Zenescope Entertainment 2019
Written by Raven Gregory
Illustrated by Allan Otero
Coloured by Robby Bevard
Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
Hot on the trail of the monster responsible for stealing the bones of her greatest enemy, Helsing will learn first-hand that the threat she now faces may be the greatest threat of all.
Well so far this story has all the ear marks of changing Liesel’s life again and not in good ways. While I still advocate the return of Hades it would really be a shame if her world were turned upside down again. How many of these can she endure before she finally cracks? I guess we’ll see how this plays out before assuming, because we all when you assume you an “ass” of yourself.
I like the opening here a hell of a lot. That we get to see some of her family’s story thanks to the journal that we saw last issue is marvellous. Granted that this demon had it and he thought that’s what she was after when in reality she hadn’t even realised he had it. I liked how that played out and how she to bathe in that holy water as well. Still that we get to see what was happening with her parents while her mother was pregnant, my guess is with her, as they were fleeing. I wouldn’t have thought that they would living like this and to see it this way is a very interesting twist for me.
The way that this is being told is amazing. The story & plot development with the character development weave in, out, around and through each other like a battle choreographed like a ballet. They just dance beautifully with each other and how we see these plot developments, the release of information and all the twists and turns that keep us at the edge of our seats. With the pacing picking up these threads and constantly moving them forward as it creates this sensational ebb & flow throughout the book.
The characterisation that we see here is phenomenally well done. We see the conflicting emotions playing out in Liesel as she deals with her human allies, co-workers or whatever they happen to be. One the one hand it feels like she wants to keep them at arms length and yet Mina and Jonathan do hold a special place in her life. They’ve been her friends the longest of any of the characters she’s met or befriended along the way.
The interiors here are utterly gorgeous. The linework is phenomenal and how we see the varying weights being utilised to create this attention to detail is stunning. So when we see our daring villainess, face covered, wearing such a wearing that outfit, which for no reason has this bustier top sigh I am disappointed in this look. Still the utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a stupendous eye for storytelling. The backgrounds are for the most part brilliantly done. When we see them they expand the moments and bring this size and scope to the story. The detail in them is fantastic add in the colour work and some of the moments become extraordinary. The floors in the demons office for example, then the walls where we meet the villain for the first time have this effect on me. The way we see the colours and then the various hues and tones in them to create the shading and shadows or detail work without any lines is a proper bang up job.
I am not sure that Dracula’s Daughter is who folks think it is. I have my own idea and suspicions on who I believe her to be but I will wait before I say anything because that would be another twist that sends the avalanche down on her. With the events that we see happen this issue and the forthcoming events that are more than foreshadowed the climax for this story is going to be as unbelievable as it will be unforgettable.