Zenescope Entertainment 2016
Written by Pat Shand
Illustrated by Leonardo Colapietro
Coloured by Slamet Mujiono
Lettered by Jim Campbell
Last year, Liesel Van Helsing waged a war against Dracula, a monster that terrorized her family for centuries. She triumphed, slaying Dracula and thus becoming the name that vampires fear the most. She has also found love in the strangest places, with Hades, the former Greek god of Hell. Now, as Liesel continues to rid the streets of New York of the supernatural threats that lurk in the darkness, a new and powerful foe will rise in hopes to take down the legendary hunter.
Liesel has been a pure joy to read about since her introduction to the Zenescope Universe. With each new story we’ve had the chance to see her change and grow and become more and more comfortable working with others as the opening demonstrates.
The opening also gives us a chance to see what Leonardo and Slamet can bring us and wow is this some incredibly good stuff! The amount of attention to detail here is amazing and the creativity in these things they fight are the things we love to see. The flow of the book is great the use of angles, perspective and backgrounds are incredible to see. They have done a marvelous job in bringing this to life for us.
For all the action it’s also great that Pat likes to show them with some down time. The scene at the bar after the fight is great for not only character building and showing us their personalities but for the continued bonding the characters share. Though I have to admit something I saw what was going to happen here in all that and I was little disappointed in that. Once Liesel befriended Franklin and Taylor and the mutual gushing ensued well the writing was already on the wall.
I will also admit that seeing Liesel think about dating Hades and how he’ll age and she won’t as she’s not a Highborn but merely human was something I hadn’t expected to see and adds another amount of depth to her in ever growing personality. Also the fact that she’s teaming up with Franklin and Taylor to go after the legendary Mothman legend was a nice surprise. Mixing in real legends with those of her own fictional heritage makes for great stuff. Especially since the guys bring that creature to life in ways you cannot begin to imagine.
I’m anxiously awaiting to see how Frankenstein fits into all this and makes his way into the Zenescope Universe. However with how Liesel talks with Taylor it’s almost like she’s thinking of the process that made him and is thinking of adapting that somehow so she can continue to be with Hades as she ages and he doesn’t. Yes for now they are in love but over time will that continue or will that fade as she needs taking care of more and more? Plus there’s something else to consider here in her line of work the lifespan isn’t conducive to longevity.
This is the kind of storytelling that keeps us coming back and looking forward to each Van Helsing tale. It’s got that depth of character, the unexpected turn of events and the introduction of new and exciting characters, both good and bad. It’s that adult line of books that doesn’t cross over into formulaic writing which Pat has become known for.