Vampire Hunters, Scream Queens And A Hero: The Savage Shores #2 Out Today
by Olly MacNamee
Not one to let the grass grow underfoot, These Savage Shores #2 picks up the action and the ramifications of the British aristocratic vampire Pierrefont’s death at the end of last issue, as people in high places come looking for him in an India on the brink of tragic seismic change, courtesy of writer Ram V. We are met by the anemic vampire hunter, Zachariah Sturn, who had already tried to kill Pierrefont unsuccessfully back in Blighty last issue, and is now seeking to find the truth. A truth we already know. Pierrefont may be dead but that won’t stop what’s to come for India, thanks to the machinations of the East India Company, who could well use the death of one of their own as ample opportunity to expand their operations in India.
This is an issue that expounds upon this central murder but also allows us in on the larger political consequences of such a death in a country on the edge of colonization. If the young ruler of Calcut should be usurped – or worse still, makes a trade deal with the East India Company – then others would fall too, as we learn upon earwigging on the royal inhabitants of Palace of Mysore and a wise ruling Khan who can sense what is to come.
Once again the beautiful wilderness and ancient, delicately decorated architecture of India is depicted with great passion and attention to period detail by Sumit Kumar and colourist Vittorio Astone, who collectively capture the exoticism and shimmering heat of India so expertly in this comic. Between the filigree-like artwork and delicate colours, Kumar and Astone saturate the whole book with a warm, sepia glow and a tinge of nostalgia for a time long gone. Stamped out by the boot of imperial commercial expansion that would make even some of the more unethical multinationals of the modern world blush. For me, it’s upon this bloody past that Britain called itself evermore “Great”. It’s that aristocratic arrogance that can still be seen today in the faces of the current sitting government, too, as we seem to repeat the mistakes of history time and again.
But, back to the book.
The hunt is on, and once again it would seem the damsel in distress is in need of saving. I do hope the isn’t a recurring theme in this series, as it stands as the one thorn in an otherwise rosy issue. Two issue in, and twice now Kori has had to be saved. As literally the only female character in this patriarchal book, I was hoping for something more than an archaic archetype. A scream queen is a scream queen regardless of the century, or location, that a horror story is set in. While we see other characters developing, Kori remains unaltered. The love interest of a very humanised, loyal vampire who could be much more. But, it is only the second issue, so here’s hoping for more from her.
An issue that deals more with politics than action, to begin with, as battle lines and allegiances are drawn and when our would-be hero, Bishan, the royal bodyguard to the young ruler and book’s hero, is exposed for the vampire that he is, is still a sight to behold. A monster that reminded me aesthetically of Guillermo Del Toro’s own creep creatures in such film as Pan’s Labyrinth or even Hellboy II. Bishan’s vampire should make a great addition to the ranks of the iconic comic book undead, methinks. He’s certainly memorable.
By the end of this second issue, a perceived threat is vanquished, but far more dangerous threats are beginning to raise their ugly heads. The worse is yet to come for Bishan and those he protects. That’s the beauty, and the tragedy, of seeing events of the past with the 20/20 hindsight of today. This is a saga with only one fate for a country rich in history and culture, and a country we barely even know about in the Western world. In setting his story in his homeland of India, Ram V not only delivers a story of vampirism unfamiliar to most in terms of its setting and aesthetics, it also informs us, through the sumptuous artwork, of a past of great beauty, both naturally and human-made, that no longer exists. A comic with more than one horror on show, with the true horror being imported into this vast country through the actions of one savage nation; the United Kingdom.
These Savage Shores #2 is out Wednesday 28th November from Vault Comics.
