By Don M. Ventura
Undying Love #2
Image Comics
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Undying Love could not be more of an unexpected pleasure. It seems that when I discuss my enjoyment of anything having to do with vampires I quantify it by informing the listener or reader that I do not typically enjoy vampire stories. I’ll stop here and now.
Storytellers and artists Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman have constructed a confidant and compelling action yarn that amps up the excitement in this second outing. Undying Love is the story of John Sargent, an American ex-Soldier on the bloody trail of Shang Ji—one of the oldest and most powerful vampires in China. Shang-Ji is responsible for turning John’s love Mei into a vampire and John must kill the villain, in a fairly grisly ritual no less, to return Mei to her former human self.
In this issue John attempts to coax Shang-Ji out of hiding by slaughtering one of his generals out in the open. While the violence does garner the vampire’s attention, he remains unwilling to join the fracas and sends minions to investigate. In the end Mei finds herself prey to a fellow demon of the night who has an affinity for butchering Elvis music.
Coker and Freedman’s story is inventive, containing excellent pacing and sharp dialogue. It is difficult to decide the greater strength of these two, because Coker’s dramatic pencils and Freedman’s spot-on coloring equal their exciting script.
The issue opens with John walking into the G-Boss casino to locate Wu-Zhi, one of Shang-Ji’s henchmen. The scene establishes John as a complete badass as he saunters directly to his prey as an overly polity doorman attempts to stop John. John won’t listen to the doorman who hilariously speaks several languages, thinking John is not intending to ignore him.
John steps into Wu-Zhi’s quarters, where two mutilated women lie, interrupting the vampire’s karaoke selection. It’s off-beat and unexpected settings like this that keep me enjoying the book. Wu-Zhi could have been gambling, having sex with whores, or injesting drugs. No. He’s in the middle of a song while his men are playing dominoes and reading the paper.
Even outside of the art, stylistically there is much to enjoy in this book. From the prominence of the sound effects in the fight scenes to the unique word balloons, there is much to enjoy in Coker’s artwork. I love the muted colors that Freedman incorporates on every page, especially the final scene with the ageless apothecary pulling out and cooking Wu-Zhi’s heart.
Undying Love reads like a fine action movie—which is fine by me. This book is far superior to the swarm of vampire films that have infested the multiplex over the last few years. I eagerly await to see what Coker and Freedman have planned for the next installment.
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