Tales of the Vampires #2
Tales of the Vampires #2
Tales of the Vampires
Timeline
Continuing from Issue 1
The Sitch and Thoughts
Tales of the Vampires #2 opens to the finale of a vicious attack by Roche in what appears to be the late 19th century. Sanchez captures the scene brilliantly by adding a tear-stream running down Roche's final victim's face in his panel. Whedon punctuates the scene with his usual wit on the next panel with Roche adding "but enough about me" and the children staring in shock and horror. The stories are left for a moment, however, as both Roche and the children take their lunches.
During their lunch, the children debate the merits of being told stories by Roche, whether they should be playing with dolls instead of being left in the moors and the entire structure of the watcher's school. Edna, the watcher-in-training who confronted Roche in issue #1, notes that the entire
scenario with a powerful vampire like Roche telling stories to children seems strange. The other children note that it's because the Watchers would dust him. Edna wonders out loud why Roche would seem so excited about the stories if that were true.
Her musings are cut off by the next set of stories ready to be told by a pig-sated Roche. Edna again confronts Roche stating that she is bored with tales of innocents being slain. A boy named Roger claims that her impatience with the story is because she wants to be kissing lips with the Baker's boy, for which he receives an elbow to the jaw.
Mr. Dunworthy, their watcher teacher, reprimands them for not showing respect. Edna again questions the use of the word respect in relation to Roche, which doesn't seem right and yet is important information that she will need to know. Thus, we are left with the mystery of what is going to happen in that room before issue five is completed. I have my suspicions, but I won't say just yet what they are. On to the tales...
Credits
Joss Whedon Story
Alex Sanchez Pencils
Derek Fridolfs Inks
Michelle Madsden Colors
Annie Parkhouse Letters
Spot the Vampire
Timeline
Uknown, but ode to magazines circa 1950.
The Sitch and Thoughts
Spot the Vampire is a sing-song poem punctuated with amazing artwork. One part children's magazine game, one part New Yorker magazine and one part twisted children's story in the vein of Uncle Shelby's ABZ's, the story is simply a single frame from a 1950's-looking department store on Christmas shopping day. The reader is invited to then look at each person in the frame to discover which is the vampire.
What follows is a dark yet unbelievably funny description of each patron and employee of the store. Could it be little Sue? Pam the clerk? The in-store detective or his quarry, the shoplifter? The wreath-lady, the small boy, perhaps the boss? Or maybe jolly Old Saint Nick? The reader, personified by a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic reader also searching for the vampire in the last few panels, makes the discovery just a few moments too late.
This story made me smile at a comic book more than I have in a very long time. I LOVE this story. I began to ponder why I loved such a simple story/game, and my mind drifted back to my childhood. When I was younger, I had a dentist who carried only two magazines for children - Highlights and Cricket. Both featured "Find the missing element in the picture" games.
Perhaps something at a primal level just clicked for me. There was teeth, blood, pain, screaming and word-find games, all part of that 6-month ritual called a check-up. I loved it because the poem is incredibly funny, too. For example, we get the following description of a little girl in the picture:
Is it tiny Sue Rowan,
with tears on her cheek?
Is she a diminuitive,
flesh-eating freak?
There's no story to be had here, just a single moment in time frozen in a picture. Espenson invites us with New Yorker-style artwork and drop-dead funny poetry to simply find the vampire in the picture. Oh, who is the vampire? I won't spoil the ending, but it's classic.
Now if she could have just made a reference to Good Housekeeping, the feared result of coming late to the magazine stack, the terror would have been complete.
Credits
Jane Espenson Story
Scott Morse Art
Jack
Timeline
November, 1888
The Sitch and Thoughts
Jack opens up in late 1888 London with another crime bring reported to police Superintendent Mallory. The Superintendent promptly descends to a basement to speak with Inspector James Whitcomb. Inspector Whitcomb, sitting in his study, once again refuses a request to removed from the Jack case at his age, which the guilt-ridden Mallory wishes he had never assigned to Whitcomb in the first place. With the decision settled again, Whitcomb asks Mallory if he has any other business. Mallory unfortunately adds that "there's been another."
