Review: Van Helsing Beast of Exmoor One-Shot

Say what you will about Zenescope books, but currently they are seemingly looking to bring back the the “one and done” type of comic, with yet another one shot. This time around it’s Van Helsing’s turn in the one-shot spotlight.

On something of a busman’s holiday with her beau, Rick, Van Helsing has been asked to visit lovely Somerset which is under the visitation of a murderous beast and before you know it, Van Helsing is up to her fishnets in villagers and fur!

The normal trifecta of Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco and Dave Franchini are joined by Brian Hawkins who gets the writing credit. Hawkins looks to add a level of tension to proceedings with the passive involvement of Rick. True there is a Beast and also true there are some shady goings on, but it is Van Helsing’s inner dialogue covering the impact of being in a relationship that is the true riving force. Most of the beast werewolf tropes are in play, though there are a couple missing; cuts don’t infect a person and silver is not required. I said that this book follows a “one and done” strategy, however there are a couple of ongoing threads to pull on. Firstly, there is the relationship of Van Helsing and Rick, which doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon; secondly there is visit of a certain character which bodes ominous shenanigans down the line.

For many fans, a Zenescope book lives and dies by the art. Allan Otero actually does a decent job in places, though there are some inconsistencies to contend with. Boob size – normally boobs don’t grow or shrink. Now this may be a perspective things, but please pick a shape and size and stick with. Van Helsing’s face also goes through a number of changes, not all of them are driven by the emotion of the story. Finally, some body poses look a tad off, Van Helsing in the bar for example and during the fight with the Beast. It’s no all bad; I liked the interactions with Rick, the Beast is well defined and the surprise guest at the end of the book is a strong panel. Colors are provided by the tag team of Walter Perevra and Maxflan Arauio. Both do a decent job, colors are a Zenecsope specialty; I do prefer Perevra’s work as it seems to have more nuance. Of course, where there is a Zenescope book, there is usually Ghost Glyph Studio’s Taylor Esposito on hand on letters. This book is no different, though Esposito keeps things simple which goes to show that you don’t have to go over the top to be effective. Variant covers exist, as always its buyers choice; cover A and Care probably the best of the bunch.

A fun little read for sure, that demonstrates how to continue to develop a character in a logical manner. The one-shot approach allows new readers to see what they could get in the longer mini series, albeit with a few breadcrumbs thrown in for good measure.

Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3.5 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Story by; Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesco, Dave Franchini & Brian Hawkins
Written by; Brian Hawkins
Art by; Allan Otero
Colors by; Walter Perevra & Maxflan Arauio
Letters by; Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
Published by; Zenescope Entertainment Inc.

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