Journal of the Vampire Hunter [1]: Claws of Darkness Vol.3
Reviewed by Kat Avila - Sequential Tart
Credits
Writer: Based on novel by Jozev
Other Creators: Jerry Cho
Grade: 8
"He [Gino Carlos] was such a wonderful young boy, a beloved son of God…. But he was drawn to the dark, and I could not save him..." —Father Gerardo
That there is still a priest in the Mexican town of Santa Anna is surprising. The well-armed American vampire hunter Nicholas Bane has dropped by to clean up the growing supernatural evil associated with local drug lord Gino Carlos.
A loud electric guitar playing eerily in the middle of the night disturbs everyone's sleep. The townspeople are drawn to Pedro's two-story house by the guitar. The sight they find inside causes grown men to hurl. And, of course, the reader will get to see the results too of vengeful wolfman Jubile Aztel's handiwork in the previous volume of Claws of Darkness. Scrawled in Pedro's blood on the wall in Spanish, among his splattered guts, are the words, "All drug dealers must die!" Looks like Gino Carlos isn't the only one Nicholas has to be concerned about.
The romance-tinged interchanges between dhampir Nicholas and Azul Bar caretaker Anna provide a quiet respite between violent episodes, though each is thinking of another. For Anna, it's her fiancé Jubile who is supposed to be dead.
On page 42, a particularly dramatic panel is created by a juxtaposition of Nick's desire to be fully human again with a normal life against the overhead shot of him brooding among a cache of specially designed hooks, axes, swords, and knives designed to slice and dice vampires.
Journal of the Vampire Hunter [1]: Claws of Darkness, volume 3, is for a mature audience only and is rated for ages 18-plus. If you have a weak stomach, you are also advised to read with caution.
