Heartbeat #1
Writer: Maria Llovet
Artist: Maria Llovet
BOOM! Studios
2019
* Eva, a high school outcast, finds herself witness to a horrible secret: the most popular boy in school enjoys the taste of blood and will kill to get his hands on it.
* Horrified and intrigued, Eva lets herself be pulled into Donatien ‘s macabre world. He offers the escape she has been looking for but how much is Eva willing to betray her moral code in order to find something that gives her life meaning? And will she.or Donatien.ever find redemption?
* Maria Llovet ( Faithless) presents a dark, violent, decadent, disturbing story, in which life and death, blood, and love are inextricably intertwined.
Heartbeat is an absolutely beautiful book, but I think it’s a bit of a shame when the art is a comic’s strongest seller. The story has tons of promise, but I’m left with so many questions that I’m not even sure what’s going on.
You can’t get into the details without spoiling some things, but at the end of this issue, I’m not sure if what we’re reading is supposed to be outrageous fantasy or fairly realistic horror. There’s plenty of hints that the comic’s world is unlike our own, and the characters take everything so calmly… that I’m not sure how shocked, or even surprised, I should be by what’s going on! The disjointed narrative doesn’t help things much, with some serious skips between panels I’m not sure what we’re missing or what’s being imagined.
Still, Heartbeat does hit the major selling points – Interesting, troubled character. A growing world worthy of exploring. And a huge mystery in the last few pages that absolutely leaves the reader wanting to know more. It’s not bad at all, I just wish we had gotten out feet a little more firmly planted before leaping into the unknown. I’ll be back for issue #2, but I’m hoping things slow down so I can get a grip.
A Choppy Journey With a Hopeless Heroine
While parts of the story are fascinating, and that cliffhanger really grabs you, the jumpy storytelling leaves more holes than I'm used to. I'm intrigued, but I'm also a little bewildered.
Brian Reed
Brian has been reading comics since January, 1987, when the death of Optimus Prime rocked his young world. Once a regular presenter on The Nerdstravaganza Podcast, Brian now writes for Florida Geek Scene.
