In MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOODLOSS #3, available from Source Point Press on July 28th, 2021, a bookish monster researcher meets the love of his life who also happens to be a vampire.
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The Details
- Written By: Greg Wright
- Art By: Josh Sobek, Gary Sobek
- Colors By: Maria Santaolalla
- Letters By: Justin Birch
- Cover Art By: Josh Sobek, Gary Sobek
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: July 28, 2021
Was It Good?
This is a silly and cute farce in the same vein as Young Frankenstein and Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter. The writers go so far as to name one of the supporting characters Kronos, so it’s hard to imagine there isn’t some inspiration drawn from the classic film.
That said, this is a farce of classic horror films, so it needed to succeed by taking a scary monster story and making it absurd at all the right points to make it funny.
Does the story take expectedly serious and scary moments and make them absurd? Yes and does it well by keeping the two monster hunters straight-faced and deadly serious no matter what monsters they encounter. The Kronos counter even throws in an eye-rolling pun for good measure when he defeats each type of monster.
Is the absurdity funny? Well, the humor is spotty at best. The running gag in this issue is Gregor’s, the main character, complete unwillingness to see or accept his bride is a vampire. every trope is thrown at him from an aversion to mirrors to revulsion to garlic. He just can’t see it until the situation turns into a bizarre domestic violence scenario involving police and divorce court.
To be frank, when the police get involved, the story tipped from comedic farce to a joke that goes on too long and morphs into something uncomfortable. Your mileage may vary.
As for the art, it’s decent enough for this type of story. The art is definitely indie quality, so set your expectations appropriately. The linework isn’t the best but the coloring is good, the lettering is is just as good as the coloring if not better, and the panel composition is well done.
In all, this is an amusing little story with average art, but the humor doesn’t always land.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Gregor and Kronos are monster hunters. Kronos is the fighter and Gregor is the researcher.
During a brief sabbatical, Gregor purchases a lonely castle while he researches werewolves in the town of Labertasche. Unfortunately, Gregor can’t find any evidence of a werewolf, but the recently killed villagers show signs of a vampire attack. When Gregor searches the nearby woods for vampires, he encounters a beautiful woman, Amelia, who’s very interested in Gregor and his work.
Gregor is immediately smitten with Amelia, and they begin a whirlwind romance leading up to a wedding with the happy couple starting a new life together in Gregor’s castle. Unfortunately, Gregor observes too late Amelia’s many strange quirks and habits that gradually take a toll on their marriage.
Eventually, the strange behavior becomes too much to overlook, and Kronos finally convinces Gregor to accept that Amelia is a vampire. With nothing left to lose, Gregor attempts to end the marriage with deadly consequences.
Final Thoughts
MONSTROUS: HEARTBREAK AND BLOODLOSS #3 is a cute little tale of a monster hunter blinded by love. The art is average and the jokes sometimes land, but other jokes overstay their welcome, almost to the point of becoming uncomfortable.
Score: 6.5/10
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