Review -- ROSE BLACK

Rose Black
Created by Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy
Written by Tom Campbell
Pencils by Jaeson Finn
Inks by Colin Barr
Rough Cut Comics
Vampire stories are a favourite of the comic writers, and that means such stories are increasingly difficult to make fresh.
There are the trite attempts such as Twilight movies, which are more poppish school girl fare, which has sadly seeped over to television with airways pollution such as The Vampire Diaries.
So, when I have the opportunity to read a graphic novel -- collecting the original 2005 mini series -- such as Rose Black by creators Tom Campbell and Edward Murphy it’s gratifying to see a truly worthwhile take on the genre. The vampire at the heart of this story is anything but ordinary, starting with the fact she is tied to the church, not exactly the usual home of such characters. It’s an intriguing twist which sets the story against a backdrop of the political intrigue of the church hierarchy.
The connection to the religious order also gives Rose Black a mysterious past which is unlike the story of other vampiric characters. It’s a nice call by the creators, and writer Tom Campbell weaves the tale well.
That there is a sort of covert, paramilitary, unit involved here, also works well, when you take into account the political aspect of a vampire connected to religion.
Creator Ed Murphy said the idea for the book actually started out simply with a name.
“I started with the name -- Rose Black -- I thought it had a nice ring to it,” he said. “I wanted to develop the idea of a vampire with a moral, religious zeal. The story didn't come together till my co-writer Tom Campbell hit on the idea of re-imagining vampire mythology to make Rose the only vampire in our universe. We needed a conflict; and once we settled on the notion of modern religion being her protagonist, it all fit into place. I wanted to fill it with religious conspiracies and secret cabals within a ‘spy-girl’ genre format.
“From having the idea, doing development work, and writing the final draft, took about three months.”
Writer Tom Campbell said the name proved a good launching pad for the book.
“I wanted to create a truly British comic-book heroine,” he said. “I think the name was a great starting point; I think it indicated a character in itself; and although she’s a fierce warrior, I wanted to infuse her with a big piece of humanity. The important thing about her is she is at odds with every stereotype in the vampire genre; something I'd like to develop that the villains of the piece have created.”
Artistically, Jaeson Finn is a perfect fit for the story. The black and white art is the right choice for the mileau, actually feeling more appropriate to the eye than would a full-colour effort.
Finn handles the action scenes with ease, showing drama even in the smallest panels. He knows that detail can add to the moment and lend more to the situation in a small panel as easily as using a full page splash simply for the effect of size.
The characters are accurately depicted, and again it fits for a story where only Rose Black is beyond the realm of realism.
Murphy said the art style of the book was one they felt was needed to fit the story.
“Despite being raised on Stan Lee, I've actually been more influenced by the style of the British artists -- Alan Davis, Steve Parkhouse and Garry Leach. Obviously being UK-based, we were weaned on 2000AD, so we've always modeled our styles -- since our debut comic The Surgeon -- on their editorial art,” he said. “So we knew we wanted the book to be black and white and we wanted cinematic action visuals.
“But I think the parameters of our story -- heavily action-orientated and gratuitous -- dictated the way it went forward.”
Murphy said the book turned out quite well in his mind.
“The first part of a story is always the most difficult; and I think I'm happy that I have a story which has some development in it ... and which I want to develop,” he said. “It’s a great grounding to have that with any potential series. I worked on a few things which you can’t look at a year after it’s complete. I don't have that with Rose Black.”
Overall, this is a great book, and the character Rose Black is one which deserves to be explored in future books. The good news more is coming.
“Rose Black: Book II is almost complete,” said Murphy. “I’ve written this one -- it’s subtitled Demon Seed -- and we introduce the concept of ‘organic divinity’ into the mix and introduce a demon clone as a new opponent.
“So much has changed since Book I was originally released (in 2005). We had fantastic sales back then, but B&W doesn't have so much clout these days. So we’re doing the new one in full colour, with artist Joel Carpenter providing pencils and inks; and Derek Dow doing the colors.”
It’s a winner. Check it out.
Individuals can order from www.Smallzone.com as well as www.roughcut-comics.com
— CALVIN DANIELS

-- Appeared on Yorkton This Week WebXtra