Black Fire Review

Graphic novels are an interesting bunch. They aren't comics, they are novels told with comic visuals. Black Fire is a pretty good example of a graphic novel. It's pretty long, and has a lot of backstory. Usually there aren't much details about graphic novels before they're released. So going into Black Fire, a graphic novel from Archaia Entertainment due for release tomorrow on the 28th, I didn't know what to expect. It looked like a gothic horror tale. It is that, but has quite a few surprises.

The story follows two soldiers who get separated from their unit in the cold, dreadful Winter. They are pursued by the Cossacks, but the ladder gives up once the two enter a strange town. They are greeted by a man who lets them into a building. Inside are survivors, the rest of the village had apparently been wiped out. It is a ghost town, haunted by a dark god.......

This graphic novel is pretty much the complete opposite of the last one I read, Everlast. Whereas that one was constantly on the move, this one is slower paced. It takes its time to develop the story. It doesn't get dull thankfully, the story is too interesting to get dull. It will engage you from the start. You know what the story reminded me of? John Carpenter's The Thing. The atmosphere of Black Fire is very similar to that of The Thing. You never know what's going to happen, there's something lurking in the background, and you never know what it'll do next. The fact that it takes place in the cold is also reminiscent of The Thing.

This being more of a slow paced story rather than the fast-paced-summer-blockbuster-feel of Everlast, the book relies on two main things: The characters and plot. Talking about the characters, they're good for the story. Nothing special, the only one out of the humans that stood out was Joaquim Do Santos, an apostle of Czernobog, the dark god. The only woman in the book, Julia, was an interesting addition. The two soldiers were good, easy to root for. It's the actual plot, however, that makes the book worth buying. At first, it feels like a war tale, but it slowly becomes fantasy gothic survival story. The good part is that it still retains a certain realism to it. There's a lot of fascinating backstory told in the middle act, it's good stuff.

The antagonist of the story is Czernobog, (Also called Black Fire.) In his few appearances, he resembles the demon Blackheart from Marvel Comics. Truly the best character and part of the whole thing. The backstory of how he was captured in the first place was just intriguing. There are some other very interesting plot points. A monster called the Lesi is pretty awesome and its backstory with Czernobog is interesting. (And a very creepy design. But that's nothing when compared to the insanely creepy Golem you'll see later in the story.) My only criticism is the art. It fits the atmosphere well, but often it's hard to tell who's who. I found myself losing track of the who the main characters were at some parts.

Overall, Black Fire is definitely the most interesting graphic novel I've read in awhile. Very intriguing premise, which greatly executed. It's a chilling tale, you will be engaged from the start until the end. If you're looking for an original story told in comic visuals, give Black Fire a try. It's a good story.

8/10.

Everlast Review

Sometimes it's good to go into something without knowing a single thing about it. When I saw Spider-Man 3 for the first time back in 2007, I knew practically everything about it beforehand. Nothing really surprised me since I knew almost everything. If I hadn't known the information beforehand, would it have been a more rewarding experience? Probably. The point is, going into Everlast, a graphic novel by Archaia Entertainment due for release tomorrow on the 14th, I didn't know too much about it. I knew about the general concept, the pre-End of Days world, but that was about it. So going in, I had no clue what to expect. First, the plot of the book, then my review.

The story follows Derek Everlast, a 'soldier' who's mission is to rescue people from the end of the world event: The End of Days. In the center of the earth lies Eden, known as 'Haven.' 144,000 people are destined to be saved through this event, and it's Derek's job to locate them. However, things become harder when a former soldier named Stavros comes in saying Haven is nothing but Hell in disguise. He has supernatural monsters under his control, and is determined to make Derek see what he calls "the truth." Derek on the other hand is concentrating on getting his next save, a girl named Melissa, into Haven.

At its core, the concept of this graphic novel appears to be similar to other end-of-the-world things. The atmosphere reminds me of the movie Priest. There are some similarities between the two. Derek reminds of Priest, and the villain, Stavros, betraying the team is similar to what happened in the film. Similarities end there. Generally, Everlast may appear to not be that different, but there's a lot of very interesting story points. The beginning with all the famous history figures was great and adds to the realism. The concept of Eden (which is said to be the Garden) being in the center of the earth is a very interesting idea and makes sense when you sit down and think about it.

The main character is what drives the story. Well, sometimes you could have a bland character but a very interesting plot to keep the reader invested. Fortunately, the main character of the story, Derek, is interesting and likable enough. It's hard not to like him, he's easy to root for. In comparison with another character, I'd say he's similar to Johnny Blaze from the 90's Ghost Rider comics. I like his thought boxes, it's what carries the story. The villain, Stavros, is really well written. Some of his lines had me smirking, the best character aside from Derek. The bar tender, Naomi, wasn't fully fleshed out. She wasn't horribly written as a one-shot, but could have used a bit more development.

At first, I was confused with the story. Things were happening a bit too fast and nothing was being explained. As the story progressed, things were explained, I actually like this way of story telling. It doesn't work for everything, but it works here. Some parts do feel a bit rushed, but overall, it's well-paced. The art is pretty good, consistent. The characters look fine, but the creature designs were what grabbed me, they would make even H.P. Lovecraft proud. (There's a scene where this giant Venom-Cloverfield monster thing appears, it's truly epic.) There's this one page where it takes place in Haven showcasing a bunch of white doves, it's probably one of the most beautiful pages I've ever seen in a graphic novel.

Overall, Everlast takes a used concept, but puts a unique spin on it. I was greatly entertained by it, the action doesn't stop. There's no scenes that drag on, it's a fun ride throughout. The ending makes me want to read more, so hopefully we'll get a sequel. With its great premise, interesting main character/villain, non-stop action, and good script, Everlast makes a great buy.

8.5/10.