TEAR COLLECTOR #1, from Blood Moon comics on 9/20/23, finds the lines of magic crossing when a necromancer desperate to reunite with her lost love runs into a magic-wielding stalker.
The Details
- Written by: Diego Arandojo
- Art by: Horacio Lalia
- Letters by: Diego Arandojo
- Cover art by: Nahuel Sb
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: September 20, 2023
Is TEAR COLLECTOR #1 Good?
TEAR COLLECTOR #1 might be the most unusual urban fantasy story we’ve encountered in a while, which earns this comic bonus points purely for originality. Diego Arandojo’s script about two unhealthy, lovelorn, magic wielders has gobs of potential, even if the finished product has a few rough edges.
Arandojo’s script centers on two heartbroken individuals making their way through the London area. A woman has the power to briefly resurrect her lost love using tears she steals from innocent victims. The other is an obsessed ex-husband who uses a pendulum and location spells to track down his ex-wife. When the two run into each other (literally), the possibilities are endless.
To be clear, this is not a romance fantasy comic. Love plays a part, but in the case of both characters, their love has taken an unhealthy direction, turning this comic into a psychological horror story. By the end, you’ll be tempted to ask yourself how far you’d go to be with the person you love.
What’s great about TEAR COLLECTOR #1? Arandojo’s central premise is unusual in an interesting way. What happens when two lovesick, obsessive, magic wielders cross paths? Will they become enemies? Will they become friends? Will they become more? We harp all the time on the positive outcome of forward-thinking questions, and this issue generates a laundry list of them.
What’s not so great about TEAR COLLECTOR #1? On the downside, the scene transitions are rough for the amount of story Arandojo is telling. To fit it all in, Arandojo had to cut aspects of certain scenes short, which created a confused, incomplete feeling. For example, there’s a scene where a man brandishing a gun shoots an old woman, and we have no idea what’s going on, why that scene is there, or what it has to do with anything in the present.
How’s the art? Horacio Lalia’s style has an underground, horror comic vibe with a little more spit and polish than your typical underground comic. Therefore, Lalia is a great choice to tell a grounded story that has an element of magic.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s TEAR COLLECTOR #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a woman chasing another woman down a lonely alley. The pursuer catches up to the running woman after she trips, and she collects the woman’s fearful tears in a small container that looks like a makeup compact. The fallen woman dies when her tears are collected.
Later, we see the woman pour the tears on the face of her dead husband in his burial casket, and the man briefly comes to life.
Elsewhere, a man arrives in London with thoughts of finding his ex-wife, believing she really still loves him whether she admits it or not. The man uses a pendulum to divine his ex-wife’s location on a map of London to find his ex-wife’s recent whereabouts.
We conclude the issue with rituals, mirrors, and a crash.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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TEAR COLLECTOR #1 is an unusual, intriguing urban fantasy horror tale about obsessive love and two people who use magic to find it. The central premise is super interesting, and the art has a creepy underground feel that fits the vibe of the story, but the scene transitions are rough and confusing.
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