by writer, Jason Starr ; art, Mick Bertilorenzi ; letters, Clem Robins
Book list In 1967 on the County Clare coast, Arlana discovers she is erotically gifted, which is bad news for her boyfriend, though her pop is overjoyed. Fast-forward to present-day New York, where three undergrads' night out leads to the decapitation of the one who scores. Hunky homicide dick Pavano encounters a major hitch when everyone who saw the victim's apparent pickup describes her radically differently, and a surveillance camera disagrees with all of them. A laid-off Boston cop an Irish immigrant, as it happens horns in on Pavano after a second sensational murder, with similar details, occurs. He acts as loony as the story of ritual murder he tells, but, of course, he's right on the money. Pavano almost becomes another victim before the killings stop. Well, at least these killings stop. For his thirteenth crime novel, Starr goes graphic and adds lethally dark fantasy to the mix. Bertilorenzi's black-and-white art is too superheroic for the story's would-be noirish aura, though about right for its supernatural trappings.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. Publishers Weekly There seems to be a serial killer at work in New York, hacking up young men in elaborately grotesque ways, and a drunken ex-cop claims that it is the work of some sort of druidic witch, eating souls for immortality. But there's never any mystery or suspense, just one chase from something to something else, with a lot of yelling and killing going on. Starr is known for his novels, including Panic Attack, but his first graphic novel misses the mark. The ugly and nasty script claims it is neo-noir, but it's actually splatterpunk, with a lot of plot holes. Why are the FBI such interfering jerks? No reason, except to frustrate the heroes' attempts. Meanwhile, the borderline racist caricatures of the Irish and Irish druids are practically embarrassing. Bertilorenzi's art is a cut-rate mishmash of Hellboy and Dylan Dog. Often the book feels as if it was a script for the old Night Stalker TV show rewritten as a Cinemax soft-porn movie. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Library Journal Best-selling author Starr tries his hand at graphic novels with this supernatural murder mystery steeped in sex and violence. Heroine Arlana has the power to freeze young men whilst in the throes of passion. Her magical ability has its roots in ritualistic sacrifice, which her abusive father continues to exploit, forcing her to lure young men to their deaths so that he may feast on their remains and retain eternal vigor. The true suspense in this book isn't whether the stock characters-a grizzled NYPD detective, a shady FBI agent, a mentally unsound old timer-will catch the killers, but how and when. The bold, atmospheric artwork of Mick Bertiorenzi steals the show, bringing gritty city streets, dirty back alleys, and foreboding industrial spaces to life with detail and personality. Verdict For readers accustomed to hard-edged crime dramas, this is a quick, uncomplicated read. It's not a cozy mystery, however. Copious nudity, graphic sex, and unsettling murder scenes comprise the bulk, so YA librarians take note.-M. Brandon Robbins, Wayne Cty. P.L., Goldsboro, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-The scene is rural Ireland in 1967. Two young lovers are becoming intimate when Arlana inadvertently does something to her boyfriend, Martin Cleary. She nearly kills him. When she runs to her father for help, he savagely beats her and ominously says, "Your time has come!" Fast forward to present-day New York City. Young men keep meeting the woman of their dreams, only to be savagely murdered when they start to get lucky. An older Martin Cleary figures out that Arlana and her father have traveled to the New World to spread their Druidic nightmare overseas. How can an old man stop such powerful magic? This graphic novel, set in a noir-type world, lacks a coherent story and solid plot. Arlana, the one female character, is depicted as both victim and seductress in equal measure. Readers will feel little sympathy for her situation because it's never really clear why she's following her father's evil wishes. The overall story is scrapped for gratuitous sex, violence, and seemingly every character swearing for no reason other than shock value. The spooky twist at the end will leave most readers underwhelmed.-Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Book list In 1967 on the County Clare coast, Arlana discovers she is erotically gifted, which is bad news for her boyfriend, though her pop is overjoyed. Fast-forward to present-day New York, where three undergrads' night out leads to the decapitation of the one who scores. Hunky homicide dick Pavano encounters a major hitch when everyone who saw the victim's apparent pickup describes her radically differently, and a surveillance camera disagrees with all of them. A laid-off Boston cop an Irish immigrant, as it happens horns in on Pavano after a second sensational murder, with similar details, occurs. He acts as loony as the story of ritual murder he tells, but, of course, he's right on the money. Pavano almost becomes another victim before the killings stop. Well, at least these killings stop. For his thirteenth crime novel, Starr goes graphic and adds lethally dark fantasy to the mix. Bertilorenzi's black-and-white art is too superheroic for the story's would-be noirish aura, though about right for its supernatural trappings.--Olson, Ray Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. Publishers Weekly There seems to be a serial killer at work in New York, hacking up young men in elaborately grotesque ways, and a drunken ex-cop claims that it is the work of some sort of druidic witch, eating souls for immortality. But there's never any mystery or suspense, just one chase from something to something else, with a lot of yelling and killing going on. Starr is known for his novels, including Panic Attack, but his first graphic novel misses the mark. The ugly and nasty script claims it is neo-noir, but it's actually splatterpunk, with a lot of plot holes. Why are the FBI such interfering jerks? No reason, except to frustrate the heroes' attempts. Meanwhile, the borderline racist caricatures of the Irish and Irish druids are practically embarrassing. Bertilorenzi's art is a cut-rate mishmash of Hellboy and Dylan Dog. Often the book feels as if it was a script for the old Night Stalker TV show rewritten as a Cinemax soft-porn movie. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Library Journal Best-selling author Starr tries his hand at graphic novels with this supernatural murder mystery steeped in sex and violence. Heroine Arlana has the power to freeze young men whilst in the throes of passion. Her magical ability has its roots in ritualistic sacrifice, which her abusive father continues to exploit, forcing her to lure young men to their deaths so that he may feast on their remains and retain eternal vigor. The true suspense in this book isn't whether the stock characters-a grizzled NYPD detective, a shady FBI agent, a mentally unsound old timer-will catch the killers, but how and when. The bold, atmospheric artwork of Mick Bertiorenzi steals the show, bringing gritty city streets, dirty back alleys, and foreboding industrial spaces to life with detail and personality. Verdict For readers accustomed to hard-edged crime dramas, this is a quick, uncomplicated read. It's not a cozy mystery, however. Copious nudity, graphic sex, and unsettling murder scenes comprise the bulk, so YA librarians take note.-M. Brandon Robbins, Wayne Cty. P.L., Goldsboro, NC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. School Library Journal Gr 9 Up-The scene is rural Ireland in 1967. Two young lovers are becoming intimate when Arlana inadvertently does something to her boyfriend, Martin Cleary. She nearly kills him. When she runs to her father for help, he savagely beats her and ominously says, "Your time has come!" Fast forward to present-day New York City. Young men keep meeting the woman of their dreams, only to be savagely murdered when they start to get lucky. An older Martin Cleary figures out that Arlana and her father have traveled to the New World to spread their Druidic nightmare overseas. How can an old man stop such powerful magic? This graphic novel, set in a noir-type world, lacks a coherent story and solid plot. Arlana, the one female character, is depicted as both victim and seductress in equal measure. Readers will feel little sympathy for her situation because it's never really clear why she's following her father's evil wishes. The overall story is scrapped for gratuitous sex, violence, and seemingly every character swearing for no reason other than shock value. The spooky twist at the end will leave most readers underwhelmed.-Ryan Donovan, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
