The town of Santa Clara, CA, has had its share of vampire problems–strike that, still has its share of vampire problems. After brothers Sam and Michael moved to the town in the Lost Boys movie, they had to deal with a group of young punk vampires, led by a spiky-haired Keifer Sutherland lookalike. Thanks to some over-eager comic book employees named the Frog Brothers and their own Grandpa, they were able to survive the undead onslaught. Now, a new group of female vampires have moved in. Grandpa’s been murdered, the Frog Brothers are missing, Michael’s a prisoner and Sam is turning to the only person who can possibly help him: The shirtless, muscle-bound sax player who just happens to be a vampire hunter. Is it Good?
The Lost Boys #4 (Vertigo Comics)
There’s not much time wasted getting into the thick of things with this book. While issue #1 and #2 spent a lot of time building tension and catching us up to speed on what happened to the characters after the movie left off, issue #3 pushes the plot to the edge of a cliff and leaves it teetering there. It’s been worth the wait, as this is really a great chapter of the miniseries. You can tell writer Tim Seeley had been stacking the deck for this issue, since there are lots of great confrontations and revelations that make it stand out. It’s a longer issue and has the best pacing of the four so far, with a great ending that wouldn’t be out of place if they could somehow put this sequel on the big screen.
The dialogue still has the 80s movie touch, where teens talk “cool” with comebacks and lingo no one would ever use in real life, even if they grew up in the 80s. It might feel out of place or hacky in some comics, but fits the premise and time period of this book like a glove. The Frog brothers’ personalities stand out and are the most readily identifiable to their counterparts in the film.
The book looks good, thanks to artist Scott Godilewski. The action scenes are drawn well, especially the “believer” character’s big fight at the end. There are some nice dramatic close-ups as the fights ramp up, with characters gritting their teeth as they charge into battle and vampires baring their fangs, eyes burning, which gives the whole series a very cinematic feel. Godilewski makes the panels flow really well so that you don’t get lost as a few different things are happening at one time, where, with other artists, I might have had to jump back and scan through it all again to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
Trish Mulvihill’s colors stand out too. The lighting in particular changes noticeably from when the characters are out at night being lit by lamps on the pier to the green glow of the caverns, that give it an otherworldly feeling that’s perfect for where the story is plotwise. There are some nice flourishes too, such as a panel going red as a character is being stuck with needle full of blood, or the blue creepiness of the underground waterway that two of the characters find themselves in as they are searching for their friends.
Is It Good?
This was the best issue so far. From the satisfying story to the art, the book really came together and rewarded readers that had been following the series up until now. I found myself not wanting the book to end, as the creators have really proven that they were the right choice for making a sequel to the cult film. It’s going to be missed when everything wraps up in two more issues, but with the creative team hitting their stride, at least there will be two more months of bloody fun to look forward to.
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