Stephen King Sells Out!
Mar. 17th, 2010 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sdelmonteOr rather, the first issue of the new Vertigo series, American Vampire, featuring a story scripted by King, sold out at the three comic shops I visited, and I was very lucky that I could get the last copy at my last stop. I suspect that even though the first Dark Tower comics were a huge hit, comic shop managers still don't get how popular he is. After all, I doubt I would have tried this is he weren't involved.
I would like to say that King's first ever comic book script was a thing of beauty, a masterpiece. It wasn't bad, but it's easy to see that he doesn't quite feel at ease with the format. Luckily, the art by Rafael Albuquerque does a lot of the work for Steve-O, and this is only part one of five. And I like the idea of a vampire Western.
More importantly for this series, its creator, a newcomer named Scott Snyder, does great work with the first story, set in 1920s Hollywood and starring a rather naive young woman whose life is about to become an unlife. The art and the script mesh to form a very promising period piece, linked to the Western but its own tale.
Also of note is how readable this is. As much as I love Fables and like Hellblazer, I find most Vertigo comics to be overly complicated and metatextual. I know a lot of people who like that. But I prefer a good story, no deeper meaning needed. This is why I plan to be back next month when I didn't try the second issues of many other recent Vertigo books. Even if vampires are such a cliche these days.
I would like to say that King's first ever comic book script was a thing of beauty, a masterpiece. It wasn't bad, but it's easy to see that he doesn't quite feel at ease with the format. Luckily, the art by Rafael Albuquerque does a lot of the work for Steve-O, and this is only part one of five. And I like the idea of a vampire Western.
More importantly for this series, its creator, a newcomer named Scott Snyder, does great work with the first story, set in 1920s Hollywood and starring a rather naive young woman whose life is about to become an unlife. The art and the script mesh to form a very promising period piece, linked to the Western but its own tale.
Also of note is how readable this is. As much as I love Fables and like Hellblazer, I find most Vertigo comics to be overly complicated and metatextual. I know a lot of people who like that. But I prefer a good story, no deeper meaning needed. This is why I plan to be back next month when I didn't try the second issues of many other recent Vertigo books. Even if vampires are such a cliche these days.
