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Comic Review: DayBlack

DayBlack is a strange comic book. A strangely appealing comic book. I'd like to first start by applauding the creator Keef Cross for not doing a zombie story that's been ran into the ground during the last five years. DayBlack is a story that follows a vampire named Merce that's centuries old. The first thing you'll notice right from the start is this isn't your normal vampire story. Nobody is running around with torches and pitchforks. Merce isn't from some legendary family of vampires and held up in a castle. He's also not out for world domination. The story avoids all of the typical vampire story tropes. It's also one of the most graphically pleasing comics I've ever read due to it's unique style.

Merce was born as a slave, but one day in the fields he was turned into a vampire. Since then he's been attempting to find things in life that give him passion. Merce isn't your stereotypical vampire. Sure, he sleeps in a coffin, but it's covered with stickers of bands and artists like MF Doom, he wears Mos Def shirts and he goes to church. Merce may be the most interesting vampire I've ever read about, and I went through a phase where I really liked vampire books. He doesn't bite people instead he's created a tattoo gun that steals the ink from people. He's a great tattoo artist, but he's also a narcoleptic.

But, Merce isn't the only interesting aspect of the story. For example, Merce is the adoptive father of a vampire hunter and that's okay with both of them. There's the saggy sniper who shoots people in the butt from the rooftops for sagging. Even the customers at the tattoo shop are unique like the old man who wanted a tattoo on his forehead. There's Bryce the skateboarding vampire who makes his debut in #4 as the complete opposite of Merce. Every character is something special. Even when it's just random nameless background characters none of the faces are repeated.

The art in DayBlack is something special. It reads more like a picture book than comic book. There are tons of large page spreads with no panels at all. But, that's not what makes DayBlack so special. During the story it's explained that vampires only see in black, white and the color red. It's somewhat ridiculous what's done with just black, white and grey. Then the red comes in and makes a scene really pop. You may not see the color red for several pages but when you see it, it truly makes an image stick out in your head. The one exception to this rule is the stickers of artist and bands on Merce's coffin and the counter in the comics book shop he visits. These feature bright colors like yellow. I'm probably over analyzing but I feel like it's done to symbolize the importance that artist play on society, but I'm probably over analyzing it.

DayBlack is different, it's an oddity, an outlier, but that's what makes it great. I can't say I've ever read anything like DayBlack before. I may be charmed by how original and creative it is. Maybe it's just really good. I can't explain how great DayBlack is. A protagonist that is bored with living, but doesn't want to do anything exciting. Sometimes it's hard to explain why you like something. There's not really a way to explain why I love DayBlack, but I do. It's just amazing the way it brings together so many unique things into one book.

Purchase DayBlack Here, seriously buy it.
You can check out more from Rosarium Publishing at Their Website
You can also follow the creator Keef Cross on Twitter

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet

Darrell S.

Hey, I write stuff, a lot of different stuff, that's all.

2 Comments

  1. Dayblack is awesome. I read the first three comics earlier this year and it's the best comic/show/etc with vampires I've checked out in a long time. My favorite thing is the lore here and how a vampire can only be hurt by symbolism of the religion they followed when they were living. Thought that was a great touch.

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    Replies
    1. I thought that was a great aspect as well. Straying from the general vampire tropes really helped me enjoy it, knowing it was something completely unique and original.

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