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Vampires Go to Hollywood

Posted by Chris Fluit on July 6, 2012 at 9:02am
I was reading a couple of new comics the other night and I noticed some fun coincidences between American Vampire #28 and Angel & Faith #11.  Both issues were the start of a new story arc, "The Blacklist" for American Vampire and "Family Reunion" for Angel & Faith. Both issues featured a return to Los Angeles, complete with a prominent shot of the Hollywood sign.  That's not unusual.  Angel was set in LA for all five seasons of the television show and for every previous comic book series before relocating to London for this one.  American Vampire tends to jump around a bit more but it's located more stories in LA than anywhere else. LA also serves as the hometown of series regular Pearl Jones.  But it is surprising that two series recently set elsewhere return to Los Angeles at the same time (the issues were released the same day).Both issues featured a reunion of main characters.  This is a little spoiler-y so skip ahead if you want.  Angel & Faith reunites the title characters with former co-stars Connor and Gunn.  Meanwhile, American Vampire puts Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones in an arc together for the first time since Ghost War (#14-18) and working together for the first time since the original arc (#1-5).  More than that, The Blacklist brings in Calvin Poole from Ghost War and Nocturnes, making this the first story in which all three American Vampires work together.  It was definitely cool to see all of these characters together- or together again- in the two titles. Both issues also feature a vampire named Pearl. Pearl Jones has long been one of the stars of American Vampire. The first arc tells the story of her transformation into a vampire. In Angel & Faith, the vampire sisters Pearl and Nash are recent additions to the cast, taking up residence in the same house as Angel and Faith. They’re left behind to housesit- a responsibility they take very lightly.However, despite the superficial similarities, these stories could not have been more different. For Angel & Faith, the reunion is joyous. Angel has a touching heart-to-heart with his son. And Faith is pleased to see old friends like Gunn. In addition, LA is only a stopping point along the way as the characters step into a demon dimension at the end of the issue.For American Vampire, the reunion is taut. These vampires are cruel and vindictive. They don’t trust each other, even if they have common interests at the moment. In addition, the LA setting is central to the story as American Vampire examines the Hollywood blacklist and the red scare of the 1950s.Writer Scott Snyder takes an unusual tack in telling the blacklist story. Most stories focus on showing the reader that the blacklist was a bad thing. They aim a spotlight at the suspicion, the intimidation and the unsubstantiated allegations of the red scare. That’s certainly the angle that the Angel television show took in its episode, “Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been?” American Vampire acknowledges that aspect, mentioning the fear that one will be ostracized for looking at a single communist pamphlet 20 years ago. But that’s not the direction in which Snyder takes this story. Instead, in American Vampire, the suspicions, accusations and fear are apparently justified. Hollywood isn’t a hotbed of communists; it’s a coven of vampires.I doubt that Snyder is making a political point with this story. The narrative comments certainly indicate a negative view of McCarthyism. Instead, he’s telling a good old-fashioned monster story. Fear, suspicion and danger are the ingredients of a good vampire tale and upending the reader’s expectations are the spice of almost every good story.The two stories have just started so it’s too early to know how well they’ll handle their different subjects. Yet the similarities were a lot of fun to notice even if the series are heading in different directions from here on out.
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Comics for 11 July 2012

Posted by PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod on July 5, 2012 at 12:51pm

7 WARRIORS TP (MR)

ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE SCREAM QUEENS #1
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY RAMOS POSTER
AMERICAN VAMPIRE LORD OF NIGHTMARES #2 (OF 5) (MR)
ANT-MAN SEASON ONE PREM HC
ATOMIC ROBO REAL SCIENCE ADV #4
AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #5
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #9
AVX VS #4 (OF 6)

BAD MEDICINE #3
BATGIRL #11
BATGIRL HC VOL 01 THE DARKEST REFLECTION
BATMAN #11
BATMAN AND ROBIN #11
BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #4
BATTLE BEASTS #1 (OF 4)
BEFORE WATCHMEN MINUTEMEN #2 (OF 6) (MR)
BIG JOHN BUSCEMA COMICS & DRAWINGS HC
BLOODSHOT (ONGOING) #1
BROKEN PIECES #3
BTVS SEASON 9 FREEFALL #11
BULLETPROOF COFFIN DISINTERRED #6 (OF 6) (MR)

