I think it’s safe to say that many of us here at Multiversity were looking forward to the latest from Tim Seeley; his work on “Revival” is enough reason to buy anything. That said, Seeley and collaborator Joshua Scott Emmons are going for a decidedly different feel with “Ex Sanguine”, and those expecting the subtle chills that set “Revival” apart from other zombie titles may be disappointed. As you may have guessed from the cover, “Ex Sanguine” is high schlock and proud of it, wearing a love for B-movies of all decades on its sleeve, and while the focus on character is still there, some of the other aspects of this colourful horror comic fall flat.
Written by Tim Seeley & Joshua Scott Emmons
Illustrated by Tim SeeleyOne’s a natural born killer–a remorseless hunter restlessly prowling the night for victims to quench an unnatural bloodlust. The other’s a vampire. A bored vampire. His centuries of existence have left him world weary and detached, until one day his thirst is reinvigorated when the deadly and intricate work of the Sanguine Killer catches his eyes.
Saul Adams is a quieter sort of vampire, and those of you out there who are fans of Vertigo series “The New Deadwardians” might know what I’m talking about. More or less integrated into society, but highly dependent on habit, and not quite in control of his baser impulses, he’s a sombre guy in a suit who becomes unwillingly involved in the mystery of the Sanguine serial killer. He also keeps deep-sea fishes in an aquarium in his apartment, which is kind of a nice touch, and we get this, as well as a couple other character details, in an early interrogation scene. It’s here that we’re introduced to a pair of FBI agents investigating the series of murders, and some backstory with regards to one of the agents, while not paid off in this issue, certainly helps build the drama and implicate our poor vampire in the proceedings. Obviously a vampire isn’t the best thing to be when a murderer’s on the loose, and things get pretty twisty and intriguing after that.
It all culminates in a very well set up reveal, one which turns a lot of expectations on their heads and makes it well understood that Emmons and Seeley have no interest in penning a whodunnit. We get the identity of the murderer, with even a touch of backstory thrown in, and when it turns out that Saul and the murderer have a thing or two in common, it’s the potential for collaboration and/or friction between these personalities that gets the most emphasis. That said, the identity of the killer is something of a letdown — not because it’s unsurprising, exactly, but because the profile of this murderer is something we have all seen before, and the way this character is laid out is fairly conventional. It’s quite likely, of course, that Emmons and Seeley will surprise us yet again, and either show us a different side to this character or reveal that this person isn’t the murderer after all, but for the moment there’s something lacking here.
Seeley’s art in this issue has its strengths and weaknesses but overall does what it needs to do pretty well. The strongest panels are probably the most horrific ones, with Saul’s, erm, alternative form definitely upping the scare factor. The characterizations, meanwhile, are simplistic but clear, and keep the B-movie vibe going by incorporating a fair amount of cheesecake. The waitress Ashley gets some great glamour shots, and while the cut of her uniform is a bit inconsistent from panel to panel, her expressions and gestures are subtle and interesting. Lastly, there are occasional problems with getting action across: a panel in which Ashley tosses some cutlery onto a counter looks odd and static, and an earlier one in which a character accidentally stumbles through a doorway relies more on script clues to sell the humour of the moment.
Carlos Badilla’s colours, meanwhile, are wonderful, skewing bright and strong during the scarier scenes and dialing it back during quieter ones. One glance at that cover and you’ll know what I’m talking about; what says B-movie fun more loudly than orange and green?
While it’s definitely possible to look ahead in this series and guess as to what is going to come of the interaction between Saul and the murderer, the big twist in this issue demonstrates that Seeley and Emmons have some serious tricks up their sleeves. And so, while it may feel a little conventional at times, there may yet be an unusual horror story awaiting us all within the pages of “Ex Sanguine”. In the mean time, this issue is good (if occasionally simplistic) fun, and should appeal to the horror aficionados among us.
Final Verdict: 7.5 — A buy if you’re into the genre; otherwise, a browse
