A Yeti vs Vampire Battle Royale!
Posted by dominic in Interviews, Reviews on September 25th, 2008
When I first came across the upcoming comic Yeti vs. Vampire by Miles Gunter, with art by Kelsey Shannon, I was intrigued by the title. A yeti, one of my all time favorite creatures of Cryptozoology was going to go head to head with a vampire! Are you kidding me, why didn’t I think of that?
The first issue of Yeti vs. Vampire had me salivating for more. I’m already disappointed that there will be only four issues in the series. This book has it all; wisecracking werewolves, maniacal monks guarding the entrance to a Shangri-la like Yeti sanctuary high in the Himalayas, a monster controlling vampire who knows how to mix things up, and an amazingly envisioned Yeti that I just know is going to kick some monster butt in the next few issues.
The action and gore is very stylized. I felt almost like this comic could have been a Saturday morning cartoon from my childhood; albeit a cartoon that would have aired on HBO or Showtime do to the violence and high body count. Kelsey Shannon’s artwork lends itself perfectly to the story. The rich colors and sharp eye for surrounding detail, coupled with the fast pace and quick dialog, envelope the reader and trap him in this pleasantly fantastical world where monsters do exist, and some even have a dry sense of humor to boot. It is all too obvious how much fun Miles and Kelsey had creating this story. Even as violent as Yeti vs. Vampire is you never feel weighted down with serious issues. This is all about a fans love for monsters; an action/adventure set in a paranormal world. It reminded me of some of my own favorite monster fests such as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Destroy all Monsters and Monster Squad. The more I go back to the story and re-read it the more I enjoyed Yeti vs. Vampire.
I won’t give too much away of what the readers have in store when the book is released. I will say if you love monsters, especially monster battle royales, go out and pick up the first issue at your local comic store. You really have no excuse, because even with the tough economy the first issue is going to sell for only 99 cents!
Yeti vs. Vampire is overall just an amusing monster read that made me nostalgic for my childhood. A childhood full of frights, and made up stories not unlike this one-minus the fashion designing vampire, I would have never thought of that one. Now that its autumn and the days are getting shorter and the nights colder, it’s nice to know that the bumps in the night are back, and that nights under the sheets with a flashlight reading cool and creepy stories are upon us once again.
