REVIEW: Day Men #2

David Reid is a Day Man, a human who works for the Virgo vampire family to carry out various duties during the day. He does everything and anything the Virgos tell him to do, from simple missions like cleaning up vampire messes and paying off people to more difficult tasks like fighting other vampires. So far, after only five months, David is enjoying himself. However, with war looming between his family and another vampire family the Ramses, David is about to find out what it takes to be a true Day Man.

DAY MEN #2
Writer: Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson
Artist: Brian Stelfreeze
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Colorist: Darrin Moore
Editor: Eric Harburn
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Day Men: After Casey Kennedy hands down his orders from the Virgo family, David Reid goes to work. He completes all his tasks save one, retrieving family member Nybor from neutral territory, the Dark Room. When David arrives there, he find Nybor drunk and a dead vampire from the Ramses family. He quickly takes Nybor to a safehouse but they are ambushed by three Ramses vampires out for revenge. David kills two of them but is unable to save Nybor. Due to these actions, the Virgos declare war on the Ramses.

A WAR BETWEEN TWO FAMILIES

Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson continue the story of David Reid, with Day Men #2. With the the war beginning, David is sent on various missions, including protecting the blood supply hidden away at a whiskey distillery and protecting a high end family member from the Ramses hit men. The writer have done an excellent job defining David’s character. He is skilled, intelligent and confident in his abilities. However, he is also marked by his failures as a Day Man, including the death of Nybor that began this war. David walks a fine line between being highly capable but completely unmatched by both humans and vampires because of his lack of experience. With the second issue, the characters surrounding David have more defined roles. For example, Jacob the Burner, introduced as the Ramses Day Man, is slowly taking apart the Virgo family. However, outside of David, the other characters portray few distinguishing personality traits. Since the focus is mainly on David as the new Day Man, it does not affect the overall story. There are also some plot points that have nothing to do with the main story such as David’s obsession with Azalea, one of the Virgo leaders and the Fang trade. These may be important references for the future, but they seem unnecessary for now.

VAMPIRES OF ALL SHAPES

Brian Stelfreeze provides detailed artwork for the Day Men series. When there are many characters introduced, like in Day Men #2, some characters, especially background characters, tend to look the same. However, the artist makes each of his characters distinguishable, empathizing every feature and flaw. The background scenery depicts a privileged atmosphere among the vampire families. Brain Stelfreeze captures the lavish lifestyle of New York City’s high society with his depictions of high raise buildings and their interiors. I love the use of shading and choice of colors in this comic. It brings a unusually light tone to the vampire piece.

BOTTOM LINE: A GREAT WORK OF VAMPIRE FICTION

Matt Gagnon, Michael Alan Nelson and Brian Stelfreeze have created a remarkable mafia-like vampire storyline with Day Men. At first glance, this comic seems to plays off the recent popularity of vampires. After reading two issues, I see Day Men has a lot of potential and exceeds initial expectations. Matt Gagnon and Michael Alan Nelson write a great multidimensional plot that balances well with Brian Stelfreeze’s detailed artwork. Day Men is great read for any vampire fan.