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geekwayne's review
4.0
'These Savage Shores Vol. 1' by Ram V with art by Sumit Kumar is a story of monsters in an India that is in conflict with Europe in the mid-1700s.
When an English vampire goes too far in England, he is sent to Calicut by ship. Once there, he meets his death at the hands of a creature that is sworn to protect his land. The conflict for this land shows that we are all capable of being monsters, but this particular tale takes on the shape of a tragedy in the poignant ending.
I didn't think we needed another vampire tale, but the setting and time period brings a real freshness to the story. The inherent tragedy of these sort of stories is ramped up nicely here. The art by Sumit Kumar is a standout.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
When an English vampire goes too far in England, he is sent to Calicut by ship. Once there, he meets his death at the hands of a creature that is sworn to protect his land. The conflict for this land shows that we are all capable of being monsters, but this particular tale takes on the shape of a tragedy in the poignant ending.
I didn't think we needed another vampire tale, but the setting and time period brings a real freshness to the story. The inherent tragedy of these sort of stories is ramped up nicely here. The art by Sumit Kumar is a standout.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Vault Comics, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
aftzaak's review against another edition
5.0
The second Ram V's work I have finished. To describe it shortly, it is exquisitely made and grips attention with its tight storyline and impactful art. The main characters leaves a strong impression along with the eye-pleasing backgrounds. The idea of monsters sometimes could be boring, but this comic disproves that well.
cwebb's review
4.0
Very nice. Picked it up a while ago and figured it would be a good seasonal read for spooktober.
1776: a vampire has to leave London, as the vampire hunters are after him. So, he goes to India. But India is home to many monsters and gods, not all of them happy about another predator in their midst...
1776: a vampire has to leave London, as the vampire hunters are after him. So, he goes to India. But India is home to many monsters and gods, not all of them happy about another predator in their midst...
ecorinnes's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pjwhyman's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ellelainey's review
5.0
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
~
These Savage Shores (These Savage Shores, 1-5)
by Ram V., Sumit Kumar
★★★★★
176 Pages
Content Warning: mild violence, vampirism
These Savage Shores is an exploration of the East India Trading Company, with a blend of vampires and demons to add a spark of historical paranormal influence. While exploring Indian culture, it also explores good v evil, following your instincts, and doing what it best for the greater good. Challenging the concept of good and evil, it asks if sometimes the best way to accomplish a bigger-picture victory is to actually do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
I loved the art. It was stunning, yet fitting perfectly into the historical/gritty storyline. It was detailed and intricate, giving a beautiful elegance to the Indian culture explored on page, and the Raaksha's who were one of the central characters.
While I started off thinking I would rate this 4* – due to the confusion of main characters, as I thought the vampire Alain would be the main character, as he got the most pages in the introduction to the story – by the time I'd finished, I actually enjoyed the overall story much more. I think the whole thing came together in the last half of the book, blending all the POV's so that it made sense why it happened the way it did, exploring multi-POV's for a while.
The story was like an old fairytale that holds life lessons, full of warnings and cautionary tales. The way vampires took the role of an evil villain, while the East India Co also held a position of oppressor, villain and (at one point) a necessary evil. The way the three aspects were combined together – vampires, Indian folklore, and East India Co – made for a really intriguing story that told the history of India/EIC's past while adding a paranormal spin on it.
I really loved how it was paced, the dialogue was never unnecessary or hard to read, and I loved the inventive and novel choices made with formatting. I'm an avid reader of all kinds of comics/manga/yaoi, so whether it was intentional or not, I noticed a few nods to those styles.
Rather than trying to explain, here are some non-spoiler panels to show it. (I put them into one image to save space)
I felt these gave a whole-picture concept that looked amazing, adding a huge visual impact to those pages. Often combining colour palette, character movements, and limited dialogue to present an entire page statement. The styles were used sparingly, and I think that gave them more impact, when they did come along. I also liked the use of letters/reports, to give a lot more information without compromising on space or making the story drag out.
