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HBO's True Blood: Tainted Love #1 Comic Review

This is the second series from publisher IDW based on HBO’s hit TV show, True Blood. The story mainly follows the vampire Jessica as she leads her life as the newest Vampire in Bon Temps. Although the issue mainly follows Jessica that does not mean that the story lacks the appearances of any of the other True Blood favorites. In the issue, Jessica’s boyfriend Hoyt is trying to alleviate the initial difficultly of Jessica being a vampire by throwing her a prom at the local restaurant Merlots, but this isn’t the true story of the issue, there is an underlying problem that is sweeping across the south concerning vampires.

True Blood #1

Adaptations of TV shows and movies are often hit or miss, but with the True Blood comic from IDW, it is very mixed. The writing is very close to the TV show, which is because the creator of True Blood, Alan Ball writes the book. Even though it is similar, it just feels foreign in the comic and it shows that some things aren’t meant to be in other forms of media.

As for the art, Messina does an alright job, making some characters look really good, almost identical to the show, while other characters look awful. The major flaw with the art is that it is not consistent at all. Many of the characters look completely different from panel to panel.

The story line that Ball is pursuing is sub-par compared to the ones that are used in the show, which makes me think that maybe these were the stories that were rejected from the network or something. Although the story isn’t great, it weirdly worked for this issue.

The story takes place after season two, which means that if someone who is foreign to the show tried to read the comic they would be horribly lost, which in my opinion can be negative to people who are interested in the series enough to try out the comic, but not to commit to buying HBO. It would also make it more appealing to fans if they gave a specific time period in which the story takes place, giving it more of a place in the timeline of the series.

Overall, the book wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The art wasn’t great, and the story line was mediocre, but it still had that True Blood feeling to it. It will be interesting as to how Ball will tie the comic into the main series, and to how the next few issues will be compared to this one. If you aren’t a hardcore fan, this book can be passed on, but for those people who are literally obsessed, this is a must read.

6 out of 10

*Originally Posted on the Chris' Comics Official Website

Charmed #1

The Charmed comic released by Zenescope comics is trying to jump on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer bandwagon, continuing the series after the show ended four years ago, continuing right where it left off.

Since I don’t know anything about the show, I will focus on the writing style and the art of the issue. Like the True Blood comic, Charmed is very close to the source material because of the writing of Paul Ruditis, one of the creative writers from the original show. This helps with containing continuity, and making it easier for fans to retain familiarity with the dialogue and story content. The dialogue is free flowing and maintains same family drama dynamic that the show emphasized.

The art on the book is a little too generic in my opinion. All of the characters look like Barbie and Ken dolls, looking all too plastic like. Also, the colors look a little too bright and colorful as well, although making it more family oriented with its bright demeanor.

Overall the book was all right, it was no Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it wasn’t horrible. The writing is really what shined in the book, especially since the art wasn’t anything special. People who were fans of the show will be happy to see their favorite characters back in action, especially because it takes place a year and a half after the last episode of the TV series. The characters have evolved, the story has evolved, and seeing this popular series brought back to life so long after its demise is astonishing in its own right. Like any series adaptation, this is a must read for fans, and in this case, maybe even for people who just enjoyed the show, parents and children alike.

6.5 out of 10

*Originally Posted on the Chris' Comics Official Website