Written by Laurell K. Hamilton & Adapted by Jess Ruffner
Art by Ron Lim; Laura Villari; Bill Tortolini; & Mayela Gutierrez
Cover Art by Brett Booth & Andrew Dalhouse
SUMMARY:
Published by Marvel Comics for March 2011, it’s the lead-off for a five-part mini-series adapting another portion of Laurell K. Hamilton’s novel, Circus of the Damned. Examining a nude female corpse in an isolated park, Anita Blake and the St. Louis police realize they have found their vampire serial killer’s second victim. Chillingly, Anita concludes that her prior determination re: the first victim was wrong — victim Calvin Rupert will rise as a vampire that very night.
Racing to a heavily-secured St. Louis hospital morgue, Anita and the police carefully conduct an interior search that leads them to two ultra-grisly corpses and a trail of bloody footprints. Joined by Anita’s associate, John Burke, Anita and the four cops face an assault from a seemingly unstoppable vampire.
REVIEW:
This issue certainly earns its ‘mature content’ label for profanity, suggestive content re: the second victim’s deviant manner of death, and plenty of gory visuals. Despite the grisly artwork (including the cover image), this issue’s overall art content is an excellent effort.
The writing, however, becomes a bit confusing and even monotonous. For instance, Anita must explain the different reasons why this newest vampire is more dangerous than her previous adversaries. Beyond that, this issue doesn’t accomplish much, though the morgue sequence is generally suspenseful.
For Anita Blake fans, this issue should make at least make a decent read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The first page summarizes federal vampire hunter & police consultant Anita Blake and her current storyline (i.e. the prior installment, The Charmer). There is a full-page cover reveal for the next issue. Also, a six-page promo of the Age of X series includes some team portraits and a full-page interview with writer Mike Carey.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
