Tim Seely and Joshua Scott Emmons are continuing their very unique romance story that features a blood-thirsty vampire and a vicious serial killer. Ex Sanguine has thus far been a roller coaster ride displaying the dynamic between the Sanguine Killer, Ashley, and the lethargic vampire Saul Adams, who have been on a whirlwind romance of lies, deceit and murder. While the police still search, Ashley and Saul have been dealing with their own issues, some of which actually concern one another.

So far in the series, the police have been hunting for the famed Sanguine Killer, with their prime target being Saul. Saul isn’t exactly the culprit, but he knows who is. Saul takes a bit of a backseat in this issue, which focuses much more on Ashley and her past, quite a bit of which explains her murderous tendencies. Some other interesting factors enter the fray as well, all of which revolve around Ashley’s hobby, and none of which make Saul very happy. It will be interesting to see how the plot develops, especially between the two of them, which has been a strange dynamic thus far, but one that is well worth reading.

Tim Seely and Joshua Scott Emmons have managed to create a very odd hybrid story with this series: a romance with strong overtones of violence, murder and gore. Not often are the horror and romance genres mixed, but Seely and Emmons have begun to hit the right mixture for this blend, though are not quite there just yet. The relationship between Saul and Ashley varies between lustful and petty, with Ashley displaying the maturity of a three year old at some points, and the cold, calculating mentality of a killer at others. Saul, while lethargic and bored, seems to get rash and impulsive at points that don’t seem pertinent, but these are becoming less and less inaccurate in the context of the story as time goes on.

Seely’s artwork is pretty great, though. There’s detail when there needs to be, less of it when there isn’t a need, and just the right amount of gore for each particular moment. While the shadowing is a bit weak for the style of the story, that’s just splitting hairs, and Seely should be commended for his artistic gifts, especially in this series.

Summary: This is a series that has to be seen to be believed, with an odd mix of romance and gore seeping through each page. Saul and Ashley are intriguing characters, though they’re not quite as developed as of yet to make any major impact, despite being the main focuses of the story. The artwork is great, and the dynamic between the two leads is improving, making this a horror series that should definitely be looked at. There’s vampires, murder and love, all in the same book. What’s not to enjoy?

The Good: Great Artwork, Engrossing Characters

The Bad: Occasional Dynamic Hiccups

The Ugly: N/A

Score: 8.0