Vampyria Inquisition, a comic book spin-off of Victor Dixen's novels

It's time to get your fangs on a vampire tale. It is precisely at this moment that the first volume of Vampyria Inquisition is coming out, but can we invent something new by being part of a known universe? Enter another universe. Vampyria Inquisition published by Soleil is set in the world of Victor Dixen's bestselling vampire novels. We follow a manhunt (finally the vampire) led by the Inquisition. This group of vampires is tasked by the king to hunt down members of the community who do not respect the law. Indeed, in 1715, the Sun King became a vampire. For three centuries, the King of Darkness has ruled the vast empire of Magna Vampyria from Versailles. However, even if you have never read the Vampyria saga, it is very easy to understand this series by the map of the vampire empire and then thanks to the introductory text. The whole book seeks to project you into this period of the Ancien Régime. The beautiful cover takes up the style of ancient manuscripts: the central image is surrounded by a gold border and the summary on the back cover is inserted in the same precious frame. The first volume of Vampyria Inquisition begins in France in the barony of Torteval near Orleans. Several characters prowl around the seigniorial castle. The gardener Sylvère receives the compliments of the Baroness for his exceptional talent. This commoner has everything of a model employee but he secretly has a romantic relationship with the reader of the family, the black noble Daphne. The youngest son, Faustin, returns from an eventful evening. He leads a dissolute life compared to that of the elder, more responsible. He will even be accused of cheating on cards. The situation is therefore quite complicated but the situation is complicated when, one evening, a vampire countess arrives unexpectedly. She was dazzled by Sylvère's talent. She wants it and for that she will play cards… Gothic horror in comics As novelist and screenwriter Victor Dixen says, Vampyria is his interpretation of gothic horror that he loves. Vampyria Inquisition tells a story of thwarted love, that of Sylvère and Daphne. However, Dixen confronts this universe with the myth of the vampire and places it in the time of Louis XIV. The screenwriter does not give a Manichean vision of the suckers but opposes two models. On the one hand, he gradually distills clues to show the dangerousness of the countess. On the other hand, he introduces us to the inquisitor Gauthier de Norcombe who goes hunting for this woman. As a bonus, we can see the research of the writer and the artist to train these characters. However, to install uchrony, it is also important to place realistic elements. This is the case in Vampyria Inquisition from the first pages. Victor Dixen inserts some references to the art of the time such as a character of Molière and the commedia dell'arte. A pile of corpses can be seen illustrating the high mortality of the time even though vampire attacks replaced epidemics and famines. We find the unequal society of the Ancien Régime. Mortals are subjected to vampires in exchange for their protection. Their function is to serve the powerful from an early age. The blood tax is literal. Commoners must shed one-tenth of their blood each month. This inequality is in the law. Commoners can't even go out at night. Women of the nobility could go through the school of Saint-Cyr to become ladies-in-waiting. However, nobles are now subject to immortals. The realism of Vampyria Inquisition also goes through the drawings of Eder Messias. The style is very classic. However, it is very precise in the sets. We are immersed in this uchrony especially by the period outfits. We find the codes of the Great Century for nobles but also an invention for vampires such as the Arabic outfit of the Duchess of Cocagne. The colorist Giulia Priori also has a big role in offering various shades depending on the situation. She transforms a childhood memory of Sylvère into a purple psychedelic vision. Vampyria Inquis ition offers a dark mix of genres.This first volume succeeds in creating a credible universe and proposing plots that we want to follow in the second volume. Even more ambitious, this saga designed for 15-25 year olds is a connected work with bonuses to be found on the net. If you are interested in vampires, you can find the chronicles on the manga Chigahime and on the comics with Vampironica.