Mini Review: Vitriol the Hunter

Title: Vitriol the Hunter
Authors: Billy Martin, Brent Allen
Format: egalley
Pub. Date: November 5th 2013
Source: Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors

★★★

Three stars.

When I saw this title on Netgalley, I got super excited. Billy Martin of Good Charlotte fame, involved with a graphic novel? Sign me up! He was the first (of many, admittedly) rockers in guyliner that snagged my affections, and he's a great guitarist. His dark tone is greatly represented in the artwork and story of Vitriol the Hunter- the last defense against a ruthless vampire gang that soon will take over the city if Vitriol is to fail.

What I really liked about this title is the artwork. It has this really cool contrast somehow that I can't quite explain. A lot of the time, the scenes and landscapes are dark, which is what one would expect from a graphic novel regarding rogue vampires. But because of the design of the characters themselves, and the sometimes bright contrasts, it has this cool look of being animated. I think this would do quite nicely as an animated feature.

What I wasn't crazy about was the actual writing itself. It wasn't bad, per se, but it wasn't anything super outside the box or original. It was rather predictable, until the twist at the end of the story. Vitriol himself is a pretty cool character.

All in all, I thought this to be a pretty good start to what I hope is a series. I would definitely pick up the next graphic novel in this series were he to put one out, despite the average writing. I think it'll get better, and I'd like to see more of Vitriol's ass-kicking skills.

Thank you to Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors for my copy.