There seem to be a lot of human-vampire romance tales these days, so what makes Ex Sanguine
any better than the rest? Obviously it has the crime procedural facet,
but truth be told, those parts of the book are kind of boring.
Comparatively boring, anyway, when held up against Saul and Ashley's
messed up love. I'm not sure precisely what it is about their
relationship that I find so compelling, but I'd say it has something to
do with their nonchalance. Even two humans who've just started dating
aren't normally this comfortable around one another, so to see Ashley
and her vampire lover so quickly and seamlessly get on the same page is
refreshing. It makes their murder/theft/date a lot of fun, and because
they don't treat it like a big deal, it seems practically commonplace.
That dichotomy between the couple's casual attitude and the severity of
what they're up to is Ex Sanguine #2's greatest strength.
I called the cop scenes boring before, and I meant it, but they are
not without promise. The agents are clearly intelligent and capable
investigators, and it undercuts Ashley's confidence to watch them creep
closer to discovering the truth about her involvement and motives. But
as characters, both agents (whose name escape me at the moment) are a
bit shy of three-dimensionality. Even Saul and Ashley, to a lesser
extent, are hitting a lot of the same notes over and over, and I hope
the book can let its cast stretch their legs a bit more before
everything concludes. I have faith that it will, though, because Tim
Seeley and Joshua Scott Emmons pretty clearly know the ins and outs of
these characters, even if they haven't shown them all to us as readers
yet. There's a lot of background mystery remaining in this series, and
as the details of what drives each of these people come to light, I
suspect they'll all become more fully-formed and real. For now, Seeley
and Emmons are satisfied to focus on Saul and Ashley's twisted budding
romance, and it is more than enough to hold my interest and keep me
coming back. They are a fascinating pair, Ashley most of all, and I look
forward to seeing how their relationship grows (read: escalates) from
here.
Seeley's artwork isn't awe-inspiring or anything, but it's rock
solid. The acting is clear and strong, everyone looks consistent, and
the look of the series walks the perfect line between realism and
cartoonism. When we see Saul's true form, the horror and the comedy of
it shine through in equal parts. Watching Ashley write her bizarre
cipher in a man's blood is no more disturbing than anything else in the
book, even though conceptually it should be. The art adds tremendously
to the off-kilter love between her and Saul, highlighting their laid
back approach to breaking & entering, murder, and blood-soaked sex.
Indeed, if it weren't for the visual tone Seeley establishes, I'm not
sure if I'd be so enamored of Ashley & Saul's casualness. It is only
because the world they live in matches their attitudes that they can
pull off their particular brand of dating.
Ex Sanguine #2 didn't blow my mind and melt my face with its
awesomeness, but it absolutely amused, intrigued, and delighted me.
It's definitely the best vampire rom com/serial killer mystery/apparent
heist story I've ever read. At the end of their night together, Ashley
says to Saul (in an excusably self-aware cliche), "This was fun. We
should do it again, sometime." My thoughts exactly, Ashley. My thoughts
exactly.
7.5/10
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