Overall, it was a great read with incredible art. The story was well paced, written and styled, and I loved the sad ending and uncertainty of the future. I see it's listed as Volume 1, and episodes 1-5. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to come. While this story ended with a complete storyline, I would read more by this artist/author pairing and more of these characters or in this world.
Copy received through Netgalley
~
These Savage Shores (These Savage Shores, 1-5)
by Ram V., Sumit Kumar
★★★★★
176 Pages
Content Warning: mild violence, vampirism
These Savage Shores is an exploration of the East India Trading Company, with a blend of vampires and demons to add a spark of historical paranormal influence. While exploring Indian culture, it also explores good v evil, following your instincts, and doing what it best for the greater good. Challenging the concept of good and evil, it asks if sometimes the best way to accomplish a bigger-picture victory is to actually do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
I loved the art. It was stunning, yet fitting perfectly into the historical/gritty storyline. It was detailed and intricate, giving a beautiful elegance to the Indian culture explored on page, and the Raaksha's who were one of the central characters.
While I started off thinking I would rate this 4* – due to the confusion of main characters, as I thought the vampire Alain would be the main character, as he got the most pages in the introduction to the story – by the time I'd finished, I actually enjoyed the overall story much more. I think the whole thing came together in the last half of the book, blending all the POV's so that it made sense why it happened the way it did, exploring multi-POV's for a while.
The story was like an old fairytale that holds life lessons, full of warnings and cautionary tales. The way vampires took the role of an evil villain, while the East India Co also held a position of oppressor, villain and (at one point) a necessary evil. The way the three aspects were combined together – vampires, Indian folklore, and East India Co – made for a really intriguing story that told the history of India/EIC's past while adding a paranormal spin on it.
I really loved how it was paced, the dialogue was never unnecessary or hard to read, and I loved the inventive and novel choices made with formatting. I'm an avid reader of all kinds of comics/manga/yaoi, so whether it was intentional or not, I noticed a few nods to those styles.
Rather than trying to explain, here are some non-spoiler panels to show it. (I put them into one image to save space)
I felt these gave a whole-picture concept that looked amazing, adding a huge visual impact to those pages. Often combining colour palette, character movements, and limited dialogue to present an entire page statement. The styles were used sparingly, and I think that gave them more impact, when they did come along. I also liked the use of letters/reports, to give a lot more information without compromising on space or making the story drag out.
Overall, it was a great read with incredible art. The story was well paced, written and styled, and I loved the sad ending and uncertainty of the future. I see it's listed as Volume 1, and episodes 1-5. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to come. While this story ended with a complete storyline, I would read more by this artist/author pairing and more of these characters or in this world.
kajalhalwa's review
5.0
Lush art, great storytelling. I'm so in love with the glimpses of the lost world, but this work didn't let me romanticise the past. It weaved history and mythology deftly and lovingly. I will look out for more works by the author and all the artists.
jekutree's review
5.0
True comic book storytelling bliss.
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is massively influential in a way that they didn’t intend for it to be. Deconstructing superheroes was done before by Moore in Miracleman, he said nearly everything he wanted to say on their real world application in that story. Watchmen, was Gibbons and Moore’s attempt to instead change the way the story was presented. The adherence to the base panel grid is mentioned often with Watchmen. It dictates the pace effortlessly and creates a fluidity to the visuals not many other storytelling methods in the medium can match. It’s easy to follow and blends together the art and writing into one unit: the panel. It’s a technique pioneered by Steve Ditko and evolved and refined by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Throughout the 90’s after Watchmen, this 9 panel grid based storytelling approach is used by Eddie Campbell and Moore in From Hell and is modified by cartoonists like Seth, Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine. It’s been used recently by writer Tom King to much critical acclaim in books like The Omega Men, Sheriff of Babylon and Mister Miracle. The latter 2 with Mitch Gerads.
