Sunday, August 21, 2022

Comic Review: Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars

Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars
Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars is the comic book adaptation of "Message from Cecile", an unpublished Hideyuki Kikuchi short story that was part of an audiobook release in Japan and has never seen wide publication. This comic book adaptation is the debut of the story in English.

Message from Mars is told from the point of view of Cecile, a girl who could see the future, one of the human colonists on Mars. D arrives to find a colony that is little more than a blood farm. With Left Hand by his side, D sets out to cleanse Mars of the vampiric scourge! We see the ascension of the Nobility in the aftermath of a nuclear war on Earth and a part of the beginning of D's journey as a vampire hunter. It is the first ever Vampire Hunter D comic book series.


Confession: I've never read/watched any Vampire D stories. I've seen lots of fanart and love the aesthetic and promised myself to check it out. So I have NO prior knowledge of the story.

Then I saw the Kickstarter for Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars (you can read the whole story on Kickstarter). This was my moment! A chance to see what all the fuss was about and a chance to grab a hardback limited edition.

The books haven't shipped yet, but we got the digital copy. OMG! I am humbled...the story was fabulous, but the ART, people ...the ART. The combination of beautiful art with panel composition at a level I haven't seen before. I can't put it into words so here are some samples you can find on the Kickstarter page.

*caresses artwork*

The story is dramatic and funny... how come I hadn't heard about the Left Hand?! LOL. He might be my favorite character. The story switches between the past and now. It has to be since Cecil's story began over 1000 years ago and before D was around. 
I can't wait to get my print copy. It has all five issues of Vampire Hunter D: Message from Mars. In a few months, the single-issue comic books will be released so everyone else can experience the story.

We use a 5 sheep system, but I'm doubling it!

10 "Left-handed" Sheep


SharonS

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