Black Metal...the comic?

Anyone who has ever listened to (and appreciated) black metal can tell you that it's epic. Epic in a sense of ancient gods, gruesome battles, and intricate pagan rituals. Not all black metal fits in this but for the most part, it comes with the screeching vocals and double-kick drum beats that define it. This comic book was MADE for these fans. Anyone that has not listened to black metal or appreciated the amazing musical talent that makes it up will not really understand this book. However, if you are the type of person that emjoys these melodies of the dark then you will enjoy this book thoroughly.

The plot is about two orphans living in a foster home that find a sword. I won't go any farther than that because it would ruin anything else I say. It starts out kind of blah and childish. I first thought it was going to be more about making fun of kids with different musical styles, but by the 10th or so page it takes a different turn and engulfs you into an epic story.

I don't feel the artwork does the storyline justice since it harkens back to Genndy Tartakovsky's cutesy style (think Dexter's Laboratory). This also turned me off in the beginning since it seems to make the visuals a little less epic (I know, I keep using this word...great that you noticed too) than the reading. Nevertheless, there are a few scenes in the book that are done rather well and the artist has done a great job of telling the story in a dynamic way (you'd be surprised how hard it is to make a graphic novel READ in an epic way).

I highly recommend this book to anyone that even has interest in black metal. It's a great opening chapter to the epic-ness (I used it again) that is this genre and a wonderful way to introduce your local black metal fan to the world of comics.