by Sarabeth Pollock:
True Blood: Tainted Love is the second comic series released by IDW Publishing. All Together Now, the first comic series released, was critically acclaimed and penned by True Blood showrunner Alan Ball himself. This second book was left with big shoes to fill. Interestingly enough, Michael McMillian, the actor who portrays Reverend Steve Newlin on the series, is one of Tainted Love’s authors.
Vampire Jessica and her boyfriend Hoyt Fortenberry are out on a date when Jessica sees a flyer for the Bon Temps High School prom. Most adults reflect upon prom with mixed emotions, but Jessica laments the fact that not only is she forever trapped in her teenage body, she never got to experience prom because of her overbearing parents and her strict upbringing. Hoyt, ever the attentive and doting boyfriend, sets out to recreate a prom night for Jessica, recruiting help from the gang and using Merlotte’s as the venue.
Meanwhile, around the country there have been reports of vampires attacking humans with what can only be described as uncontrolled blood lust. The attacks are becoming more numerous and as yet there is no clue as to the source, though we see a shot of a man switching bags of blood in a vat at the local Tru Blood bottling plant.
Sam Merlotte asks Sookie to be his date, much to Bill’s chagrin. Everyone arrives at Merlotte’s, but once the Tru Blood starts flowing, Jessica’s eyes turn blood red and she comes unhinged. When she flees, Bill, Hoyt and Jason give chase while Sookie and Lafayette head to Fangtasia to get help from Eric. A tainted batch of Tru Blood is to blame for the outbreak in vampire violence, but while most of the attacks around the country are random, Jessica focuses her blood lust on revenge, with Bon Temps high School in the crosshairs. Through flashbacks, readers gain new insight on Jessica’s past and why she has so much trouble dealing with being a teenage vampire.
The best part about reading a graphic novel as opposed to the individual comics is that you don’t have to wait for the next issue. That’s great news for people like me who have no patience. (I once opened all of my Christmas presents three days before Christmas, but I maintain that it wasn’t my fault—they never should have been left out so early in the first place. I can’t deal with the temptation. #waitingsucks!) I literally devoured this book in one sitting. I couldn’t put it down, and everything about it reminded me of an episode from the show. The dialogue was quick and witty and as I read it I had the actor’s voices in my head. IDW has been a dedicated custodian of the True Blood franchise and the stories provide fans with an entirely new perspective on the characters while preserving the fantasy world that the show has created.
Tainted Love is visually stunning, with lots of deep colors that contribute to the flow of the book. Whereas the first graphic novel, All Together Now, had a very realistic quality to the art design, Tainted Love has a distinctly comic feel to it. Some of the panels were so edgy that it was almost a challenge to figure out which characters were being portrayed (this happened a few times with Sam and Jason). At times, Eric and Bill looked like they were strung out after a long night of partying; this served as a distraction to the overall appearance of the book but is not uncommon in the comic book industry when several artists collaborate on projects.
All in all, Tainted Love is a welcome addition to the True Blood storyline, and the adventure continues in the next comic series, True Blood: French Quarter.
Sarabeth Pollock is a contributor for DarkMedia. Follow her on Twitter at @SarabethPollock and check out her blog at sarabethpollock.wordpress.com.
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