Review - DMC; Devil May Cry, The Chronicles of Vergil
Review by Paul Fiander
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Writer; Izu
Artist; Patrick Pion Publisher; Titan Comics |
The link between videogames and comics has had something of a resurgence in recent times. From The Last of Us to Halo, the extended plots created by the games and their universes are proving happy hunting grounds for comic book writers to feast upon. There are some purists in both camps who say that the use of a second medium to tell a story will detract from the original, but I for one am happy this link exists.
So the latest crossover title to hit these shores is DMC; Devil May Cry. The Chronicles of Vergil. I say hit these shores, as this is a translation by Mark McKenzie-Ray from the Japanese original written by Izu. The story acts as a prologue to Capcom’s 2013 reboot of the Devil May Cry franchise. Being a prologue there is no real need to have played the game to appreciate this story, the characters are introduced over the course of the comic and by the end you feel that this is a world you know if not truly understand.
The game has understandably left its mark on the comic with face-paced action threatening to spill off of the page as you eagerly consume the visuals placed in front of you; this mirrors the game and may be a little too much for some readers. When Capcom commissioned the DMC game they wanted the game to be re-imagined for a western audience but the comic seems to have its heart in Japanese fiction. The storytelling is fractured but easy to pay attention to. A great example of this is the first three pages. These take place over the span of a year. This actually brings about my major complaint; I wish this was a multi-part series as the story felt rushed at times and I would have much preferred the plot to have been extended. The comic does end with the tagline “to be continued in the game DMC Devil May Cry”, but at that point the story becomes about Dante and I would prefer more from Vergil and more importantly Kat.
The Kat Vergil relationship is a really good dynamic. Vergil is a half demon, half angel offspring and Kat is a Human psychic. Vergil takes the lead as Kat’s (and the reader's) guide into understanding the “Real world” (you cannot help but see the parallels between this story and the Inferno by Dante Alighieri). This world is based around the idea of planes of existence. The human race, as a whole, is unaware that there is a second plane inhabited by demons that are also able to live in our world. When I think about Vergil and Kat, it's the role of the guide that makes the relationship work in my mind, as at times you have to question who is guiding whom. I like this type of fluid character dynamic and it means Kat is not your usual clichéd damsel in distress. She, instead, is someone who needs to be brought up to speed to truly understand her surroundings and the brevity of her situation, but once she is there...(no spoilers).
Visually, as I previously alluded, the panels are filled with motion. The depiction of character is great but it is the visuals around the demons that had me looking in awe. Patrick Pion does a first rate job giving the demons both scale and an air of revulsion. This is especially true where the Onyx are concerned. They are immense but seem to move with a great deal of fluidity making them even more threatening to our heroes.
Overall I really enjoyed DMC. It is a strong (albeit seemingly rushed) story. I would easily recommend this story for those both with and without interest in the DMC franchise. The one caveat would be that the fast pace may not be to everyone’s liking.
This title is available from today in print from Titan comics.
So the latest crossover title to hit these shores is DMC; Devil May Cry. The Chronicles of Vergil. I say hit these shores, as this is a translation by Mark McKenzie-Ray from the Japanese original written by Izu. The story acts as a prologue to Capcom’s 2013 reboot of the Devil May Cry franchise. Being a prologue there is no real need to have played the game to appreciate this story, the characters are introduced over the course of the comic and by the end you feel that this is a world you know if not truly understand.
The game has understandably left its mark on the comic with face-paced action threatening to spill off of the page as you eagerly consume the visuals placed in front of you; this mirrors the game and may be a little too much for some readers. When Capcom commissioned the DMC game they wanted the game to be re-imagined for a western audience but the comic seems to have its heart in Japanese fiction. The storytelling is fractured but easy to pay attention to. A great example of this is the first three pages. These take place over the span of a year. This actually brings about my major complaint; I wish this was a multi-part series as the story felt rushed at times and I would have much preferred the plot to have been extended. The comic does end with the tagline “to be continued in the game DMC Devil May Cry”, but at that point the story becomes about Dante and I would prefer more from Vergil and more importantly Kat.
The Kat Vergil relationship is a really good dynamic. Vergil is a half demon, half angel offspring and Kat is a Human psychic. Vergil takes the lead as Kat’s (and the reader's) guide into understanding the “Real world” (you cannot help but see the parallels between this story and the Inferno by Dante Alighieri). This world is based around the idea of planes of existence. The human race, as a whole, is unaware that there is a second plane inhabited by demons that are also able to live in our world. When I think about Vergil and Kat, it's the role of the guide that makes the relationship work in my mind, as at times you have to question who is guiding whom. I like this type of fluid character dynamic and it means Kat is not your usual clichéd damsel in distress. She, instead, is someone who needs to be brought up to speed to truly understand her surroundings and the brevity of her situation, but once she is there...(no spoilers).
Visually, as I previously alluded, the panels are filled with motion. The depiction of character is great but it is the visuals around the demons that had me looking in awe. Patrick Pion does a first rate job giving the demons both scale and an air of revulsion. This is especially true where the Onyx are concerned. They are immense but seem to move with a great deal of fluidity making them even more threatening to our heroes.
Overall I really enjoyed DMC. It is a strong (albeit seemingly rushed) story. I would easily recommend this story for those both with and without interest in the DMC franchise. The one caveat would be that the fast pace may not be to everyone’s liking.
This title is available from today in print from Titan comics.
Wrap Up
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The Good – Great depiction of Demons, Frenetic story, Central character relationship
The Bad – Story seems a little rushed |
4/5 |
Images courtesy of Titan Comics
Comic - Provided by Titan Comics
Comic - Provided by Titan Comics
