In VAN HELSING: BEAST OF EXMOOR, available from Zenescope Entertainment on October 6th, 2021, Liesel Van Helsing is summoned to Exmoor, England to hunt a cat-like monster preying on the local villagers.
The Details
- Written By: Brian Hawkins
- Art By: Allan Otero
- Colors By: Walter Pereyra, Maxflan Araujo
- Letters By: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Art By: Sean Chen, Ivan Nunes (cover A)
- Cover Price: $5.99
- Release Date: October 6, 2021
Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.
It’s 100% FREE. Sign up NOW!
Was It Good?
This is a straight, to-the-point, monster-hunting comic, and it’s a perfect popcorn story to get you in the Halloween spirit. Overall, this comic is a winner with a minor down point and one point I’m not quite sure what to make of.
Hawkins takes up the writing duties for Van Helsing in this one shot, and it’s everything you want out of a Drive-In creature feature. A deadly beast is attacking villagers in Exmoor, and despite their best efforts to put it down, the locals have called in the legendary Van Helsing to do what they can’t.
The big positive on Hawkins’ story is the elimination of the typical skepticism you find in these types of monster adventures. The beast is viewed in plain sight, and there aren’t any naysayers lazing about trying to explain the situation away. Frankly, cutting to the chase means cutting out the fluff and we can jump right into the action which keeps the energy and pace high.
The one point that’s an oddity more than a down point is the character of Rick, Liesel’s tagalong boyfriend. Hawkins does an admirable job keeping their romance near the fore during the issue to add some emotional weight into the present adventure, but Rick is just so darn… pathetic. He’s not a bad person and there’s no active reason to dislike him, but there’s something about his tentative personality and meek demeanor that convinces you Rick is either not long for this series or long for this world. There’s no way Liesel Van Helsing can keep up a long-term relationship with Rick, and you can practically smell a breakup or his painful death coming a mile away. The character is so oddly out of place, it’s almost humorous knowing he’s about to be a monster meal. It was nice knowing you, Rick.
The art is generally good, but it also contains the only true down point of the issue. The character pencils, particularly in the last act, are not great. Liesel looks stretched and distorted in several spots, making for distracting visuals. Thankfully, it’s only in a few panels. Otherwise, the book looks great, particularly the main monster.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a moonlit hunt on the outskirts of Exmoor. The cat-like beast has taken one of the villagers, and a posse has assembled to track it down. When they catch up to the monster, the posse gets a proper drubbing and leaves to come up with a new plan. Said plan centers around calling in the legendary monster hunter Liesel Van Helsing.
Liesel arrives with her romantic distraction, Rick, in tow. The town leaders bring Liesel to the estate of the Folgers family where the matriarch, Jocelyn Folgers, provides a little history about the beast. It’s clear from the overly careful choice of words that the beast has some connection to the Folgers and that Jocelyn isn’t divulging the full story. During the visit, a town alarm sounds to announce the beast is on the attack.
To their credit, the villagers aren’t shy about defending their town and a melee is in progress in the middle of the street when Liesel arrives. Jocelyn’s son, Phillip, also arrives carrying a family sword. He sheepishly tries to assist during the fight but winds up getting in the way. The fight ends with the beast getting the way and Liesel regrouping to figure out a new plan of attack.
Back at the pub where Rick is keeping out of harm’s way, Liesel gets a tip from the barkeep that the first beast appearances from 30 years earlier led to a cave on the other side of the marsh. We conclude the issue with Liesel going for a nighttime spelunking hike, the reveal of the beast’s true identity, and the Folgers receiving a visit from an outsider with intimate knowledge of the Van Helsing line.
Final Thoughts
VAN HELSING: BEAST OF EXMOOR is a pitch-perfect creature feature that’s tailor-made for October. The story cuts out the mystery fluff to get right into the action and the monster designs look great. That said, the pencils are uneven in spots and dampen the quality of the work.
Score: 8/10
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com