Gabriel GN
Creator: Jaime “Jimmy” Portillo
Company: Self-published
I’ve encountered many a vampire tale in my day. Seen the movies, read the books and comics, even played the role-playing games. With that in mind, this book faced a pretty tough challenge. What could it give me that could hold my interest? What could Portillo have to say that I hadn’t seen a million times?
Quite a bit, it turns out. This isn’t the same old sexy vampire seduction tale, nor is it an angst-filled cry to the heavens about being turned into a monster. When you first meet Gabriel, Portillo’s eponymous protagonist, he’s just returned to his hometown of El Paso (or “Hell Paso”, as he calls it) after a few years away. He’s sitting alone in a club he once loved, moping over a beer and remembering old times, and it’s pretty easy to identify with him. He seems like a decent guy, a little shy, and not so happy to be back, but nice. As he talks to the girl next to him, that feeling gets stronger. He’s considerate, actually talks to her instead of leering, and just comes across like a normal dude.
The girl is a vampire, of course, and she makes Gabriel one. That was no surprise to me; what came as a surprise is the transformation he goes through. There is no angst phase. One moment he’s a nice guy, the next he’s seeking out women specifically to kill and drain blood from because he wants to rape them too. From decent human being to total monster in one vampire bite. This is in deliberate contrast to someone who gets bitten later, who retains her humanity and actually regains it. What set her apart from Gabriel? Why was she able to fight back? The answer seems to be that Gabriel’s only real connection to anyone is to Desiree, the vampire who bit him, while the other one has a living family that cares about her.
Gabriel starts a reign of terror in the Mexican city of Juarez, directly across the border from El Paso, and Portillo uses the story to make several comments on the state of the government in that city, namely the power of the drug lords and the corrupt nature of the mayor’s and sheriff’s offices. We also get some history of the El Paso/Juarez area courtesy of Desiree, who lived there during the late 1800’s and has some interesting stories to tell. Portillo ties real history in with Desiree’s past for some cool bits of flavor that help make the whole story feel like it belongs where it is.
As for the art, Portillo uses a photo-manipulation black, white and gray style that reminds me a bit of Bendis’s early art style on books like Goldfish and Jinx. It is very effective here, with the coloration doing quite a bit to add to the atmosphere and the accuracy of the figures making it all seem that much more real. I wasn’t so thrilled with the word balloons and lettering, which were for the most part intrusive and detracted from the overall look. A lettering style other than a straight computer font would have been a better choice (although there was some good lettering when Gabriel was in his vampire rage).
Overall, I was very impressed with Portillo’s first effort, and it was evident to me why he won a Xeric award. This was a grim, dirty story about grim, nasty people, and I dug it.
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sounds great like great book! I’m kinda hooked after reading your review.
where can I actually buy it and what would it cost?
Living in europe the best bet is usually amazon but they don’t list it.
08 Apr 2008 at 3:43 am
QuoteAs far as I know, it’s currently only available from Portillo. The web address to get it is linked at the top of the review.
08 Apr 2008 at 11:27 pm
Quotethanks!
I had a look, this is what I found:
http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=823
It’s being sold on a print on demand site (which is great in a way, I think POD can add a lot of good material to comics).
09 Apr 2008 at 1:22 am
QuoteSounds really interesting! One other question, is this a self-contained story, or will it continue into another volume?
09 Apr 2008 at 2:18 am
QuoteNope, this is the whole story.
09 Apr 2008 at 2:23 am
QuoteHi Dan!
Thanks for the review. It helps me out a whole bunch. Thank goodness it was a positive review!
Hi Mark.
Thanks for your interest. Like Dan said, this is the whole story. Visit my site, http://www.myspace.com/gabrielgraphicnovel for two trailers (one live) and 6 preview pages. I hope that raises your interest. I did join an El Paso group called Project4Studios, and I wrote 7 bonus pages titled GABRIEL:VICTIM, for their future FUSION-X ANTHOLOGY. If you visit: http://project4studios.deviantart.com, you can see a few sample pages. It adds a bit more to the story. I’ll keep everyone posted when it is released.
I’m also having a show on April 19th over here in El Paso for my book. Drop me a line to see if I have any leftover copies. If I do not have any, the book will have to be purchased at the above Indyplanet link. Anyone can feel free to write me with any questions or comments at:
gabriel-vampire@hotmail.com. Thanks!!
09 Apr 2008 at 12:58 pm
QuoteJimmy! Congrats on the great review! It’s really rare for me to read a whole graphic novel in one sitting. I usually like to absorb the material in tasty little bites, but when I read, “Gabriel”, I couldn’t put it down. I read the story in one sitting and at the end I was still hungry for more. The story really sucks you right in (no pun intended) and the dark, noir inspired visuals are spot on! You are an amazingly talented writer and creator! I can’t wait to see what comes out of that creative mind of yours next!
Best wishes,
Justin Jude Carmona
Project4 Studios
El Paso, Tx
09 Apr 2008 at 1:58 pm
QuoteThe cover photo reminded me of a famous art “logo” by Shepard Fairey. I don’t know if it was intentional or not.
11 Apr 2008 at 12:31 am
QuoteNOT INTENTIONAL!!! I don’t know who he is, but I’ll look for his stuff. I’m interested to see the comparison. I hope it’s a good thing if it looks like his work. My cover was done to draw a potential reader to the book. All black, and a vampire with a wicked, morbid smile. I think it sticks out.
11 Apr 2008 at 7:04 pm
QuoteI think it’s a cool cover. After going back, I realize they are not as similar as I thought. I think I needed to see a larger picture of it.
But what I was referring to was the Obey face. You’ve probably seen it before. It was even featured on Family Guy when Peter painted over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, that’s what he painted.
13 Apr 2008 at 11:58 pm
QuoteI finally saw the face. They don’t look the same, but I think because both show the faces only, they almost look alike. As for Family Guy, I used to hate it, but now I’m getting into it. I’ll have to watch that episode.
As for everyone, my new e-mail is jimthecreep@hotmail.com. gabriel-vampire@hotmail.com is down the tubes. Sorry. My website is still the same, though. http://www.myspace.com/gabrielgraphicnovel
15 Apr 2008 at 8:27 am
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