Two-in-One Review: Moonstone Books Don MacPherson and Randy Lander delve into a world that exists on the other side of the day, a world filled with vampires and werewolves. It is the world of White Wolf comics from Moonstone Books. Don: A few years back, I helped a friend out by occasionally manning his sales table at a gaming convention. It served as my first glimpse of enthusiasts of the Vampire the Masquerade live-action roleplaying game in full-out vampire mode. I just didn't get it, and I've paid little attention to offering from White Wolf Game Studio ever since. The folks at Moonstone Books, who graciously sent Randy and me some review copies of some of their books, have given me a reason to take notice of the worlds of White Wolf once again. They've recruited some solid talent to tell some stories that range in tone from just plain fun to thoroughly haunting. Randy: I work at a comics and games store, and so I see a fair bit of the White Wolf stuff. I've actually read some of the basic game material from Vampire and Werewolf... even played a game once, a while back, although in general White Wolf games don't seem to be my style of gaming anymore. Nevertheless, I always thought it was a rich source of potential stories, and apparently so did Moonstone. They were probably the ideal publisher for this type of material, since their projects are original graphic novels, which allow the creators room to develop the stories and work with the complexity of the licensed worlds of White Wolf. Vampire the Masquerade: Toreador written by Rafael Nieves illustrated by Vince Locke colors by Paul Mounts letters by Nate Pride edited by Mike Reynolds, Bryan Edwards & Joe Gentile Werewold the Apocalypse: Bone Gnawers written by Joe Gentile illustrated by Steve Ellis colors by Paul Mounts & Ken Wolak letters by Terri Boyle edited by Ethan Skemp World of Darkness: Theo Bell written by Bryan Edwards & Mike Reynolds illustrated by Chris Marrinan colors by Paul Mounts letters by Phil Felix edited by Lori Strons, Dave Ulanski & Joe Gentile all priced at $5.95 US/$9.95 CAN Don: It's quite the coup for Moonstone... a small comics publisher grabbing up the comics licensing deal from a roleplaying publisher as popular as White Wolf. Furthermore, they back it up with some solid storytelling, thanks in part, no doubt, to their recruitment of some artists with some mainstream comics experience under their belts. By far the best of three books Moonstone sent along is the Toreador. Not only is it far more accessible than the others, but it's a character-driven piece that's thoroughly haunting and engrossing. It tells the tale of a late-night horror-movie hostess who's approached by a stranger who tells her the history of vampires, dating all the way back to The Book of Genesis. Randy: I definitely agree that Toreador is the pick of the crop. In addition to a fascinating lead character, it is the most self-explanatory of the bunch, the most accessible to any reader. Though I enjoyed the other two books, I found myself wondering if someone who was unfamiliar with the clans, tribes and general rules of the Vampire and Werewolf settings would know what was going on half the time. In Toreador, a lot of the story is given over to telling the background of the Masquerade, and exploring the White Wolf setting. Fortunately, all of this exposition is quite entertaining and provides for a nice surprise twist at the end. Don: To my surprise, Nieves's history of "the Children of Caine" isn't the least bit boring, and it's because of how well he has developed the main character, Jane Fordham. Her interest in Victor's story becomes the reader's own. Furthermore, Vince Locke, best known for his inking work on various Vertigo books for DC Comics, proves some serious solo art chops here. He opens with a delicious movie sequence that looks like it's painted work, and he follows up with some foreboding but realistic art that blends a modern urban setting with historical ones. Randy: Once again, we agree. Locke's work, whether it's the shadowy gray style that opens the book and just feels like an old vampire movie, or the more colorful modern art that shows us the interaction between Jane and Victor, is very impressive here. It's certainly the strongest of the various Moonstone offerings we've seen, and given that the Vertigo style is quite compatible with the World of Darkness, he seems to have been a great choice for the book. Don: Bone Gnawers turns our attention to a secret society of werewolves that live among us. They're hunted, not only by the FBI, but by a corporation/organization known as DNA. DNA agents treat lycanthropy as a disease, and they aim to wipe it out with a new serum its scientists have developed. Randy: Werewolf always struck me as a more interesting concept than Vampire, and so I was a bit disappointed to find that Bone Gnawers was my least favorite of these books. Where Toreador is quite accessible, and even Theo Bell is friendly to those with only a passing knowledge of the games, Bone Gnawers assumes an intimate amount of knowledge about the abilities, tribes and motivations of the various Werewolf characters. It doesn't help that Steve Ellis's work doesn't really distinguish between the various characters well, making the multiple protagonists and antagonists hard to figure out anyway. Don: Steve (Wildstorm's Jezebelle) Ellis's exaggerated art is well suited to the shape-shifting title characters. There are a variety of influences at play in his work... I'm reminded of artists like Mike Mignola, Dean Ormston, Jason Pearson and more. Fortunately, it never seems as though Ellis is just aping their work either. Gentile's script imbues the many characters with a lot of personality, making for a fun read. Unfortunately, it's also a somewhat confusing read. There are a lot of players involved in this little drama, and exposition is not nearly as plentiful a resource as it should be here. Randy: It does seem as if Gentile needed to pare down the story a bit more. The central conceit, that scientists are attempting to wipe out werewolves with a virus, is perfectly suited to the Werewolf milieu, and I liked that we got to see a little of the interaction of the pack before the story really kicked in. However, with DNA, Pentex, the FBI, a seeming lone wolf, the pack and a celebratory hunt all taking up valuable page space, the story got quite crowded, the characters had little time to distinguish themselves and the drama had little time to build. Don: Theo Bell is set in the same general vampire-continuity as Toreador, but it's a radically different kind of story. Edwards and Reynolds blend bloodsuckers, a film-noir narrative voice and a badass Shaft-esque character that one can't help but cheer on. While it's a fun read, it's also a smart one, as the writers delve into the politics of vampirism. Randy: There's one thing we definitely agree on, and that's the character of Theo Bell. This guy is a great character, one that will find favor with those who enjoyed the movie version of Blade, and someone I'd happily read more stories about. In addition, the politics of the Masquerade, while sometimes a little confusing to this casual fan and no doubt inscrutable to those without any familiarity with the source material, make for fascinating plot machinations. I confess that I think Edwards veered close to the edge of overcomplicated plotting a few times, but he rarely crossed the line and generally provided a complex but not too confusing plot. And his characterization, whether it's of Brujah Theo Bell or his Malkavian "ally," is top notch. Don: I recognize Chris Marrinan's style from his days as the regular penciller on DC's Wonder Woman, but his work has definitely developed over the years. I see Tim Sale and Frank Miller influence at play in his work here, and he captures the dark yet fun tone of the story nicely. He also tells it clearly, despite the many characters that are introduced over the course of the book. Randy: I definitely see the influences you're talking about, and agree that Marrinan has come a long way in his art. I do disagree a little about the clarity, however, as the panel arrangements were sometimes a bit crowded, and I felt like his art could use a little more room to breathe. In particular, the action sequences, while appropriately brutal, could have used bigger panels so that they had a little more flash and style. Overall, Moonstone has crafted some pretty solid books here. I would only recommend one of them, Toreador, to the casual fan of vampires and werewolves, but I think that anyone with an interest in White Wolf games would be very pleased with the care and attention that have been given to the adaptation of that game material. For more information about Moonstone Books, visit their website at www.moonstonebooks.com. Email Randy and Don comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.