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| Suspended Animation, 7/09/2004 |
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Van Helsing's Night Off
Published by Top Shelf Productions, Inc.
112 pages
$12.95
The Monster of Frankenstein. The Mummy. Dracula. Van Helsing. The Wolfman. All are characters with which most anyone would be familiar, and comics fans intimately so. Chances are, however, that you have never seen them as Nicolas Mahler presents them in his new comic, Van Helsing's Night Off.
Imagine, if you will, a famous vampire killer who struggles with keeping his hat on while hammering stakes. Or a piecemeal monster whose large feet make it difficult to get around without looking like a buffoon. Or an invisible man who keeps ordering drinks, only to see them served to the patron sitting next to him. Or a vampire who, following his trip to the local bar, is too baked to find his coffin, in the crowded cemetery. This is some of the situational humor that can be found in Mahler's book. As you may have guessed, these are not your father's horror characters. But, Mahler hits a home run where putting a new twist on old characters is concerned. Additionally, he does so with no word balloons, a venture which is rarely pulled off well in comics, but Mahler does a better job than many.
On the negative side, Mahler's art style is simple, almost crude. Chances are the reader will have to stare at a few of the strips for a while to interpret the action; an undesirable prospect, at best, annoying at worst. It's unknown by this reviewer whether or not Mahler is able to employ a more translatable style, but it would be a step in the right direction. Overall, Van Helsing's Night Off is probably like nothing you've seen before, and, in a medium overrun with cookie-cutter styles and story material, that's a good thing, and well worth checking out.
Van Helsing's Night Off is suggested for older readers, due to some mature subject matter.
Mark Allen
Shudder at Vance's Light's End horror short stories narrated by actor William Windom at www.plan9.org.
Questions? Comment? E-Mail Suspended Animation at vance@digitalwebbing.com
Any statements made, expressed or implied are solely those of columnists or persons interviewed and do not represent the editorial position of the administration, who does not accept responsibility of such statements. All characters and artwork shown are trademark and © of their respective owners.
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