Before you say it, yes I do read comic books or graphic novels as I like to call them. It has been a while since I last enjoyed reading my copy of “The Dark knight Returns” or even getting my hands on another copy of “Watchmen” after mine mysteriously disappeared.
So I was over the moon when I was sent a digital copy of Black Opus Vol 1 which has now been brought to the web via Dog Star Comics.
This ground breaking comic book by Donnie Lee is a must for any comic book fan, the artwork is in black and white, very much like The Crow, this digital release of Black Opus is fully restored and hours were spent restoring the pages via Photoshop to bring us a near perfect rendition of the original artwork.
Those in the know may be aware that the original release was called Sepulcher Opus but as the author Donnie Lee mentions in an interview.
Let’s face it, not everyone understands Latin. Originally I thought that most people in our western word would understand the word “sepulcher” because The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is understood as the tomb of Jesus Christ. I was misguided, but Black Opussounds scarier.
So on to the comic book, as I mentioned earlier I do enjoy a good read and Black Opus Vol 1 is certainly that, if I had a hard copy of the book then I wouldn’t be able to put it down, very much as I when I was reading “Watchmen”, I did find it a bit strange reading a book on my monitor, but after a while I got used to it, but I digress.
Black Opus, comes in four episodes, each one as good as the last, it’s intriguing, strange and fun all at the same time, but it’s also dark in places with quite a few violent scenes, which adds to the ambience of the book. It’s certainly an experience reading the book. There are indeed points in the book where you will think to yourself “What the hell!” but then as you read on it gets your grey matter working overtime.
- Rain (Wash My Love) – A distraught, jilted man wanders the dark, inner-city struggling with his broken relationship. He is sparked into a fury of anger and passion. In his momentary insanity, he murders… He’s chased through the streets where he meets his transcendence at the barrel of a police revolver.
- Prince of the Universe – Dedicated with respect to the memory of Freddie Mercury. A ghost of a man at his dying moment rides a river of thought back into his life. He explores his accomplishments, his failures and his cowardice. He’s a man, once a demigod, but now faces his own humanity and mortality.
- The Kiss – A failed artist inflicted with drug addiction and insecurity rebels against the ideal of society. His last act is to create the masterpiece that has eluded him. In his slide to the underside of his consciousness, his masterpiece is his own blood.
- The Flying Boy – A story of innocents, idealism and isolation. A boy’s dreams and fantasies isolate him from his peers. His dreams of soaring on wings and breathing air never before breathed are granted to him.
Overall I would recommend Black Opus Vol 1 to any comic book fan and even to those who are only dipping their toes in the water of graphic novels. So get yourselves over to Dog Star Comics and check it out for yourselves
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Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
