Little Monsters #2
Romie and Billy make a discovery that changes everything for the group in Little Monsters #2, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. Lemire and Nguyen do a terrific job of presaging the future in this issue.
It all starts off in flashback, showing Romie’s life in 1763 in the Black Forest, and he was turned into a vampire. He hears something back in the present and turns around, finding a human standing there, asking questions. The roof collapses on the man, and Romie freaks out and runs off, hiding elsewhere as the sun rises. Later, Billy goes into Romie’s room and finds the man still pinned under the roof. The blood drives him to feed, and it’s unlike anything he’s ever experienced. Later, he informs the rest of the group about the man and that he left him alive so the rest of them could taste it. Romie wakes up and starts walking, eventually meeting a little girl. She sees one of his fangs and shoots him with a bow and arrow.
Lemire again drops a wonderfully crafted chapter on readers. From the beginnings in the Black Forest to the end of the issue, he’s able to get that perfect vampire tone. Romie is the oldest of them all, and his reaction to the human makes sense, especially when he finds out there are more- he runs. He comes from a time when groups of humans killed vampires on general principle and can resist his bloodlust. He’s afraid. Billy isn’t, and he attacks the man.
Every scene with Billy afterward is played out well. He’s never had human blood, and he wants everyone else to try it. It’s a moment that other vampire stories have done before. Still, it doesn’t lose any of its shine here, especially when readers realize that none of the others have ever tasted a human, and these are children not known for their ability to control themselves. Finally, the ending presages where the story is going to go, as Romie’s internal monologue marks this as the moment everything changes, and he’s the catalyst. What that means and how the little girl plays into everything makes the ending quite intriguing.
Nguyen’s art is spectacular throughout. Black and white artworks for some artists very well, and he’s one of them. It makes everything that much more stark and allows the character acting to really shine through. The way the story only uses red in places also helps out the scenery, giving every page its on a shocking garishness.
Little Monsters #2 plays on some well-worn vampire story tropes but does so in an entertaining manner. Lemire and Nguyen are a fantastic team, their skills blending together to create an excellent little chapter that gives glimpses of the future.