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Vampire Boy TPB
Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Carlos Trillo
Translator: Zeljko Medic
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Cover: Eduardo Risso

“Vampire Boy”: Immortality is a double edged sword, especially when you and the only other immortal on the planet have been trying to kill each other for five thousand years. Actually, the rivalry between the snake cult priestess Ahmasi and the nameless son of the Pharaoh Khufu began before they became immortal. The son didn’t trust Ahmasi and feared for his father’s life, and attempted to expose her for what she was. However, a unique eclipse in the Egyptian sky killed everyone, and when it was over the two were the only ones to be revived. Oh, and immortality REALLY sucks when you’re stuck as a ten-year-old boy for several thousand years.

The story begins when the nameless son is revived by the sun after fifty years of being in darkness, and the peace he thought he had found was now gone. Now alive, he begins the repetitive process of adjusting to this new world he’s found himself in. Due to an encounter he is forced to kill and drain the blood of his attacker, but the news of the murder brings his actions to the attention of his longtime enemy, Ahmasi. She is intent on killing him again, so she sets out to find the Pharaoh’s son wherever he may be hiding. To help with her quest she’s enlisted the aid of a burnt-out ex-cop, now a shady private investigator, who is in love with her. So begins the chase yet again, however, the nameless son is tired of the constant back and forth and seeks out a way to stop it once and for all. Along the way he’ll meet up with quite the interesting cast of characters that aid him in trying to stay one step ahead of Ahmasi, along with finding out more about how the both of them became immortals in the first place.

Carlos Trillo puts a bit of a twist on the vampire mythos by making the sun a benefit to them as it is the source of their healing and restoration when they are hurt or killed. They are also a simplified version of vampires in that there aren’t any transformations or flying in this book. They are immortal, have fangs, and drink blood, and that’s it. The story itself is a long one, and it gets off to what I thought was a slow start for most of the beginning. It does pick up a bit after the Pharaoh’s son meets up with an old Native American man named Gentle Bear and a blind woman named Fever, as the both of them can tell there is more to the “child” than what appears. These supporting characters have their own stories that help to flesh out the book, but each is a relevant piece and not just tossed in as filler.

There are quite a few questions that come up while reading Vampire Boy, and Trillo gives you the answers if you’re patient enough. The nameless child who is later called “Buddy” has to deal with having all the wisdom and knowledge of several lifetimes, but everyone only sees a child. While Ahmasi on the other hand is a violent force of nature and uses her beauty and sexuality to manipulate men like she did before she was made immortal. She will kill anyone to get what she wants and enjoys it. Trillo also weaves in a bit of real history as both characters span a lifetime of five thousand years, and it’s always interesting to see how a writer manipulates the facts to work within his or her own story, and he does a fantastic job. If you are a fan of 100 Bullets then you already know of Risso’s talents, and his work in Vampire Boy is just as good. He helps keep the tone of the book, and even when his style is a bit cartoony he doesn’t go overboard with it and keeps it grounded.

Vampire Boy was originally released as Boy Vampiro, and this is the entire series collected and translated for your reading pleasure. It’s definitely a book for mature readers as there is a lot of sex and nudity spread about its 480 pages. I’d suggest grabbing this if you’re a vampire fan and want a little something different to check out. This was a book that I picked up on a whim, and it was definitely money well spent!

Till next time!

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Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack