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Oh, Valla. You poor aquatic vampire. Your ocean world that you have enjoyed for a century has been turned upside down due to an oil spill. You don’t understand what’s going on, and to be honest with you, I didn’t have a clue to what the hell was really going on in Dark Fang #1 either. Dark Fang #2 is out this week and even though it wasn’t high up on my list to check out again, I decided to give it another day in court. Will I spare Dark Fang or sentence it to death?
Don’t keep us in suspense, did it get better?
No, not at all. More happens in the story, but I just can’t get behind what is going on. Don’t get me wrong, I love the environment. I live near the ocean, I swim, I surf, I dislike oil spills and pollution just as much as the next person. I just can’t get behind the bad scripting about a vampire that lives in the ocean and turns into a shark.
The art is best part of Dark Fang.
Wait, what?
Yup, Valla can turn into a shark. At the end of Dark Fang #1, one of Valla’s fangs begin to turn a black color, much like the oil that engulfed her home. Valla wants answers, so she turns to women vampires that she betrayed along with her master. The skeletal heads are in a museum and with a splash of blood, they come to life. Valla questions the trio of women, which doesn’t yield to informative answers.
From there Valla encounters a fisherman who points out an oil rig to Valla, and proves to be much more useful to Valla than her fallen lady friends. Cue the shark transformation. Unfortunately the rest of Dark Fang #2 trends on the side of tongue in cheek, including a pool full of Jell-O, which sounds like a sexy time, but comes off in the complete opposite direction.
So Dave, this issue didn’t turn you…
No, Dark Fang #2 didn’t turn me. I gave it a chance, but it misses the mark on several things. I appreciate Miles Gunter’s approach to make a unique tale about the environment. But when I see stuff like the Jell-O swimming pool, the silly bimbo in the pool, the shark transformation, and the row of talking skulls, it loses focus of the story’s intent. Well at least for me it does. I don’t know if I am supposed to be laughing, pissed off at the oil spill disrupting Valla’s lifestyle, or what. I was willing to try a different vampire story, but this has quickly turned into B-rate schlock. And not the good kind of B-rate schlock.
The three wise skulls….not really.
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Once again, the shining star of this disaster is Kelsey Shannon. His art is incredible and deserves more than this story. The characters look Disney-ish, but they are gorgeous to look at. I like his choice of colors — they pop, and I have never seen someone dying in Jell-O look so sexy. If you are going to pick up this book, just enjoy the art and move on.
I can’t recommend Dark Fang #2. I gave it a second chance and it failed to impress me. I have to dig the characters, and I just don’t care about Valla or why her fang is turning black. Maybe she should just brush her tooth and see if that works for her. Shannon’s art is killer — easily the best part of the book. So if you’re into attractive cover art and pretty panels, then it might be worth picking up for that. If you are looking for a solid vampire tale, I suggest you look elsewhere.
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