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Friday, June 13, 2014

Comic Review: The Spirit and the Shadow: There Will Be Blood!

The Spirit and The Shadow: There Will Be Blood!
Written by: Thomas P. Lavalle
Illustrated by: Brandon L. Swope
Editor: JennaRose Garriton
Publisher: No Rules Media and Publishing


In a world where vampires and humans coexist, Detectives Aiden Lawson and Robert Garrison are after a vampire wanted for murder. This accused vampire is also hunted by the murder victim's brother, an assassin gone rogue from his clandestine agency. What these men will learn, is that this vampire has a secret – a secret that very powerful men and vampire alike will go to great lengths to acquire. The story follows the paths of these individuals as they uncover the truth. THE SPIRIT AND THE SHADOW is a mash-up of conspiracy and paranormal genres with suspense, vengeance, and BLOOD!


A free 25 page preview of The Spirit and the Shadow Book 1 can be downloaded at: http://www.thespiritandtheshadow.com/free-book-1-preview

Lavalle and Swope have created a new kind of graphic novel experience that they call a “hybrid” and will satisfy the graphic novel reader and the prose reader. It reads like a screenplay with artwork throughout. I really enjoyed this medium. It took a little getting used to at first, but soon I was reading along quickly.

The Spirit and the Shadow is an urban fantasy crime story in a world where vampires and humans co-exist. Detectives Aiden Lawson, a vampire, and Robert Garrison, a human, start investigating a murder case involving a vampire. There are many twists and turns as more characters are brought into the story and they are all intertwined. It had me turning pages to find out what happened next.

My only problem was with the artwork. The use of the artwork to compliment the prose, where it was placed throughout the story the content of each panel and the use of only grayscale and red was excellent. But the artwork looks like it was lifted from a high schooler’s notebook cover. Not a lot of depth to them.


I will give two ratings for the graphic novel.

Story and concept: 4 1/2 Sheep





Artwork: 2.5 Sheep




SharonS

7 comments:

  1. I get what you mean just by looking at the cover. But your review makes me want to read it, I'll just skip the images ;) Thanks for sharing !

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    1. I can't wait for the next episode. They are working on it right now.

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  2. I'm just stopping by to say thank you for all of your lovely comments and RT's this week! I don't read comics, so... Happy Friday! :D

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Never say never! There are some graphic novels/comics out there that will take your breath away ;)

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  3. I haven't read comic books, or should I saw graphic novels, since I was a kid collecting Spiderman, Hulk and the Fantastic Four. Glad you enjoyed it even though you didn't care for the artwork.

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    1. the graphic novels/comic books I like aren't the old fashion superhero ones. Some comics are just like reading a dark urban fantasy story that uses pictures to help tell it. You should give some a try!

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  4. I was wondering about that. I shall give it a try sometime. I am always up for something new. I can never tell what might pleasantly surprise me. Thanks Sharon.

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