Review: Penny Dreadful Vol. 1

Quick Summary

Pros: This volume solves a few mysteries that were presented in the television series. The horror and excitement found here feel similar to the show. The art style is an excellent compliment to the story.

Cons: The pacing feels a bit rapid at times. The art is a bit ambiguous in places, especially during fight sequences.

Overall: This volume takes a number of the most successful elements from the TV show and begins to build upon them. Readers can open this book and see some of their favorite characters engage in adventurous and exciting exploits. In addition, the volume provides additional worldbuilding that fans will be able to appreciate. A few negatives and a strict adherence to the show prevent this from being a volume for anyone to simply jump into, but the positives easily make it a book that fans of the show will enjoy. 

Story

Penny Dreadful Vol. 1, by Krysty Wilson-Cairns, Andrew Hinderaker, and Chris King, is an entertaining and worthwhile prelude to the events of the Penny Dreadful television series. It shows the early stages of Mina’s transformation and gives additional context to many of the events in Season One of the show. In addition, the volume is exciting in its own way and is able to replicate the feelings of suspense and terror that make the show so attractive. This is clearly a comic book made for those who already enjoy the world of Penny Dreadful and are interested in returning to it for more fun.

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The major draw in Penny Dreadful Vol. 1 is the number of connections it makes with Season One of the television show. Watching small mysteries be revealed and learning more about the history of the characters proves to be a very satisfying experience. Specifically, this volume shows how Mina and Malcolm began hunting vampires and also shows how Sembene and Malcolm formed their relationship, both of which are questions never quite answered by the show itself.

The volume’s other draw comes from the exciting nature of the storytelling. The characters are constantly in peril from a threat that seems insurmountable, making their actions feel even more prone to danger. This fills the volume with dread and suspense, the very same elements that make the TV show so exciting. All of this make the comic a good continuation of the show’s ability to build enthusiasm and hook in fans.

The only significant negative throughout this read is the pacing. This volume seems to fly by, as the narrative tries to depict a plethora of action in only a few chapters. This is even more frustrating because pages are seemingly wasted on the characters of Lucy and Quincey, who provide little to the overall narrative. This negative does not fully counter the volume’s positives, but does slightly diminish the reading experience.

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Art

The artistic style in Penny Dreadful Vol. 1 is a fantastic choice for the specific story being told here. The gritty depictions, the sharp linework, and the deemphasis on detail make this truly feel like a horror comic. Plus, Louis De Martinis takes every opportunity possible to shroud the characters and locations in shadow, giving every page a mysteriously ominous feeling. All of this complements the story and causes this volume to fit in well with the rest of the Penny Dreadful series.

However, there are moments where the more interpretive style of the artwork creates a few problems. Characters often look similar so, in moments of intense action, the reader may be temporarily confused about what is happening to whom. These moments are typically brief but do provide small interruptions in the reading process.

Continuity

Penny Dreadful Vol. 1 is a prequel to Season One of the Penny Dreadful television series.

The end of this volume directly leads into the first episode of the television series.

Like other Penny Dreadful titles, this volume makes references to classic works of horror, listed below:

• References to Bram Stroker’s Dracula can be found throughout this volume.
  • Mina’s husband, Jonathan, shares a name and occupation with his literary counterpart.
  • Lucy Westenra is originally a character from Dracula. In the novel, she is Mina’s friend who is turned into a vampire long before Mina even realizes vampires exist.
  • Quincey Morris is originally a character from Dracula. In the novel, he is one of Lucy’s suitors and one of the men who eventually helps bring about Dracula’s downfall.
  • The scene where a vampire first feeds upon Mina appears to be a direct homage to the scene from Dracula when a vampire first feeds upon Lucy