Trumps - a Silverline Comics mini-series

This is now the second series I have read from the Silverline comics company, and I must say, I have been impressed with everything I've read so far.  Silverline may be a small company at this point, but if they keep publishing things like this and Twilight Grimm, I have no doubt they will begin to pick up steam.  And before we go any further, let's make it clear that the name of this series has absolutely nothing to do with the 45th President of the United States of America.  No doubt, some who see the title will immediately think that, particularly since there have been some comic companies who have published parody comics utilizing Donald Trump as either a hero or a villain.  No, this comic has nothing to do with Donald Trump at all - the title comes from ... well, let's get to that later ...

Trumps is a four-issue series written by Roland Mann, the former editor of the Malibu line of comics back in the day.  Interestingly enough, the four issue series has four different artists - Athony Pereira pencilled issue one; Thomas Hedglen pencilled issue two; Quintin Bedwell provided the art for issue three; and Peter Clinton pencilled issue four.  It may seem odd that such a short series would utilize four different artists, but when you consider the concept for the book, then it makes sense.  As Mann explains in the introduction on the inside front cover of the first issue:

The Trumps title actually comes from card playing games ... many games include the use of "trumps," a suit that has the ability to win against other suits when it comes to catching the cards in a hand for points ...

Thus, the series deals with the four kingdoms residing on a world known simply as "The Deck." There are, of course, the kingdom of diamonds, the kingdom of hearts, the kingdom of spades, and the kingdom of clubs - four kingdoms, or houses if you will, that are waiting for the next shuffle, at which time a new house takes over as Trumps.  And the new Trumps maintain power until the next shuffle ... but, as with any world, some people don't want to wait for that power, and if that means fighting to attain status as Trumps, then let there be war!  As with any kingdom, there is a hierarchy - the king, the queen, the jack, and so on down to the lowest man on the totem pole, the deuce.  And each house has its own Ace, who is the highest power of all - but in this tale, the Aces aren't particularly fond of the petty battles among the houses, so they hang out with the Joker in a castle that maintains neutrality (or so they think...)

While Mann says the story incorporates references to the game play of Pinochle, Shanghai Rummy, Kings Reverse, and other card games, I'll admit that I did not really catch any of those.  My card game of choice is Canasta, which does not have any "trump" cards.  But that did not take away from my enjoyment of the story at all.  Aside from all of the card references, the story is one of human nature - love and loss ... battle and betrayal ... war and weaknesses.  One king must face the death of his queen, as his jack lies in bed with the queen of another house.  One queen is disgusted by her king's lackadaisical attitude and must force her jack into battle before he is ready.  One king is determined to take the power of the Trump.  And amidst the battles and confusion, one Joker has set a plan in motion that could result in an unexpected turn of events.

 

Now, with these things in mind, it is easy to see why Mann decided to go with a different artist for each issue - four houses, four issues, four artists.  The artists are each unique, but their styles are not so different that it distracts from the story.  Of them all, I have to admit that Pereira (issue one) and Hedglen (issue two) are probably my favorite, as their styles are very clean, with facial expressions so exact, you don't even need dialogue or text boxes to know what a character is thinking or feeling.  But I give them all credit, as the costumes and the backgrounds stay consistent throughout all four issues, and as the series progresses and the battles become more intense, the art becomes a bit grittier and darker to fit the tone of the story.

 

In a way, this series reminds me somewhat of DC's Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld series from back in the '80s. That comic dealt with the various houses of Gemworld - such as Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Onyx, Opal, etc. and told stories of the battles among the various rulers in an effort to keep the peace and defeat those who would usurp power out of turn.  In this series, we get the four suits from a deck of cards facing similar situations, and while there are no plans at present for more stories, I would definitely love to see future tales set on The Deck.

If you haven't check out Silverline's line of comics, I would definitely recommend you do.  Great stories and art that deserve notice!

RATING:  9 unwanted crowns and scepters out of 10 for a fantastic new comic that takes readers on a fun ride through a world of diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades!  (And we're not even in Wonderland!)

Twilight Grimm - a Silverline Comics mini-series

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.

First, let's think about that name.  Twilight Grimm.  I have to wonder if the name is a combination of two popular vampire/monster-related properties.  Twilight, obviously, was the teen-vampire books turned films that were popular a few years back.  Thankfully, though, the vampires in this comic do not "sparkle."  Grimm, on the other hand, was an excellent television show about a descendant of the Brothers Grimm who hunted down the monsters that lived in the real world, hiding behind veils so normal people could not see them for what they were.  Put the two names together, and you have a vampire/monster hunter! Hmmmmm...

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!