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Thursday, January 3, 2013

Comic Review: Alabaster Werewolves #1


Alabaster Werewolves #1
Writer: Caitlín R. Kiernan

Artist: Steve Lieber
Cover Artist: Greg Ruth
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Publication Date: April 11, 2012
Format: FC, 32 pages

International Horror Guild Award-winning author Caitlín R. Kiernan brings one of her most enduring and popular creations to comics!
For nearly as long as she can remember, Dancy Flammarion has fought monsters, cutting a bloody swath through the demons and dark things of the world, aimed like a weapon by forces beyond her control or questioning.

• A new comics series by Caitlín R. Kiernan with art by Steve Lieber.

Desperate thoughts, desperate actions! 


I would have figured I'd read a Kiernan novel before I'd read a comic book by her. I'd heard her name bandied about often enough by fans of her stories, and I've got a couple novels on my wish list, but when an ARC for this comic wound up in my inbox I jumped at the chance to read it.
It's about a young girl, Flammarion, in her early teens or so, wandering the countryside in search of monsters. It looks to be present day and she winds up in a ghost town in South Carolina. There's nothing explicitly said about what's going on in the world, if this is an existing universe with Dark Horse Comics or one of Kiernan's previous creations, and there's no real way of knowing yet how desiccated the rest of the country is. Sufficed to say when a young woman strolls up to her at the litter-strewn bus stop, Flammarion instantly sniffs her out as a werewolf and a wager becomes her bid for survival. 

There was something to the artwork by Lieber and Rosenberg that gave me a faint sense of Dave McKean and Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. The way the colors blended and the devil-may-care way of the werewolf woman just felt like they had that bit of influence, and it suited the story very well, especially as Flammarion talks with a crow at the beginning and end of the story.

Great dialogue, captivating artwork, and a great showdown between the girl and a monster to set the tone and kick things off for this five-part series. I will definitely be keeping an eye on Alabaster Werewolves this year.

5 Sheep




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3 comments:

  1. I'm a fangirl of Kiernan's novels and didn't realize this existed until now. Thanks for the review!

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    Replies
    1. we recently reviewed Volume #1 which includes the last 5? issues... might want to check that out so you can get all the issues at once. thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Wow, 5 sheep! Gef must have really liked this one a bunch! Worth a look for sure

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