CREDIT: Seven Seas
Rating: 4/5 – “Little Girls are Made of Gore and Rust and Feral Bloodlust”
by ComicSpectrum reviewer Al Sparrow
This is the latest stateside release from Dance in the Vampire Bund creator Nozomu Tamaki. That’s all most of you need to read to know whether or not it’ll be worth picking up. The rest of you can be forgiven if the cover image comes as a bit off-putting, but it, too, should give you a rough idea of what to expect. If you want your Lolitas a bit more on the dangerous side, aren’t afraid of a little of the ol’ ultra-violence, and think the world can get a whole lot worse than it is right now, here’s your book.
Your guide through the 23rd-century wasteland known as “Dead Man’s Playground” is Emil, a literal “Guide” who can get you through the dangerous spots en route from one last bastion of civilization to the next. His current charge is Lotte Enderle, a beautiful, well-mannered young girl with a questionable dress sense, a foul-mouthed teddy bear compatriot, and a dark secret that must be seen to be believed (although admittedly it’s hinted at on the cover).
Tamaki, as with Vampire Bund, delivers amazing artwork on all fronts. The zombies and mutants of the Dead Man’s Playground are scary enough you’ll be thankful they aren’t real. Lottie is waifishly cute and pushes the envelope as far as fanservice goes. Emil is a compelling character who has a backstory I’m hoping we’ll get to in future volumes (in this one he has more of a react-to-everything role). The post-apocalyptic world of Soul Liquid Chambers is horrifyingly fantastical yet believable as well. Much like other stories of this ilk, the real monsters are the ones who didn’t become grotesque mutants or mindless zombies…they’re the ones who survived it. If you like your future dystopias dark and grim and twisted, you’re in the right place.
Cliché to say it, and it’s not the first (nor will it be the last) time I’ve used the phrase, but this book Won’t. Be. For. Everyone. That said, if you’re a fan of this kind of story, you’re going to enjoy the heck out of it. Even the tiny details (did you notice the Watchmen and Captain America buttons on the cover?) are fun when they show up.
Reviewed by: Al Sparrow (al@comicspectrum.com)
http://comicspectrum.com/ By Fans who Love Comics for Fans who Love Comics
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