Authors: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
Art: Joseph Michael Linsner
Colouring: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
First published: 2010 (TPB)
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: Ivory is a frustrated goth girl who escapes from her everyday world by sneaking out to dance at night. Her best friend Samson is always there to help her keep her feet on the ground. As Ivory’s club world fills with attractive, vampiric strangers, she thinks it would be so cool to be like them ― until it happens! Be careful what you wish for...
The Review: With the blurb as it is, I should have understood what I’d likely get from this graphic novel but, unfortunately, it still managed to underwhelm me. I think, perhaps, because I am not the target audience but, in truth, it came across as a Goth wish fulfilment graphic novel.
The volume starts with a character, Esque, attacking a woman in a parking lot and hoping – and succeeding – in getting a vision of a winged, pale vampire woman (his blood angel, as he names her) as he drinks the victim’s blood, and as a result being distracted, the victim punishing him and running away.
The primary character is Ivory, a Goth gal whose mother doesn’t understand her and who is not massively committed to school. Her best friend is rock aficionado Samson. He is her sister's ex, was into cutting and both of them figure the other wouldn’t be into them. She loves to go to Goth clubs, wearing fake wings, and dancing (not imbibing of drinks or drugs) but one day meets someone who takes her to the VIP area of the club and gives her a pill… This leads to blood related hallucinations and she is changed…
Turns out she was special, true vampires are born not made and it has awakened her – Ivory's heritage is something her mother tried to keep from her (her mother was of royal blood). This doesn’t gel with her mother’s apparent ignorance of both the scene Ivory is in and the state when she gets back from the club. However, on the basis that this is pure wish fulfilment fantasy, it kinda doesn't matter if it gels. Esque is not the same. Coincidentally in a relationship with one of Ivory’s few friends, openly a vampire with said friend, he is called a chandala, or an untouchable. The low status of the character contrasting to make Ivory even more special.
Now, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t necessarily all bad – especially if you are a Goth/emo girl with a vampire fetish. Wish fulfilment fantasies have their place. However, it didn’t do it for me story-wise. Combine that with the art, which whilst well drawn was too stark and graphic for my taste, utilitarian springs to mind, well I wasn’t bought in. For me a 4 out of 10, but worth more for the target audience, I’m sure.
In Paperback @ Amazon US
In Paperback @ Amazon UK
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