So why am I mentioning this? Like the 3 books mentioned by Tom King, These Savage Shores has a strong Alan Moore influence in the way he composes a page. Ram V and King are modern refinements of the way Moore and Gibbons proposed comics should be told in Watchmen. The strict adherence gives These Savage Shores a strong visual style that allows it to flow brilliantly. Ram V and Sumit Kamar also utilize focused center panels on their grids to tie a page together making it more than a flowing set of images, with focused center panels each page was its own intentional crash course in comics storytelling. This is also benefited by the colorist Vittorio Astone who’s colors allow for the visuals flow so perfectly. He is a perfect compliment to the artist and contributes more than just aesthetics.
The simplicity of the storytelling is a strong benefit to this book. These Savage Shores is a blend of European Vampiric Legends with Indian mythology. The clashing mythical ideologies clash with the political ideologies as well, the clashing cultures are a symbol of the Europeans taking over India. The plot follows a vampiric British Royale who is exiled from England after he is caught feeding and innocent people. Some stuff happens and the British full on invade India. The main story is told entirely through dialogue and visuals with exposition about the circumstances being told through letters and prose divided throughout the issues. It was never overwhelming and allowed for different characters perspectives on what happened in the story. The letters were a clever way of exposing a character’s inner thoughts without having everyone monologue.
This is a book with a great grasp on good, comic book storytelling. I think that’s the major success of this book. It’s accessible and the non-flashy layouts allow for the story to be easily translatable, the viewer isn’t distracted by whacky panel shapes or sizes. Each page is constructed with a devotion to the story it’s telling and doesn’t comprise its goal. Good, solid story telling fundamentals with an engaging story with lots of depth.
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons is massively influential in a way that they didn’t intend for it to be. Deconstructing superheroes was done before by Moore in Miracleman, he said nearly everything he wanted to say on their real world application in that story. Watchmen, was Gibbons and Moore’s attempt to instead change the way the story was presented. The adherence to the base panel grid is mentioned often with Watchmen. It dictates the pace effortlessly and creates a fluidity to the visuals not many other storytelling methods in the medium can match. It’s easy to follow and blends together the art and writing into one unit: the panel. It’s a technique pioneered by Steve Ditko and evolved and refined by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Throughout the 90’s after Watchmen, this 9 panel grid based storytelling approach is used by Eddie Campbell and Moore in From Hell and is modified by cartoonists like Seth, Daniel Clowes and Adrian Tomine. It’s been used recently by writer Tom King to much critical acclaim in books like The Omega Men, Sheriff of Babylon and Mister Miracle. The latter 2 with Mitch Gerads.
So why am I mentioning this? Like the 3 books mentioned by Tom King, These Savage Shores has a strong Alan Moore influence in the way he composes a page. Ram V and King are modern refinements of the way Moore and Gibbons proposed comics should be told in Watchmen. The strict adherence gives These Savage Shores a strong visual style that allows it to flow brilliantly. Ram V and Sumit Kamar also utilize focused center panels on their grids to tie a page together making it more than a flowing set of images, with focused center panels each page was its own intentional crash course in comics storytelling. This is also benefited by the colorist Vittorio Astone who’s colors allow for the visuals flow so perfectly. He is a perfect compliment to the artist and contributes more than just aesthetics.
The simplicity of the storytelling is a strong benefit to this book. These Savage Shores is a blend of European Vampiric Legends with Indian mythology. The clashing mythical ideologies clash with the political ideologies as well, the clashing cultures are a symbol of the Europeans taking over India. The plot follows a vampiric British Royale who is exiled from England after he is caught feeding and innocent people. Some stuff happens and the British full on invade India. The main story is told entirely through dialogue and visuals with exposition about the circumstances being told through letters and prose divided throughout the issues. It was never overwhelming and allowed for different characters perspectives on what happened in the story. The letters were a clever way of exposing a character’s inner thoughts without having everyone monologue.
This is a book with a great grasp on good, comic book storytelling. I think that’s the major success of this book. It’s accessible and the non-flashy layouts allow for the story to be easily translatable, the viewer isn’t distracted by whacky panel shapes or sizes. Each page is constructed with a devotion to the story it’s telling and doesn’t comprise its goal. Good, solid story telling fundamentals with an engaging story with lots of depth.