I haven't been a big fan of American comic books or American comic book style, opting instead for Japanese manga with their boys who look like girls and girls who look like monsters.... and then all the sudden, one day, I was going through my (slightly obsessive) picture collection, rifling through my burned cds picking out a few of my favorites and I find where I had stolen someone's scan of the Crimson comic, volume 7. What caught my attention originally (and the second time around) was the angels on the cover and the kneeling, vulnerable, black-clad young man waiting to be judged… yum!
So yes, yes, I hunted it down on Ebay and bought it just because of the cover art. And since I was buying that one I figured I'd buy a few more since they were cheap (50 cents to a dollar) and I ended up actually enjoying it. GASP!
Crimson is a 24 issue completed comic series by Brian Augustyn (writer), Humberto Ramos (artist) and Sandra Hope (??) about a teenage kid named Alex Elder who gets nibbled on by a crazy vampire to become a vampire himself. He ends up being the "chosen one" and some such nonsense and helps save the world from the evil Lisseth, mother of all vampires. Personally I thought the "final battle" was kinda anticlimactic and that Alex wasn't used right as a "chosen one" but oh well, they're the ones making all the big bucks, not me.
In general, the art's fun, I love how the blood sticks to people like goo and how pretty the women are (instead of looking like balloon-tittied monsters). Ramos has an interesting design idiosyncrasy in that the characters have exaggerated hands and feet… sometimes it's weird, but for the most part it's not something that detracts from the comic itself.
Ironically enough, after finding the Redemption trade paperback (19-24) at the mall and gathering my Ebay wins, which turns out to be my favorite? Volume 7 of course, the one that originally caught my attention. What fun….. >:D
The angels on the cover are in fact heavenly archangels who have come to pass judgement on poor Alex, damning him from the get-go just because he's a vampire. Alex didn't become a vampire by choice, mind you, and doesn't even sin by feeding off of humans. The angels come around looking all of prejudiced, cruel and unforgiving…. Most of them, anyway, Alex has a few on his side, but the only way Alex survives this is through the most unexpected of allies….
The exploration of the angels, God and the devil in this comic is fantastic. The portrayal of Lucifer as the angel with a sense of duty, God as the silent benevolent healer and the angels as self-important and out of the loop is thought-provoking and interesting. The fact that the devil shares a closer relationship with God than the angels do tickles me pink. So here I am sharing my favorite volume with the world… mind you, it's no substitute for buying the actual comic, and it's all copyright Wildstorm Productions and Humberto Ramos et al. Have fun.
Title
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5 : MA-A-AN! It's colder that a witch's butt out there!
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20 : I think Satan and Mikey got their dialog bubbles switched here in the middle armored frame.
Page 21 : Alex is really adorable in this picture. I'd be scared too! :)
Page 22
Page 23 : My favorite page!! :)
Page 24
I'm still needing to finish off my collection (plus get cover art variants that I like) so if anyone comes across them at a yard sale or flea market for a quarter, think of me…. *pretty smile*
My Want List!!
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3 + fantastic Joe Quesada variant
Volume 5
Volume 7 Australian Variant
Volume 10
Volumes 11-18
Alex's Next Adventure
The Crimson Oneshot
And naturally, the Crimson Toys.
Good times!!