Customer Reviews

The Marquis: Danse Macabre

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was completely unaware of this product, until an article on Newsarama interviewed Guy Davis, the creator of The Marquis and artist for BPRD on his creation, the Marquis, getting republished and on finishing up the story he set out. I was intrigued by the premise of a man who sees demons disguised in humans and the themes of one questioning his faith in the time of the Inquisition in a fictional town of people who wear masks to hide their sins. The cover alone convinced me to purchase this incredibly hard to find book, and let me say, it does not disappoint.

First, the story.Set during the Inquisition, Vol de Galle, a former Inquisitor, settling into the fictional town of Veniselle, a French town where the townspeople wear masks to hide their sins and go to "Confessional", where the townsfolk essentially live out their sins in secret. Upon entering the "Confessional" Vol De Galle begins to see demons hidden in human form and recieves a vision of his task in hunting these demons and sending them back to hell. Armed with a sword and two gatling pistols(yes, gatling pistols), Vol De Galle(called the Marquis by the demons he hunts,hence the title) goes about on his self-imposed holy mission. This seems simple enough, but oh no, it gets far more complex as the story also focuses on the local constable and the Head Inquisitor, who both have conflicting ideaologies regarding sin and choice, and the Marquis's mission also results in the deaths of all the people the demons possess. It gets even more hectic as De Galle even begins to question the justness of his campaign, and let me tell you, the twist behind his mission and the reasons behind it make it all the more worth it just to see the vision of Hell Guy Davis created, as well as the themes presented throughout the novel.

The artwork is Guy Davis's trademark style, yet he enhances it with incredible angles and close up action sequences. Gorgoues Baroque-style architecture is viewed amd the books black and white pallete makes it all the better. The Marquis's shadowy appearance against a snow white backdrop only help to enhance the look, as does the look of the Saint Temple where De Galle narrates his story in look just jaw-dropping spectacular.Add to the insane demon designs and the live up to its name vision of Hell, and you got very well done work of art. The book's graphic novel format helps it seeing as a story like this possibly wouldn't benefit from the single issue format, as it helps stretch and explore the world and story more. Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in seeing cool creatures, exciting visuals, and a very strong story on the questions of faith and choice.

The Marquis is an amazing book. It is almost hard to believe one guy wrote and illustrated this. The dialogue is smart and the illustrations are very dark, detailed and deep. The town the story takes place is fictional based on 17th century France, but there are some historical basis used. It was a great idea to hide all the sinners underneath masks. And The Marquis is definitely not your normal everyday hero. The plot twist at the end makes the story worthwhile to slowly read through and not just try to make it to the finish as quick as possible. This is the first in a three book set. I can't wait for the others to come out.

You really just won't find a better written or illustrated graphic novel. The story is amazing and the art is even better! The story wraps around a fictional, yet familiar time period that could have but never existed. Its a place that feels so real that you might think its a period peace but in fact its a vehicle for a horror story that really shakes up the genre. Ghosts, visions, sinners, rich upper class fiends, a church and a hero who gets shaken right down to his roots all shape up this incredible book. If you find a more terrifying setting and a more terrifying group of monsters than the disgusting demons in this book then let me know! Guy's imagination and talents are on full display. Set aside everything you know about Guy and horror comics and check this book out. Its probably the most underrated graphic novel out there. It is a flat out classic of the highest order. It might be the best graphic novel and is surely the best horror graphic novel in a long time, if ever! Its that good!

I enjoy Guy Davis's artwork. It's loose, creepy, and open for my imagination to fill in. I read the 2nd book before the 1st and I like both. The only problem I had with the 1st volume, Danse Macabre, is the Marquis's convictions were written a little too long and were repeated more times over the course of the story.

Guy Davis' The Marquis shows a side of the comic book world I wasn't expecting. Sure I knew that Guy was a talented artist (Sandman Mystery Theatre & BPRD) but this comic broke down my vision of what a comic should be. With an interesting mystery mixed with demons and a crisis of faith, Danse Macabre has it all. If you like Mignola's Hellboy or any supernatural Vertigo title then you'll love The Marquis. The best part is that it shows that not only can Guy draw a great tale, he can tell one as well. All in all a great graphic novel.

Guy Davis is one of those artists who needs a great deal of focus to accomplish his goals effectively. Certain projects simply aren't suited to his sketchy, grainy, creepy style that I unabashedly love. Ironically, his finest work (in my opinion) came out of the Vampire: the Masquerade roleplaying books - he was allowed to let his imagination run wild, with no concern for plotting or dialog, and that showed through quite clearly in his masterful work. BPRD and Nevermen, by contrast, didn't work so well for me; in the case of the former, his style runs counter to the setting. For the latter, the writing was an embarrassment.
This is a very pretty book, but the thick-headed dialog and embarrassingly simplistic plot (worthy of a one-off comic I'd buy at Hot Topic) made me give it to Salvation Army soon after buying it, rather than let it (despite the prettiness) take up space on my shelf.
The plot is heavy-handed, drawing on a loose, monster-heavy grasp of a Bizarro Inquisition. Honestly, I couldn't even finish it - the nebulous "decadence" the main character talks about is supremely absent, except for explicit, over-the-top devil worship, and as a result, I simply didn't care about the protagonist's goals in any way.
The dialog made me almost physically ill with the goofiness of it. It didn't fit the richness or complexity of the apparent period (France, 18th century?) at all. These characters are muddle-heads with one-track minds, either set to "Devil worship" or "Inquisition", with little in between.
Don't buy this book. Look at it at Borders for the pictures, and leave it there.

Guy Davis achieves in The Marquis what a team of talented writers and artists seldom manage to acomplish: AN EXTREEMLY WELL WRITTEN TALE THAT IS ENTERTAINING START TO FINISH. The story is amazing, the art is amazing, and most of all, Guy Davis is amazing for having done it all himself!

The Marquis is a must have for any fan of graphic novels.