Customer Reviews

Vampire Loves

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

 

 

I swore to myself I'd only review children's books. I told myself I didn't have time for all the young adult novels, books, and GNs out there competing for attention. And I think I did a pretty good job at avoiding anything and everything YA until "Vampire Loves" fell into my lap. Even then, I wasn't convinced that I'd want to read it. For me, author/illustrator Joann Sfar is a touch-and-go kinda guy. On the one hand he's written a whole range of infinitely interesting graphic novels with a unique comic edge. On the other hand, I was not blown away by his "Sardine" series for the kiddies. But there was something about "Vampire Loves". Partly it was the cover design. Partly it was the premise. And partly it was the snatch of dialogue on the back of the book between Ferdinand and Lani. Before I knew it I was staying up late devouring, "Vampire Loves" as quickly as my little brain could parse its dialogue. By and large I do not read YA graphic novels, but when I do you better believe they're going to be pretty special. "Vampire Loves" is.

Ferdinand the vampire is a delicate sensitive soul, by and large. His girlfriend, Lani, recently cheated on him with his good friend Michael and the two have been apart ever since. Ferdinand would love to get back together with Lani but she's just so utterly unremorseful about everything that occurred. In the meantime, he has other thoughts to occupy his mind. There's fellow vampire Aspirine who absolutely adores Ferdinand in spite of all his efforts to escape her. There was a Japanese girl he met in Paris that seemed an ideal mate for him until he lost her. And in the meantime there are people like the Tree Man who's been dating Lani and a peculiar mass murderer that Ferdinand is asked to track down. In the end, the book is more a look at relationships, dating scenes, and the difficulty of finding someone to love (or, in Ferdinand's case, seduce), even when there are plenty of people to choose from.

Elements I've found so difficult to stomach in Sfar's past works turned out to be a strength in the case of "Vampire Loves". In the "Sardine" books, Sfar's storylines jump willy-nilly from plot to person to person to plot without much in the way of logical transition. The same could be said of this book, but here it works to the author's advantage. Now we can see Ferdinand's past relationship foibles with the ladies. At the same time, Lani's subplot is carefully laid out and in some ways she comes across as the most believable of characters. Sfar sometimes even stops the action dead and will fill a page with something entitled, "A few notes on the protagonists of this story". These come across more as rough sketches than filled out story elements, but what they add is infinitely interesting.

As for characters, Sfar is at his best here. Adults reading this book (and there are bound to be more than just me) will find some of the people in this story horribly familiar. Ditto the relationships. At the same time, Sfar isn't afraid to just toss in a new character, say a Golem or a Jewish bookstore owner, without any preface or understanding. Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing would bug me. Here, it comes across as an extra added tasty treat, filling out an equally colorful narrative.

I wish that I could say that "Vampire Loves" is for kids, and certainly there's a lot to it that children would enjoy. But there is a bit of sex talk (that'll go over their heads, but still...) and just the adult nature of the relationships in this book calls out for a more mature reader. Honestly, if a nine-year-old asked me for the book I wouldn't hesitate to hand it over. There are some references to drug use and some sex discussions, but interestingly enough the act itself never occurs on the page.

I like my graphic novels, but I don't read them as voraciously as most. In the end, however, "Vampire Loves" is probably one of the best YA GNs to come out this or any year. A compelling story, it actually had me thinking about the characters long after I put the book down. Who knew you could get so much depth out of a cartoon bloodsucker? As "Buffy the Vampire" has taught us, vampires make for wonderful metaphors, both on the page and off.

If Edward Gorey and Tim Burton collaborated on a comic book, the result might be something like "Vampire Loves," which shows that even the undead have romantic troubles. Joann Sfar's quirky undead story is a charming little read, with some wonky humor and tender moments.

A "square and Nosferatu-like" vampire named Ferdinand has broken up with Lani, a sultry mandragora who slept with his pal. After a quarrel with her, he encounters a pretty goth vampire Aspirine, while Lani heads off to stay with the lumbering Treeman.

The following stories follow Ferdinand's adventures -- he goes to Paris and looks at sunlit paintings, stays with an old Jewish bookseller and his golem, embarks on a ghoulish cruise and is taken captive by evil mummies, accidentally creates life from monster putty, and is called on by the police to help find a serial killer.

And along the way, he dances with a pretty Japanese tourist, flirts awkwardly with the vampire-and-witch sisters Aspirine and Ritaline, dates a wailing phantom, and confronts the ex-friend who slept with Lani. But though the women adore him, his heart is still hooked on his forlorn, unfaithful tree-girl.

"Vampire Loves" is a very sweet book, and in some ways the supernatural edge doesn't affect the main story. Everyone has had that one relationship like this -- you love each other, but you're also angry with each other, and that is what is happening for poor Ferdinand.

The pages of "Vampire Loves" crawl with all sorts of beasties: werewolves, ghosts, mummies, witches, vampires, specters, invisible men, monsters with braces, lonely androids, golems, and various nature spirits. Sfar's artwork is simple and angular, but full of colours, kooky action and strange dialogue. ("My skin's all mushy!")

And the stories are funny as well -- Sfar spoofs gothic pretensions, clubbing, spy movies, and detective work. It's a bit too much when Ferdinand's conscience starts buzzing around, but fortunately that peters out. And Sfar can include sweet moments too, like Ferdinand telling the tourist how he loves to look at paintings with sunlight, since he can't go out in the sun now.

