Vampires. Is there a hotter
supernatural entity in the entertainment industry at the moment?
Books, comics, movies and TV shows have all featured the pasty
bloodsuckers heavily in the last few years and you could be forgiven
for rolling your eyes at the sight of yet another vampire based
story, like Viper Comics Nosferatu. So in such a crowded
marketplace is Nosferatu worth reading?
You could be forgiven for
thinking the graphic novel reads like a mixture of so many different
vampire stories. The story features vampirism as more of a plague or
virus similar to what was recently featured in the Guillermo Del
Toro and Chuck Hogan books The Strain but its familiarity is
intended, the book is a modernization of the classic silent film of
the same name.
Tommy Hutter is a
photographer who gets whisked away to Germany to take some photos of
the reclusive Count Orlok’s castle as a favor for gallery owner Nox.
Tommy spends a rather creepy time at Orlok’s before discovering a
dark secret about the reclusive Count. Tommy heads back to America
to see her girlfriend Elle but Orlok has also become fixated on
Elle. When Orlok reaches US shores he brings with him a deadly virus
as he searches for Elle.
So yeah, basically the story
manages to transport a classic tale to the present without sucking
(ha ha vampire pun) and without featuring love-struck, sparkly
teenage vampires who are vampire vegetarians so plus 1 for
Nosferatu. While it does follow the classic story fairly
closely, it does add its own little twists, like a greater focus on
Nox and the inclusion of the Homeland Security guy and terrorism
fears, and it is generally an enjoyable read. I did feel that at
times the story did skip ahead a little too far like at one stage
Nox is rather normal then he’s biting people and then he’s in a
mental institution. It all happened quite fast with very little
explanation. Still Nox, the owner of an art gallery, was probably my
favorite character in the book and that was probably enhanced by his
sudden transition from sleazy but normal to complete and utter loon.
The scenes where Nox is in the mental institute are strangely,
almost disturbingly comical and he has a maniacal charm and wit to
him that make him a great read. Orlok also manages to get under your
skin in terms of character design and his dialogue and mannerisms.
As soon as you see him you know there’s something up while Tommy and
Elle have a good youthful energy to them and their love and
relationship seems real not overdone.
The art was good with plenty
of blood when it was needed. It was a really vibrant and fresh style
that allowed for some nice comparisons between where Tommy and Elle
lived and the dark, old and Gothic castle of Orlok. There was a good
use of color throughout the book that really helped the art work
come alive.
If you thought you couldn’t
get excited by another vampire tale then think again. Viper Comics
Nosferatu is a very impressive book that manages to
re-imagine a classic story for a modern audience without cheapening
the experience. There are strong characters, great dialogue and good
artwork in this fun vampire tale.
