A review by andi
Black Mass Rising by Theo Prasidas

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

 

black mass rising is a comic i requested purely because it mentioned dracula. i was pleasantly surprised to see it took place in transylvania and that the characters were wearing traditional clothes. in the first chapter the kids in the comic were playing a game called "omul negru" that i used to play when i was a child myself, which was quite surprising to see. it's clear that the people involved with this comic did a lot of research and i truly appreciated they took the time to portray rural romania right. 

the art style was absolutely gorgeous. i loved the paintery style the illustrations had. the gore especially stood out to me - it's so well drawn! the characters were beautifully crafted and the artist did such a good job at portraying different emotions. 

the plot started out really interesting and then it fizzled out. the ending especially was abrupt and i truly hated the cliffhanger. the book features magic based on religion and a lot of religious symbolism, but they weren't explained very well. so, while the art style was extraordinary, the story itself lacked coherence, especially toward the end.