Romance isn’t dead ”“ at least not in comics. The genre might have taken a back-stage to action but for those who know where to look Romance is alive and well, and not just sitcom romance either. That’s what brings us to Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl from Margins Publishing, written by Pat Shand with art by Roberta Ingranata. For those who know Pat and Roberta it’s probably from their work with Zenescope ”“ the New Jersey based company [in]famous for their risqué and sometimes blatantly X-rated variant covers. For those who know Shand’s work best though it’s his ability to weave a compelling and relatable story like his big title Robyn Hood and smaller published titles like Family Pets that define his most appreciated contribution to these series.
Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl is a classic tale of infatuation and budding love. Of course, this isn’t your classic Romeo and Juliet, first of all, the titular Emmy is a vampire who after years rampant and various relationships had decided to abstain and retreat from the world. That is until one day she has to don her Cthulhu Halloween costume in order to run out the last bag of trash in dawn’s early light when her eye is caught by the alluring Garbage Girl and her seductive words of “rad mask”.
Roberta Ingranata’s art is both fantastic and oddly lacking. The black and white comic looks great ”“ I have no problem with ink colors ”“ but can occasionally feel unfinished as some of the panels could have benefited from a color background rather than blank open space. It doesn’t detract from the great work though, as what Ingranata does with the characters and shadows helps add depth that might otherwise be missed in this style of artwork.
Between Ingranata and Shand the pair builds a world that is both fantastical and relatable. It’s established early on that Emmy is a vampire, on some level or another the world accepts her existence, and that she’s lived a long enough life to have just started to figure herself out.
What’s great about Vampire Emmy and the Garbage Girl is that despite the vampire and demon dog aspects, it’s a grounded and believable romance. There’s no damsel in distress, conspiracy, or other action plot, just a pure romantic relationship starting to bloom between two people. It’s a welcome respite from the action-oriented comics that fill the shelves that leaves a happy little butterfly rooting for our main protagonists. That’s not to say there aren’t some avenues for a mystery or two introduced, maybe even some action and intrigue later on. In the meantime, we’re given what looks to be the beginning of a perfect series to curl up on the couch and relax with while silently rooting for the most un-likeliest of lovers.
8/10 Great