flashback review: Blood of the Innocent

[alexxkay]

Recently re-read: "Blood of the Innocent", a 4-issue comic book mini-series from 1986, dealing with Dracula and Jack the Ripper. Painted art was by Hempel & Wheatley, and quite up to their usual gorgeous standards. Especially notable were the sequences wih Dracula exerting his hallucinogenic powers. I usually think of them as very impressionistic artists (which they are), but was surprised at how accurately they captured the faces of the various historic personages in the story. Caricatured but *very* easily recognizable.

The actual *story* was... weak. Contrasting two different types of royal killers was an interesting idea, but not really well elaborated upon. The basic plot revolves around a love affair between Dracula and Mary Kelly that failed to pass my WSOD. And some strange storytelling choices as well -- they spend an entire page dealing with the discovery of the "Juwes" graffiti, but never establish that 'Jack' actually wrote it, or what it might mean; without such a connection, it was really a waste of space.

So, great art, poor writing. Doesn't make the cut to stay in the collection. But I thought I'd mention it here, in case one of the vampire and/or ripper fans who reads this LJ would like to inherit it. Otherwise, it goes back to Outer Limits, next time I rturn a load there...

Comments

[baron-saturday.livejournal.com]

I agree, not worth the space in my collection. Of course, that would mean *finding* it, and it's probably not worth the trouble...

Oddly, I recall disliking the art. I bet if I went back and looked at it again, appreciate it much more.

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Their art, while excellent in its way, is very atypical of what is typically found in comic books. Hence, 'tis hard for people with relatively 'vanilla' tastes in comics art to appreciate. I have heard more than one otherwise-intelligent person (including an ex-girlfriend) claim that Sandman: The Kindly Ones was ruined by "bad art".