The two detectives visit the scene Jack's latest victim; however, Mallory is unable to go in. Whitcomb quickly assesses the body and, back outside with Mallory, notes that it is as sloppy as the rest. Mallory notes that Whitcomb won't need his umbrella to walk through the London streets as it
(the rain) has stopped. With a sharp double-meaning, Whitcomb notes that it hasn't.
The London streets lead Whitcomb to his study where he ponders the name that Jack has chosen for himself, one that is so common. Jack is Jack the Ripper and Whitcomb notes that he has all of London asking the wrong questions except for him. He's studied Jack for too long and knows not WHO Jack is but WHAT. After some deduction, Whitcomb lays out the potential stalking ground, takes his hat and sets out to find Jack. Jack's sloppiness is leading Whitcomb straight to him and he can only wonder if Jack can feel him coming.
We catch up with Jack preparing his latest assault. In mid-panel, we discover what Whitcomb knows. Jack the Ripper is actually Jack the Vampire. As Jack's teeth are almost ready to bite a prostitute, Whitcomb confronts Jack. With a huge vamp-leap, Whitcomb is immediately pushed into the street with Jack hissing "Die Old Man."
The whole story is turned on its ear at this point. Whitcomb tells Jack that he is old indeed, older than Jack knows. Whitcomb is a vampire! A vampire who is tired of Jack jonesing for attention and potentially ruining it for them all. With little effort, Whitcomb dusts Jack and consigns him to fame as the mysterious Ripper.
Whitcomb approaches Mallory in the street the next day, ready to be removed from the case finally. Mallory asks if Whitcomb believes that Jack will ever be caught. Umbrella in hand (to shade him from the sun!), Whitcomb notes the Jack is in the wind.
I love mystery stories, and Jack the Ripper tends to float to the top of the mystery list. Matthews does a great job weaving clues to our two-for-one (Jack and Whitcomb) mystery throughout this story. The shade from the umbrella. The basement office. Whitcomb's analysis of the victim through smell. All big clues leading right to the conclusion.
A little literary historical digression here. James Whitcomb intrigued me so I went further to find out if there was a reference in history. There was, though it wasn't the one expected. During the era of Jack the Ripper, a group of newsmen formed the Whitehall Society to elevate newspaper story-writing. They named the club after the location of Jack's crimes.
One of the members of the social club was James Whitcomb Riley. A little Googling turned up the fact that Riley was a fairly destitute poet until middle age when his work was discovered, especially perhaps his most well-known poem - Little Orphant Annie, and he became one of Indiana's most beloved poets. A section of Little Orphant Annie is included below (poem formatting changed):
Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board-an-keep;
An' all us other childern, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun,
A-listenin' to the witch-tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you Ef you Don't Watch Out!
No mention is made if Matthews intended for the references to both Riley and Annie are intentional, but in the same manner as Annie, we are invited to listen to witch and goblin AND vampire tales.
Also, Vatche Mavlian also does a superb job with the artwork in this story. It evokes artwork of the late 19th century and is as moody and dark as a story like this calls for. I've been impressed with Mavlian's work, having been introduced to him through a Spiderman/Daredevil one-shot. Amazingly, his work is so flexible that I didn't realize that the works were by the same person until research turned it up.
Credits
Brett Matthews Story
Vatche Mavlian Art
Michelle Madsden Colors
Annie Parkhouse Letters
So, we get three very different types of mystery stories with Tales of the Vampires #2. What is Roche about in the main story? Which is the vampire in Spot the Vampire? And who is Jack and surprisingly Whitcomb in Jack? Next month in issue #3- Dracula!
Cover
Ben Templesmith - Art
What's My Line?
But enough about me.
Sausage Roll is right.
Edna loves the Baker's boy. Edna loves the Baker's boy--
(Too many to name in Spot the Vampire - just go get a copy and read it)
I've just made you famous.
Rating: 5 of 5 (An incredibly good issue all the way around)