Boom! Studios 2019
By Maria Llovet
Lettered by Andworld Design
Translated by Andrea Rosenberg
After witnessing a murder, Eva now possesses a terrible secret—Donatien, the most popular boy in school enjoys the taste of blood…and is willing to kill for it. Eva knows she should turn him in but can't help her attraction to Donatien. Even though she knows he is a murderer—or perhaps because of it—Eva wants him.
Jiminy Cricket Lady this is fabulous! I have no idea why I am in love with this but I am and seeing how Eva processes this whole thing is one of the absolute best character studies around. Alright so throughout the issue we see the history Eva has with Amber and in all honesty if I were her I wouldn't have said a damn thing anyway. After all that bitch got what she deserved and having been bullied all through school trust me when I know precisely how she feels at being the centre of cruelty on this level. Still she's a young woman and guilt, hormones and what she felt for Amber's brother Max all play factors in her decisions.
This is being told brilliantly. The story & plot development we see in how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is laid out beautifully. Seeing this from the perspective of a girl who is literally an outsider, scholarship not coming from money, is handled in such a way that we empathise with her so much. The character development we see is marvellous and with each issue, yes we're only at two, so far we see more and more revealed and watch the characters grow and evolve through their experiences. The pacing is solid, strong and as it guides us through the pages with it's twists and turns help create such a nice ebb & flow to the book. It is like getting swept up in some romance novel only it's darker and centred around death and confused feelings & emotions.
So while I emphasise with Eva there are times I question her sanity. Yes she is a lost soul adrift in a world she does not understand and while those around her apparently live charmed lives, her perception and not the reality but then this is her story, confuse her even more. There is something dark and mysterious happening here and is she blossoming into a darker version of life or will she find herself lost in a world of darkness without being able to find the light? It mesmerises you and draws you in while engaging your mind so that you drift off-script and try to wrap your head around a myriad of hypotheses.
The interiors here are stunningly gorgeous. The attention to detail is mindbogglingly good as they bring the attention to detail front and centre. With structures like the temple, I am not sure what that really is so we'll go with that, with the stained glass sigh it's true beauty. The characters and their faces, facial expressions and body language continue to further the characterisation in ways words alone cannot do. The backgrounds are utilised perfectly as they enhance the moments and work within the composition in the panels to bring out depth perception, scale and an overall size and scope to the story. Plus the detail in places like the wallpaper, flooring, the flowers and those chocolate bars I mean damn. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a masterful eye for storytelling. The colour work as well is simply gorgeous. The hues and tones within the colours creating the shading, highlights and shadows just capture the eye and imagination that sweep you up into and along the story.
There is no denying the awe, wonder and romanticism in these pages. The dreams, ideas and ideology of a young confused woman who sees the inherent danger as something romantic to strive for is unusual but no less fascinating. Maria shows off so much skill, talent and ability within these pages and with this she says I am here, I am a force to be reckoned with and I am not going anywhere. This is the outside the box storytelling that the world needs.