#DRCL: Midnight’s Children vol. 2
Shin’ichi Sakamoto gave the impression that he was preparing to stage the most handsomely mounted period version of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with the first volume of this series. It had style to burn, all in the service of what looked to be a retelling of “Dracula” with most of the cast transplanted and transposed into teenagers at a fancy English academy. I wasn’t sure if things were going to come together quickly enough to justify the excessive cover price this hardcover-bound series was asking, and this second volume only complicates things. While the story being told becomes more interesting, it also becomes more problematic as well.
Driving the interesting bits of this volume is its narrator, Wilhelmina Murray. Introduced in the previous volume as the first girl to be admitted to Whitby School, we find out that’s not actually the case. She’s actually been taken in as a maid to mind the school grounds. So what about the scene in vol. 1 where we’re introduced to her showing up the boys in class? Pure fiction, it would appear, as Mina is revealed to not be a very reliable narrator here. She does show herself to have a certain amount of commitment to the truth; though, it’ll be interesting to see whether we’re taking the long way around to a story where Dracula wins in the end.
Unless the one and only Abraham Van Helsing has anything to say about it! Introduced as a pen pal of Joe Suwa, who came to the School after he was informed of the strange goings-on around it, he certainly makes an impression. Not just possessing knowledge of the threat they all face, but the strength of will to address it without a second thought, he makes a distinct impression the first time he appears here, dowsing for evil. If you’ve seen “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” this version of Van Helsing feels akin to Anthony Hopkins’ take on the character, as they both channel the same gonzo energy in pursuit of their objective.
Sakamoto’s art also continues to impress in this second volume, but you probably could’ve guessed that without being told. He’s bringing his A-game to give whatever’s on the page a real sense of dramatic style. Whether it’s Arthur’s hallucinations about his family life, Lucy’s revisionist history over current events, or the showcasing of the monster himself in all of his draconic glory, the visuals never fail to impress. He even manages a clever bit of thematic visual appropriation by having this sexual menace to a school of teenagers bear a not inconsiderable resemblance to a now-deceased King of Pop with the same (alleged) proclivities.
Which is also where this volume’s problems start as the sexual aspect of this series, which was hinted at in vol. 1, becomes more explicit here. And I do mean explicit as you’ll get to see more of Luke/Lucy Westerna than you likely wanted to in this volume. They remain under Dracula’s thrall here and Sakamoto devotes pages to showing the alluring effect they have on Arthur, minus any pants or underwear on their part. None of this is out of place for a vampire story, yet anyone who balks at seeing kids this young (they’re all fifteen here) in such situations, or relations between characters who are both biologically male (though one of them is pretty enough for it not to count, is the message I’m getting here) should consider themselves warned.
As should anyone who thought that racebending Quincy Morris into an African-American represented a progressive take on the story. He’s mostly kept to the background here, only supporting efforts to save Luke/Lucy and to butt heads with Arthur over their affection. Except for one specific scene where we find out exactly how much he likes Luke/Lucy. Alone. In a confessional. With their lace scarf over his face. While a negro spiritual is being quoted in the text around him. It’s all very much A CHOICE on Sakamoto’s part, since the whole scene doesn’t add anything to the story beyond trying to make the reader as uncomfortable as possible.
All this makes vol. 2 a horror series where its most skin-crawling moments have nothing to do with its scares. In fairness, they occupy relatively brief stretches of vol. 2 compared to the vampire-hunting which occupies most of it. So they can be skimmed by if you’re that disturbed by them. Which is arguably worth doing given the level of style that Sakamoto infuses this volume with. I’m still invested in seeing what sights the mangaka has to offer in regards to his interpretation of this classic tale, I just hope they’re more horrific than sexual now.
If you’re still on the fence after this, then you should also be aware that this volume isn’t any more affordable than vol. 1. It still has a cover price of $27, and you even get fewer pages than you got last time.