Undying Love #4

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

Like with The Mission this week, I'm not sure if or when this series is going to be continued, as this issue ends with the words "End: Part 1" and I don't believe anything else has been solicited.  Unlike The Mission, the ending here is not terribly satisfying, as very little has been resolved, and if anything, there is more confusion than there was before.

John, the American soldier, and Mei, the vampire he is protecting, have come under attack from a group of vampires who can shape shift into crows.  They are rescued by an unlikely set of allies, and it becomes ever more clear that there is much more to Mei than we previously thought (although we are given no information as to what that might actually be).

This is a comic that I originally picked up for the art, and Tomm Coker once again does not disappoint.  He has a terrific style - a little Paul Gulacy-ish, and a clear love for the darker parts of Hong Kong.  This book looks great, and I hope that the story continues soon.

Undying Love #3

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I really like the way that Coker and Freedman have set up and are telling this vampire story.  The first two issues introduced the main characters, an American soldier and an Asian vampire woman, and the plot, which involves him trying to hunt down the vampire that turned her so she can be freed of the curse.  What we didn't know though, through those first two issues, is just what the relationship between these two characters was.

This issue opens in a desert in Syria, and shows how the two first met.  A lot is done in this issue to establish the strength of the bond between them, while also setting up the second half of the series.  John and his squad free the woman from a group of Bedouin vampires that are holding her captive, and they feel compelled to stay together after that.  It's clear that Coker and Freedman put a fair amount of thought into this book, in making it distinct from the hundreds of other vampire-related media that seems to pour out of every TV, movie theatre, and book and comic store these days.

Of course, with the art being as good as Coker's is, the good writing can be viewed as icing on the cake.  I'm glad I gave this series a shot.

Undying Love #2

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I find it strange that Coker and Freedman didn't put any time in this second issue into helping develop the character of John Sargant, instead spending the whole comic having him continue on his quest to rescue his girlfriend from her vampirism by hunting down the vampire that 'made' her.

His mission takes him to a Hong Kong casino and nightclub run by a vampire working for Shang-Ji, Sargant's target.  The action sequences are very cool and well-orchestrated.  Coker has a real feel for Hong Kong, going so far as to include much of the dialogue in Chinese characters, without providing translation (although it's not too hard to imagine what characters in these situations would be saying).

Undying Love is another one of those Image mini-series that are released to little marketing, only to grab some attention with their overall quality.  It's really pretty good.

Undying Love #1

Written by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman
Art by Tomm Coker

I picked this comic up on the strength of Coker's artwork, and on that front, this book definitely satisfied.  Story wise, I found that things got off to a confusing start, but once the exposition of the back half of the book was out of the way, I was intrigued.

Some American named John Sargent has brought his girlfriend Mei, who happens to be a vampire, to Hong Kong on a quest to find and kill the vampire that turned her, thereby making it possible to cure her.  The book opens in some temple, with a confrontation between Sargent and a group of what I suppose are vampires, although nothing is too clear.  It's not until he brings her to Hong Kong, and meets with a young boy who is also a mystical healer that things are clarified, and become more interesting.

I think this comic has interested me enough to come back for the second issue, which means it is a success.  Coker's art is a huge part of that success.