The Black Forest

The Black Forest #1

by Todd Livingston, Robert Tinnell, Neil Vokes

World War I. In the battle between good and evil, evil just got creative: The Germans are developing a mysterious weapon to break through the trenches. American pilot Jack Shannon and Archie Caldwell, Britain's greatest stage magician, are sent behind enemy lines, into the heart of the supernatural vortex that is the Black Forest. There, in a remote castle, they match wits with evil occultist Avery Dye, who aims to use Frankenstein's Monster as a template to create an army of unstoppable re-animated dead! In order to thwart the forces of evil, Jack and Archie will be forced to battle Nosferatu, werewolves, a sorcerer, and Frankenstein's Monster himself!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fiction, Fantasy

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 28, 2004

Reviews

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the "classic monster" feel, and thought it was great that there was plenty of action and spookiness without it getting *really* gory. I didn't like the hero much, but he'd be right at home in an old horror movie, and there were plenty of other characters I did like. It was fun how so many monsters were combined into one book. I especially liked Frankenstein's monster.
A couple of scenes were unclear to me, and a few things I thought needed a little more explanation, but those are minor quibbles. After I finished it I went and ordered "Black Forest 2" right away :-)

[Rodolfo Santullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todavía con Overlord muy presente en mis retinas, cae en mis manos esta estupenda novela gráfica de un grupo de autores por completo desconocidos para mi, pero editada por Image (lo que siempre da varios grados de confianza) que me retrotrae de inmediato a dicha película. Nos encontramos en 1916, en plena WWI. Estamos en la guerra de trincheras y prácticamente los dos bandos se encuentran trancados en Tierra de Nadie, ganando escasos centímetros batalla tras batalla. Sin embargo, algo cambia: los alemanes ponen en marcha un plan llamada Proyecto Prometeo y de repente, las trincheras francesas aparecen desiertas. Sí, hay rastros de sangre que muestran que allí han muerto los soldados. ¿Pero dónde están sus cuerpos? Averiguarlo será tarea del audaz piloto voluntario estadounidense Jack Shannon y el mago y experto ocultista británico Archie Caldwell, en una misión suicida que los llevará a lo más recóndito del Bosque Negro, donde viven los monstruos. Porque lo que proponen Livingston y Tinnell desde su guión es un homenaje a los monstruos de la Universal (bah, a los monstruos en general) y a las historias pulp que combinan horror, guerra y aventura en su variante más clásica (¡música para mis oídos). El arte de Vokes no puede ser más adecuado, un excelso narrador en blanco y negro, que quizá no sea el ilustrador más deslumbrante, pero sus páginas están cargadas de vértigo y emoción que se transmite cuadro a cuadro. Estupendos personajes, buenísimos diálogos, emocionante historia, un disfrute pleno.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may have under rated the Black Forest 2, but I read it out of sequence to number one and am now sorry I rated it. I will see if I can change my rating. That being said, I loved the characters and the storyline. It was so nostalgic to the old movies. My best description for this book would be; Young indiana Jones from the WWI war years teams up with Van Helsing for a mission to Dracula's Castle in an attempt to stop a modern Frankenstein. My kind of story. Art and story well done, This was a good read.

[Bene Vogt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seriously have no idea how I came to own this, but if I had to guess it’s probably the fault of Chris Sims‘ blog from the 00s and the „Frankenstein‘s Monster VS Graf Orlock VS Werewolves!“-concept.

Sadly, there’s little more than that to recommend this, the pictures are nice but the storytelling often confusing, and the writing is heavy on cliches but weak on wit.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Story was a little lackluster.

[Don Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

In every way VAN HELSING failed to become the perfect homage to the Classic Universal Monsters, THE BLACK FOREST succeeded.

The setting is Europe during World War I. The unlikely pair of American flying ace Jack Shannon and British stage magician Archie Caldwell are sent to infiltrate a castle situated in the mysterious region of the Black Forest. They get far more than they bargained for when they uncover a plot to reanimate an army of the dead, leading to dangerous encounters with a pack of savage werewolves, a group of bloodthirsty Nosferatu, and a fully-charged Frankenstein Monster.

Robert Tinnell and Todd Livingston make an unforgettable first impression on the world of comic books and graphic novels. The action is fast-paced and non-stop, the mood is dark and eerie, and all the characters are always full of surprises; one never knows for sure WHICH side a particular character is playing on, until it's too late.

Reading THE BLACK FOREST without the art of comic veteran Neil Vokes is unthinkable. His renditions of the werewolves, the Nosferatu, and the Frankenstein Monster are at once hard-core and rooted in Classic Monster mythology. The Monster is of a particularly intriguing design, appearing to be inspired from characteristics described by Mary Shelley and portrayed by Boris Karloff. The uniqueness of his physique is a total match for that of his characterization, as the reader will discover.

The inkwashed black-and-white technique fits the tone of the book perfectly. Like the Classic Universal Monster films, THE BLACK FOREST just wouldn't have the same impact in color.

There's really nothing bad to say about this graphic novel. One or two scenes may seem a bit too dark, but this is a minor gripe. THE BLACK FOREST has quickly secured its place among those other excellent homages to Classic Horror films, RETURN OF THE WOLF MAN and THE MONSTER SQUAD. Tinnell, Livingston, and Vokes have set quite a standard to surpass, though they may soon do so with their next project, THE WICKED WEST. Sound unbelievable? Perhaps, but I wouldn't put it past them.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

​The Black Forest​ follows the grim adventures of air ace Jack Shannon, sent on a suicide mission with a mysterious British agent into the Black Forest of Germany during World War 2. Their mission takes them into the heart of dark magic country, encountering old world monsters and creepy castles, not to mention Nazis galore. It's an amusing comic, a straight-up WW2 occult adventure story, similar to the kinds of stories Mike Mignola tells in ​Hellboy​ and ​BPRD.​ Vokes' art reminds me of Mike Oemi​ng, both angular and a little cartoony. The pages are pretty dark, with menacing workmanlike depictions of the action. Overall, a solid, enjoyable effort.

[Seth Tucker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great comic that tells a harrowing story to stop the secrets of Dr. Frankenstein from falling into the hands of the Germans. Set against the backdrop of WWI, an American pilot and English occultist have to venture into the Black Forest to stop a deranged madman from continuing the experiments of Frankenstein. They will face vampires, werewolves, and the unkillable Frankenstein monster, and with a little luck save the world. Filled with references to the source material, The Black Forest is a great adventure.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most flat-out fun graphic novels I've read in a while. It just punches all my buttons. WWI. An American pilot. A British magician. An evil German scientist hell-bent on using the Frankenstein Monster as a war machine. Add vampires and werewolves and a touch of Hammer Horror styling and the result is magical.

[Sean Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great concept. Fun.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok story but I didn't like the art.