise quickly in the comic book world!
RATING: 9 balloons filled with holy water out of 10 for opening up a whole new world of vampire vs. human warfare with a new kind of slayer!
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