Ferdinand is also a unique vampire -- meek, scrawny, gray-skinned and fond of cats and old folk recordings. He won't even really bite, using one fang so the victims will think it's a mosquito. There's a lot of winning supporting characters -- the grandmotherly witch who housesits, the unhappy tree-man, the amoral ex-pal, and so on.

"Vampire Loves" may star a vampire, but it's a quirky, twisted love story at heart. A delicious little gothic read.

Graphic author Joann Sfar has filled Vampire Loves with her own blend of tenderness, humor, melancholy and philosophy.

Ferdinand is a vampire who bites his victims with only one tooth so it appears like a mosquito bite. First he licks them to desensitize the area. What a guy.

He, too, finds it difficult to make sense of his relationships (some with the living; some not) as we follow him through these relationships.

The colors Sfar uses are vivid, the drawings great fun. The edgy, funny and poignant text was translated from French by Alexis Siegel.

Ferdinand falls in love with Asprine, whose sister is Ritaline. He may be dead, but he can still have his heart broken. His "granny" could wave her magic wand and affect his love life if he'd let her.

Every chapter is based on relationships--but we do travel to different places, including the Louvre Museum in Paris (at night, because they ARE vampires).

Vampires in Love...vampires in relationships--well, it IS the 21st Century so anything is possible.

Armchair Interviews says: Subtle and edgy content is combined with intricate cartoon drawings that will keep your interest. Vampire Loves is a very good read.

Absolutely amazing artist. Wonderful light hearted story. Joann knows how to take something down to earth, such as a man's desire to find love, and threat those feelings through a magical dance with tree spirits and vampires. Wonderful.

...both of which are lacking in American comics right now. Sfar's imagination knows no bounds: he's able to weave complex adult angst over relationships and lonliness with humor and cleverness like no comics writer I've seen in a long time. Its easy to zip through the stories of Ferdinand the Vampire and miss the subtlties of the art and dialogue. It demands to be re-read over and over.

I really liked this book. The drawings are extremely colorful and interesting. The book is about a vampire and his various relationships with women (some vampires, some not).

Sometimes the woman loves him and he is not interested, sometimes he loves the woman and she is not interested, but the whole time you will find yourself interested!!!

A very entertaining read. I would recommend this graphic novel.
My only complaint is there were a lot of stories and not all of the loose ends were tied up in the end.

I bought this on the recommendation of a friend, and I was blown away by how good it was. It's silly and slight and deep and profound all at once.

The fact that it's translated from French to English gives the language wonderful little quirks -- just enough to remind you that you're reading something translated, without being distracting or awkward.

I don't normally like graphic novels, because I find it difficult to deal with both text and images at the same time (my problem, not a problem with graphic novels themselves), but I found Vampire Loves easy to follow.

Vampire Loves centers around a shy vampire named Ferdinand & his rather unsuccessful attempts to find love. With loves that range from a dryad (female tree nymph) to a beautiful young asian woman vacationing in Paris, this guy can't seem to get a break. The only time he has a girl that's willing to chase after him, he finds that he just can't be as interested in her in return. Still, you can't help but be a little enchanted by the stories.

However, this collection won't be for everyone. Some people will get bored from the tales & others may only get one or two reads out of the book. I've found that some of the stories lose a little something after a few readings while others in the book get better over time.

I'd recommend this with a few reservations. Like I said, it's not for everyone, but the people who are into strange indie comics should like it.

The vampire Ferdinand's love life is a mess, and he mostly cares about his cat and his vinyl record collection. Yes, Ferdinand is sort of a grown up version of Sfar's "Little Vampire" character, but this is not a book for kids, it about the messed up life of a 20-something that only live by night. This is a bit like a Daniel Clowes 'alienated hipster' comic, but funnier and sweeter. And with vampires, werewolves, golems, ghosts and mummies. A little bit melancholic sometimes, but mostly it's a lot of fun!

"No, Granny, in life there are some things you can't solve with a wave of a magic wand."

This line of Ferdinand the Vampire to his grandmother sums up the various little plots of Vampire Loves, a collection of Joann Sfar's series translated from the French. Drawn with a shaky style that reflects the neuroses of the characters, Vampire Loves traces the personal and romantic misadventures of Ferdinand the Vampire, a shy, quiet bloodsucker timid with polite manners who is inept at finding love among the various girls he tries to date.

With the main character being a timid vampire, and with supporting characters ranging from a confused tree-girl to snaky embodiments of sighs and mostly-human scoundrels, symbolism is a key to figuring out characters, and what might make everybody tick. Some are obvious, and sharply observed, such as the womanizing wolf-man who transforms when on the prowl for his next score. Unfortunately Ferdinand himself is confusing as a symbol. Does he really want to be a dangerous vampire, but is too afraid? A hint is given when he gives his limiting conscious away, but in typical Ferdinand fashion he makes a mess of things with his new-found freedom.

The feel of the book is claustrophobic. Part of this is the monotonous six-panel layout that runs the entire length of the book. The artwork itself feels crammed, with the Gothic graininess hiding detail in the small panels. And you feel trapped as Ferdinand does in his constant quixotic efforts to find love, in which all the stories end with Ferdinand just as lonely as when they began.

Perhaps a good read for the soap-opera crowd, or maybe some will find the vampiric setting charming. But the lack of character progress, though probably reflecting Sfar's real-life experiences, make the stories ultimately unsatisfying.