Review: Stake #1

Vampire stories with sassy female leads will always be popular, whether its Buffy or Hack/Slash or any of the monster hunters that feature so prominently in Zenescope books. Scout Comics, therefore are a tad late to the game with their new character Stake.

Stake features said sassy female lead, whose life got turned upside down when Vampires decided to move out of the shadows. In doing this, the neck biters have gone some way in creating their newest biggest bad in Angel; no not that Angel! Angel Beltran Stinson is a member of the Vampire Bounty Hunter Union. It seems that with the revelation of Vampires, society kind of bent around them and assimilated them. However, there are rules to follow; those that don’t follow the rules become the target for Angel, calling herself Stake, and her friends. Stake is a modern type of girl, utilising social media platforms in order to promote herself and her actions.

The book is written by David F. Byrne. who takes a lot of time in explaining every little part of the book. Whilst this is done, for the most part via Stake herself, it does get a tad tiresome. I would rather have more show than tell. Byrne has a little diatribe about Vampires existence in our fictional mindset from Sesame Street all the way to Twilight; and yes I know that there are no Vampires in Twilight and yes the one from Sesame Street does Count! Byrne has some clever observations around the use and misuse of social media that did raise a smile. I am not sure hospital beds can so easily used for bondage however. The exposition elements drop with the introduction of Jessamy, so I assume the required explanation will form part of the next issue.

I used Hack/Slash as a comparison on purpose as the art provided by Francesca Fantini certain carries a familiar beat to it. This isn’t to sat that the art is bad or that it is lacking in way; the opposite is actually true, at least in parts. Along with the influences for the main character of the book there is also a plethora of magna touches on show. I will say that the art featuring Stake is the more consistent aspect of the facial elements across the various characters. The action scenes have a kinetic chaos to them. Fantini utilises a monochrome effect in lieu of colors, though this does allow for some excellent contrast with the obviously red blood. Letters are supplied by Joel Rodriquez of Brink of Reality Productions whose font is a little scratchy on the monologue, though emphasis is well used in different parts of the issue.

For a first issue, there are a number of questions that are left hanging, whether they be about the characters or how this books version of Vampires can exist in daylight to pique the interest of any Vampire fan. Is it enough to carry on through a crowded market place, I don’t know. Still, with Scout Comics, Byrne and Fantini have a publisher who are going about the business of publishing interesting comic books.

Writing – 3.5 Stars

Art – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Written by; David F. Byrne
Art by; Francesca Fantini
Letters by; Joel Rodriquez of Brink of Reality Productions
Published by; Scout Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network