RAPTORS BOOK 4

Art by: Enrico Marini | Written by: Jean Dufaux

RAPTORS book four starts off with an odd vignette that initially feels like there's been a multi-year time jump. We see a family being stalked by vampires in an old factory, and dialogue informs us that these places exist around the world. Called "Hell's Kitchens", they are where vampires corner and stalk humans as prey. It feels like the proclamation passed in the prior book -- that humans will be rounded up and thrown into zoos for the vampires' amusement -- has come to pass. But then Aznar Akeba shows up and kills the vampires (though not before they brutally murder the family's parents), and we cut to the vampire council, shocked that Aznar has turned against them. So apparently these Hell's Kitchens exist in the present, but humanity isn't aware of them. It is, as noted, a confusing opening scene, but it's not the end of the world.

Moving along, we find our heroine, Lenore, has become the lover of Camilla since last we saw them. But Lenore leaves Camilla, choosing to walk her own path away from the vampiress. Then we catch up with Lenore's former partner, Spiaggi, who makes a deal with the vampire council: if they put him in charge of the police, he'll find Lenore and Aznar and turn Aznar in to them in exchange for their letting Lenore and him disappear.

Next, Lenore teams up with Aznar and Camilla's brother, Drago, to attack her family estate. She kills her brother while Drago murders her mother and father, and Aznar wipes out everyone else. The vampire trio destroys the house, then Lenore leaves with Aznar.

Now running the police department, Spiaggi finds Lenore and Aznar. Aznar believes Spiaggi wants to keep Lenore safe and agrees to turn himself in. While Spiaggi brings Aznar to the cops, Lenore departs -- but is captured by Camilla. Aznar reveals to the vampire council where both Camilla and Drago are hiding. Lenore escapes from Camilla and kills her while Drago is captured by the police. They bring him to Don Miguel, the true ruler of the vampires who had Drago's and Camilla's parents killed centuries earlier. Miguel kills Drago, but the priest introduced last volume arrives with an army of children, who set upon Miguel and finish him.

Aznar then takes out the public head of the council. Spiaggi remains the police chief and brings justice to the city, while Aznar and Lenore stalk by night, finally wiping out all the remaining vampires.

And thus it ends. RAPTORS is one of those stories that leaves you wanting more. But I don't necessarily mean that in a good way. I'm not looking for more story starring these beloved characters -- everything's done and finished and there's really nowhere else for anybody to go. But the backstory was so muddled in places that I wish this thing came with endnotes or annotations or something! I can't help feeling that Jean Dufaux and Enrico Marini had a lot more in mind when they conceived this thing that what wound up on the page.

The world itself is interesting, though not necessarily my cup of tea. Gothic horror has never appealed to me. Gothic other stuff, yes -- but I just don't like horror in general. However, as noted back when I started this thing, I mainly picked it up for Marini's artwork. And in that, I was not let down at all. From start to finish, the illustrations are brilliant. I know I'm repeating some of the stuff I said a couple weeks back, but his character designs are gorgeous -- cartoony faces, superheroish physiques -- a great combination. The settings are beautiful, whether the dark underbelly of the city or the upscale beauty of the Lenore mansion. And the atmosphere -- the shadows, the smoke, the general cold and lonely feeling of the entire affair -- it's all captured beautifully.

I know there's more out there from Marini on Comixology. I don't know that I'm ready to jump into it now, after looking at GYPSY and RAPTORS both in such quick succession... but I wouldn't be surprised if he turns up around here again within the next year or so.