CALL OF WONDERLAND #2 (OF 3) (MR)
CAPTAIN AMERICA #14
CASANOVA TP V3 AVARITIA (MR)
CHARISMAGIC #6
CHEW SECRET AGENT POYO #1 (MR)
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #175 MOCKINGBIRD
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #176 TIGER SHARK
CLASSIC MARVEL FIG COLL MAG #177 NICO MINORU
CLAUDIO ABOY SEDUCTION PORTRAITS OF DESIRE SC (MR)
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #6
CREEPY COMICS #9
CROSSED BADLANDS #9 (MR)
CROW #1

DANCER #3
DARK AVENGERS #177
DARKNESS ORIGINS TP VOL 04 (MR)
DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #109 ROBOT MAN
DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #110 GRIFTER
DC SUPERHERO FIG COLL MAG #111 AQUALAD
DEATHSTROKE #11
DEFENDERS #8
DEMON KNIGHTS #11
DEMON KNIGHTS TP VOL 01 SEVEN AGAINST THE DARK
DOCTOR WHO 100 PG SPECTACULAR

EERIE COMICS #1
ENORMOUS ONE SHOT #1
ESSENTIAL WEB OF SPIDER-MAN TP V2

FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #33
FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN PREM HC V5
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #11

GAME OF THRONES #9 (MR)
GARTH ENNIS JENNIFER BLOOD #14 (MR)
GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING TP VOL 02
GI JOE VOL 2 ONGOING #15
GOD AND SCIENCE HC RETURN O/T TI GIRLS
GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES #4
GRIFTER #11
GUERILLAS TP VOL 02

HARBINGER (ONGOING) #2
HEART TP (MR)
HELLBOY LIBRARY HC VOL 05 DARKNESS CALLS WILD HUNT
HOAX HUNTERS #1

JEWISH IMAGES IN THE COMICS HC
JLA TP VOL 02

KEVIN SMITH BIONIC MAN #10
KIRBY GENESIS #8

LEGION LOST #11
LIFE WITH ARCHIE #21
LIL DEPRESSED BOY #12
LOCKE & KEY HC VOL 05 CLOCKWORKS

MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES #4
MASSIVE #2
MEGA MAN #15
MMW AMAZING SPIDER-MAN HC VOL 14
NEIL GAIMANS MIDNIGHT DAYS DLX ED HC
NEW AVENGERS #28 AVX
NEW MUTANTS #45

OCCULTIST TP VOL 01
ORCHID TP V1
OVERSTREET COMIC BK PG V42 HC & SC

PANTHA #2
PATRICIA BRIGGS ALPHA & OMEGA CRY WOLF VOL 01 #8
PETER PANZERFAUST #5 (MR)
PHANTOM COMP SUNDAYS HC VOL 01 1939-1942
PLANETOID #2
PUNK ROCK JESUS #1 (OF 6) (MR)

QUEEN SONJA #30

RAVAGERS #3
RED SONJA OMNIBUS TP VOL 03
RESURRECTION MAN #11
REVIVAL #1
RICHARD STARKS PARKER THE SCORE

SAUCER COUNTRY #5 (MR)
SCARLET SPIDER #7
SHADE #10 (OF 12)
SMOKE AND MIRRORS #4 (OF 5)
SOULFIRE FAITH #1
SPACE PUNISHER #1 (OF 4)
SPACE WARPED TP
SPARROW AND CROWE #1
SPIDER-MEN #3 (OF 5)
SPONGEBOB COMICS #10
STAR TREK ONGOING TP VOL 02
STAR WARS KNIGHT ERRANT ESCAPE #2 (OF 5)
STRAIN #6 (OF 12) (MR)
SUICIDE SQUAD #11
SUNSET FIRST LOOK ONE SHOT (MR)
SUPERBOY #11
SWAMP THING #11

TAKIO #2
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES COLOR CLASSICS #3
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ONGOING TP VOL 02
THE LONE RANGER SNAKE OF IRON #1
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE #81
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE 100 PG SPECTACULAR

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES BY KOMARCK POSTER
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #14 DWF
UNCANNY X-FORCE #27
UNCHARTED TP
UNITED FREE WORLDS HC

VALEN OUTCAST TP VOL 01 ABOMINATION
VAMPIRELLA ARCHIVES HC VOL 05 (MR)
VENOM #20

WALKING DEAD #100
WALT DISNEY UNCLE SCROOGE HC V1 POOR OLD MAN
WILD CHILDREN ONE SHOT (MR)
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #13 AVX

X-23 TP VOL 02 CHAOS THEORY

YOUNGBLOOD #72

I copied this list from the Comics & Collectibles list on Facebook. Arrivals at your LCS may vary.

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