Little Monsters #8
As the vampires fight over Laura, Raymond and his human captor make their way closer in Little Monsters #8, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. Not much changes in this issue, but that’s okay because it’s paced wonderfully.
The issue opens with the origin of Vickie in 1870s England, as she’s kicked out of her maid job for being too close to her young mistress. She’s almost picked up with Romie and the older vampires, offering her a way out of hunger. Meanwhile, Lucas and Yui question Romie about why the elder’s body is down there while Vickie, Billy, and Bats hunt them down. Raymond and his captor get closer, with Ray finally learning what his captor wants: to kill all the vampires. Locked out of the room, Billy, Vickie, and Bats come up with a new plan. They threaten to burn the other vampire’s rooms, destroying everything they’ve amassed.
This issue is really all about pacing. Barely anything happens at all after Vickie’s origin. However, Lemire fills up every page wonderfully. The origin is a good touch. It’s become a big part of Little Monsters to give each vampire one, and Vickie’s hearkens back to Victorian England. Lemire adds a nice little touch about hunger, something that connects the origin to the present, as the vampire elder promises her she’ll never be hungry again.
Readers get a glimpse of what’s been going on with Raymond. His captor wants to kill the vampires, yet he shares blood with the boy vampire and asks him questions about him. It digs a little into the tragedy of Raymond, as losing Ronnie is something that never happened to him before. It’s a window into his soul; he can’t remember how long he’s been a vampire, but he can remember that Ronnie has always been there. The end of the issue is a better cliffhanger than it seems. The young vampires have had no lives other than their relationships and their possessions. Billy, Vickie, and Bats threatening their stuff is a stroke of brilliance.
Nguyen’s art is wonderful. The flashback sequences are beautifully done. His blacks are inky depths, and the thin line work feels correct for the era. In fact, the way he uses black, white, and gray throughout the book is amazing. Calling the comic just black and white is essentially incorrect; Nguyen uses a lot of gray, giving the world a more washed out and dead look than it would otherwise, which fits the post-apocalyptic feel of this book wonderfully.
Little Monsters #8 does a great job with pace. There isn’t much to Lemire’s script, but he fills the whole issue and keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Nguyen’s tri-color art is the book’s strong suit; his working relationship with Lemire gives readers amazing visuals. Little Monsters continues to be an excellent little horror book.
