|
TRINITY BLOOD (VOL. 2) [ADVANCE REVIEW] |
|
Wednesday, 07 March 2007 |
 | | ▪ | PUBLISHED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | ART/AUTHOR: | | KIYO KYUJYO / SUNAO YOSHIDA | | | | ▪ | FORMAT/COLOR: | | JAPANESE FORMAT/ BW | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 184 | | | ▪ | RATED: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 03/13/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 03/08/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
Featuring stories never before seen in either the original novels or hit anime series, the second volume of the manga sees Abel, Esther and Tres encountering several dangers on their way to the Vatican in Rome. By train, some Methuselah assassins pay Father Abel Nightroad a visit to kill him in revenge for his part in the death of Gyula Kadar. Then on foot, the trio strays into a deadly forest where even the trees can mean death. Next by sea, they meet up with another Ax agent and are ambushed by a vampire who can attack by water!
All roads may lead to Rome, but in Esther’s case, they also all lead to deadly vampiric creatures. Although this volume only marginally divulges a couple of Trinity Blood’s secrets, it does see the three characters nearly reach the Vatican and Esther is that much closer to discovering Father Abel’s terrible secret. The main attraction in this neo-gothic volume would have to be the diverse range of Methuselah (vampires) that appear. The vampire assassins and threats take many forms. The woodland Methuselah who can command vegetation is called a Dryad, while the one who can transform into an underwater creature, a vampiric siren, is called a Mermaid. This opens the door of the imagination to a wide range of nearly endless possibilities of what the vampires in Trinity Blood could appear as and what powers they might possess. It’s a creative take on the vampire mythology and makes for interesting reading for vampire fans.
Fans also get to see new AX agents in the form of The Professor, a mild mannered inventor. And also there is Leon Garcia, an agent who comes to Esther’s rescue and takes to her quickly. Although we didn’t get much of a chance to see their full powers, it is fairly certain readers will be seeing more of these two men in the future.
Extras in this volume include character sketches with author notes, a preview of the next volume, and a bookmark of Leon Garcia exclusive to this manga volume.
IN SUMMARY:
Trinity Blood’s immersing dark fantasy art style and imaginative supernatural vampiric creatures make it an exhilarating neo-gothic read. |
