Marin County (San Francisco Bay Area of California), December 1978
Wendy Moira (a Peter Pan homage?) confesses to Clara Holmwood that she is in love with the leader of "The California Cult", Billy Joe aka William Joseph Franklin.
Wendy plays Billy Joe's advanced promo record. Wendy and Clara listen to Billy Joe's song "Come Wander With Me".
Suzy Smiles (a radicalized acolyte of Billy Joe who likes to listen to "Always is Always Forever" by Charles Manson) pays the girls a visit. Suzy leads the demoiselles into an ambush, they get abducted by "The California Cult".
Death Valley National Park, east of the Sierra Nevada, 5 months later
Clara escapes from the Billy Joe Family.
Reseda, Los Angeles, California, Present day
Clara (now Lucy) cannot afford to pay for her daughter's university tuition, so she agrees to tell her "California Cult" story on TV for beaucoup bucks.
Clara/Lucy, Wren (Clara's daughter), Phoebe (Clara's niece) and Silas (Phoebe's baby) live together in Chatsworth, Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley.
Wendy Moira resurfaces in Reseda, still young and with the name "Clara" scarred on her wrist. Wendy thinks that Wren (Clara's daughter) is actually Clara/Lucy. Wendy cuts Wren's wrist and drinks some of her blood.
The girls of "The California Cult" kill Phoebe. Wendy turns Clara/Lucy and baby Silas into vampires. Wren escapes with baby Silas.
Wren goes to the neighbours for help. The girls of "The California Cult" murder the neighbours.
Wren notices that baby Silas doesn't like the sunlight anymore and that a mirror is unable to reflect his image.
Clara/Lucy forces her daughter (Wren) to drink her vampiric blood.
Turning into a vampire makes you forgetful, so Wren carves baby Silas' name on her forearm to keep it in mind.
The headquarters of Billy Joe and his followers. Wren is put in solitary confinement... she escapes from her cell, but now sunlight burns her skin and she cannot see her reflection in a mirror.
Wren stumbles upon the girls of "The California Cult" sleeping upside down like bats.
Wren finds her mom, baby Silas and Billy Joe sleeping in a bed.
Billy Joe offers his premium vampiric blood to Wren.
Clara/Lucy sees Silas' name on her daughter's forearm, this makes her remember who she truly is.
Clara/Lucy and Wren maim Billy Joe. Wren finishes the cult leader/musician off by beheading him.
With the head vampire terminated, everyone reverts back to their former healthy selves.
Wren moves away, leaving her mom by her lonesome to raise Silas.
What I did like:
A brand new painted cover by Benjamin Marra!
A 161-page black-and-white comic book illustrated by Ben Marra.
A Traditional Comics & Neotext Books production. The Traditional Comics logo appears, and it is glorious!
Clarimonde from La Morte Amoureuse mentioned.
Wrens and Phoebes are both birds.
"Come Wander with Me" is a great episode of The Twilight Zone.
Art style reminds me of Klaus Janson.
David Birke wrote the screenplay for Paul Verhoeven's Elle.
What I did not like:
The Traditional Comics logo does not appear in color.
It's Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T. not Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.A.T.
Tobacco use portrayed for no reason whatsoever.
The "Always is Always Forever" lyrics are incorrect.
Not written by Canadian cartoonist Ben Marra!
It needed more Marra easter eggs, more references to prior projects.
No outrageous author photo at the back of the volume.
No Direct Market variant cover for comic book stores!
The ending was weak and disappointing.
Phoebe's demise is quickly forgotten.
Jeff Alexander and Tony Wilson, the actual composers of "Come Wander With Me" are never mentioned.
Paul Watkins and Brooks Poston are not credited for their song "Moments, Moments".
Why did Clara steal Billy Joe's artificial eye?
The rings of Wendy and Suzy remain a mystery.
Who was Wren's father?
I give it an 8/10. A terrific homage to splatter cinema and exploitation films from the 1970s. This is Ben at his artistic best, his most refined. Let's just say that this is a fantastically drawn, but slightly predictable and unpolished tale of vampirism. Another must buy hardback from Fantagraphics Books! Also available in Italian from D Editore.
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