[.ca] The Black Forest (ISBN 1582403503)

Planning on going to see "Van Helsing" this week?:
Then save your 10 bucks and immediately buy this awsome graphic novel. This is the great homage to old monster movies that the aforementioned turkey so miserably failed to be. In a medium filled with endless parades of angst-driven nutcases and thonged Barbie dolls wading through body, boob and profanity counts (arrested development disguised as mature content) it's refreshing to read a comic book that's just plain fun. It's refreshingly appropriate for monster and heroic adventure fans of any age. Livingston and Tinnell's story is briskly paced and exciting. Vokes' B/W art is pure eye candy. Often times attempts at period pieces fall flat either from well intentionened but akward attempts to evoke the flavor of the times or worse yet, when ridiculous anachronistic elements (as in "Van Hesling")are inserted to grab today's audiences. This is not one of those times. Look at it this way. If in the rare chance that there is something seriously wrong with your brain and you don't dig this book, you can always sell it to your local comic shop and make some of your dough back. You'll at least have the pleasure of knowing that you've supported some very worthy independent creators. A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Monster fans rejoice!:
BLACK FOREST is clearly a labor of love on the part of all of its creators, and if there's any justice in the world, it will be recognized and embraced by monster fans everywhere with an equally fervent love. The sources of inspiration are obvious and undisguised--classic black and white horror movies, from Murnau's NOSFERATU up through Universal's HOUSE OF monster rallies. With such materials as these, BLACK FOREST achieves a rare alchemy of synthesis and transcendence. It's been described as the Universal movie that was never made, and I would go further to say it is the Universal movie we wished for and never got. The increasingly bitter disappointments that culminated in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN are more than made up for in BLACK FOREST, which seems to channel the collective dream of fans for a monster mash that really, truly rocks. This is one of those rare cases where a cover doesn't promise more than the book delivers. The cover by Michael Avon Oeming and Tom Smith is accurately evocative, well-composed, and hopefully alluring enough to make people pick up the book, but the real treats lie within. How many comics make you sit up and take notice of the credits? The inside cover accomplishes that with an outstanding movie poster design. Kudos to the people who came up with that idea and designed the page. It looks fantastic. The image of the Frankenstein monster reflected in-the lens of a gas mask that has been crushed into the mud succeeds on so many levels that I'll just say you have to see it for yourself. Vokes's art, so I've heard, has in the past been criticized as "cartoony," which he answers by saying he prefers to call it "stylized." Well, the jury is in, and the decision goes to Vokes. The stylization has emerged as one of his greatest strengths, a recognizable signature touch that suffuses everything he draws, and that gives the worlds he creates a consistency and reality all their own. A sustained visual tour de force like PARLIAMENT OF JUSTICE could hardly be considered a fluke or a one-off, but in case there were any doubts, Vokes does it again in BLACK FOREST, and even better this time. Jack Shannon and Archie Caldwell are drawn in such a way as to invite immediate identification. The amazing things they encounter--the monsters, the castles--are effectively presented for maximum power, and resonate as icons the moment we lay eyes on them. I must admit that when I first saw the designs for the women characters, I thought they looked a bit . . . well, cartoony. Oh me of little faith! Vokes brings them to life in the book, and does a great job of marking the changes that they undergo. As for the writing by Livingston and Tinnell, I would say they've damn near hit the Platonic ideal of the kind of story they were aiming to tell. Normally, a project like this can capture and convey all the fantasies it promises only by forcing them into the creakiest of plots. Here we have a story that zings and gives us everything we want along the way. I have only one complaint. At one point, a romping, stomping battle between the Frankenstein monster and a pack of werewolves is joined by Graf Orlock and his legions of nosferatu. To my mind, the wheels should have come completely off, the story should have stopped dead, and absolute chaos and carnage should have ensued for a few panels if not pages. Here was an opportunity for the monster mashing set piece to end all monster mashing set pieces. I would gladly have paid an extra $2.95 or whatever to see that kind of ultimate delivery on the promise of monster vs. monster action. An extended cat-fight between the ladies would have been most welcome, too. In fact, more generally, despite Vokes's expansion of the page length beyond what was originally planned, this project still felt very close to the bone in its presentation of all that it had going on. It could easily have accommodated another five or eight pages with no noticeable slackening of pace, and more like ten or twelve would have given all the wonderful elements just about the right amount of room to breathe. I hope the creators will take it more as a compliment than a criticism that I wished to stay longer in the Black Forest they brought so vividly to life. Closing out the book is a pinup gallery. All of the contributions shine, but Tommy Castillo's is the stunner of the bunch. My God, it's just that good! Many thanks to Livingston, Tinnell, and Vokes for BLACK FOREST. Gentlemen, you've made an instant classic. If it receives half the recognition it is due, it will take its place in the tradition--of course, that tradition also calls for sequels! ;-)

Excellent mixture of horror and adventure:
I have been anxiously awaiting the release of "The Black Forest" for several months now, ever since I first saw preview images from the project. Having waited so long, with growing excitement, I feared the graphic novel couldn't possibly live up to my expectations. I was entirely wrong; this project met all of my expectations and, in some ways, exceeded them. The artwork is a bit more "stylized" than I normally care for, but it is first rate work regardless. The black and white art did a fabulous job of appropriating the feel of the old Universal horror films of the 30s and 40s. The trinity of Univeral horror monsters -- Frankenstein's creation, werewolf, and vampire (although Dracula, here, is replaced by an even older cinematic vamp, Graf Orlock) -- are treated with dignity. The entire project is mercifully free of camp and irony. The creatures here are spooky and creepy in that wonderful way that no modern films seem able to match. The plot is fun and engrossing, and quite brisk. In fact, my only complaint about "The Black Forest" is that it felt a bit rushed. There were scenes and concepts that could have benefited greatly by being expanded upon. The project could have supported quite a few more pages without being stretched too thin. "The Black Forest" is simply one of the best graphic novels I have read.

A Fine Tribute to the Monster Mashes of Yore:
THE BLACK FOREST is that rarest of modern comics, a good old-fashioned action romp devoid of excess violence, sex, and foul language (though there are plenty of racy elements here that the Comics Code would not approve, including the presence of vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures). If you are looking for 50 severed heads, a liberal sprinkling of gargantuan bare breasts, and enough variations of the F word to make the cast of DEADWOOD blush, this ain't the book for you. If you believe comics aren't any good unless the heroes are tortured or insane loners who offer no inspiration for others, you should stick to some of the lesser Batman and X-Men ink-wasters. THE BLACK FOREST is the kind of comic that, with a few minor changes, would have thrilled fanboys in the Golden Age. Neil Volkes' stylized art is a matter of taste, yet it nicely captures the gee-whiz fun of old-school funnybooks. The liberal use of shadows and darkness properly convey the late Gothic mood, and the ladies Ilsa and Isabella are properly fetching. The script by Livingston and Tinnell is lively, spooky, and fun without descending into the camp and over the top action set pieces that nearly derailed VAN HELSING, a film to which this graphic novel must, inevitably, be compared. With nice homages to NOSFERATU, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN, THE BLACK CAT, and a thousand other old horror flicks, THE BLACK FOREST is the perfect gift for that eccentric uncle of yours who sports a "Zacherle for President" button and boasts about his complete set of CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN magazines.