This graphic novel was okay. The graphics were great but the story felt rushed and lacks more background information. The characters lacked development because some of them were killed immediately, while others were trying to escape the tower and survive the vampire attacks.

Great graphics - I loved the depiction of the vampires. The legend of the Hamatsa was a really cool addition to the vampire mythology. I loved the use of fire and the single setting for the bulk of the story.

From writers  Ange (Anne and Gerard Guéuro) and Patrick Renault, illustrated by Charlie Adlard, published by Ablaze. This review is based on an advance reader copy provided by NetGalley. To be released July 7, 2020.

I remember seeing the first issue of this comic book solicited and thinking it was an interesting concept. By no means was I prepared for just how interesting it turned out to be. This four issue series is brilliantly constructed and kept me off guard the entire time. At no point in the series could I guess what was going to happen next.

The series starts with a group of friends meeting at the observation deck of the Empire State Building. Terry Fisher has decided to give up everything in his life and join the military. This shocks his friends, his girlfriend, everyone and they agree to set aside their shock to have one last outing.

Meanwhile, a restoration is taking place within the skyscraper and a sealed room is discovered. By opening this secret, a legion of vampires and their master is unleashed upon Manhattan. Hundreds of people including our hero and his friends are trapped inside the building. Emergency forces gather outside attempting various plans to contain the problem. A lot, a LOT happens in a mere four issues and I can't imagine anyone reading this in more than one sitting. As soon as the danger begins the opportunity for a bookmark is over. This comic becomes a non stop action/horror movie that leaves audience members exhausted two hours later.

I was amazed how much the actual real life history of the Empire State Building works into this fantasy plot in important ways. Some I knew, but most I didn't and that continued to keep me off balance while reading. To explain it here would ruin some cool plot twists.

For horror comic fans take warning, Charlie Adlard's art will bring back Walking Dead memories. Honestly to the level I could see readers wondering if it takes place within the same world. Some of his facial features and layout choices remind me of things from the long running zombie series. That's not a complaint though, just a commentary on how iconic that run was and will most likely follow him in everything he does in the future.

If there is any complaint about the book, it's that the story is too short. There are some deaths and some twists that would have landed a bit harder with more pages. More character background, more tension build up, in a case or two even a longer death. I was surprised this was only 4 issues and not 6 like most collections. This could have easily been six issues and not feel padded by one panel.

There's not a doubt in my mind this will eventually become a movie. Such a simple yet brilliant concept. An easy elevator pitch of "Die Hard with vampires". Until that time comes, set money aside for this upcoming release and wait until nighttime for a scary exciting read.

(A copy of this book was provided by Net Galley for review.)

"Vampire State Building" is a cool graphic novel. The art is solid and the storyline is pretty good too.

So this book caught my attention mainly because of the cover! And I've seen this going around on my Bookstagram a lot.
This is a very intriguing book.
It's more a gory read.
Very different from what I like to read!
It wasn't my favorite book. But it was defiantly worth the read!

Thank You NetGalley & Publisher for this read!

I am really glad this was a one-shot because none of it made any damn sense. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that the author theme is French, but trying to tell a very American story. As a result, they end up framing a piece of Native American mythology in a supremeley problematic and racist way: they turn a group of Native Americans in LITERAL bloodthirsty savages by making them vampires. It's disturbing to read. Also, the art is awful and also makes little sense, since the lead characters are at MOST a couple years into college studies and yet look about 50. It's all just an ugly mess.

This book was not my cup of tea, I did not enjoy the plot as much as I thought I would. I felt like the tropes of the story have been used and recycled. That being said THE ART WORK WAS AMAZING! I only got halfway through reading the book and the rest of the time I was looking at the art work. I wanted this to be soo good.

It was somewhat entertaining, but I don't know why it fell so short. I think the characters could have been more developed. Although I believe this is the first book in the series, more backstory on the vampires themselves would have been fun to read about.
The artwork was pretty great - very gory, but I have to appreciate how beautiful it was.

First published in France in 2019, Vampire State Building collects the 4 issue comic book mini-series written by French writers Ange (Anne and Gerard Guéuro) and Patrick Renault, illustrated by Charlie Adlard, co-creator of The Walking Dead.

The story follows Terry Fisher, a young man who decides to leave college, his girlfriend, and his friends behind to enlist in the United States military. Before his impending deployment to Afghanistan, his friends plan a goodbye party for him atop the Empire State Building in New York City. Unbeknownst to them, a strange discovery found by the building’s restoration committee on the 75th floor, accidentally triggers a legion of vampires to descend upon them, ultimately trapping the group of friends as well as various other tourists within the 102-floor structure.

Charlie Adlard has again created some of the best artwork in the medium. Everything from the characters, to the backgrounds, to the crowds and the cityscapes is incredibly detailed and aesthetically pleasing. The way panels are drawn using wider framing give them a more cinematic feel which lends itself well to the story at hand. While reading the graphic novel, it is easy to imagine the story being adapted as a television mini-series on one of the major primetime networks.

Vampire State Building ultimately boils down to an interesting cross between 30 Days of Night and Die Hard; it is like Die Hard in the sense that the story is about a group of terrorists taking over an enormous building as people try to figure out ways to survive the onslaught, while the parallels to 30 Days of Night are a bit more obvious (both stories dealing with a large vampire attack within a confined area).

A few panels directly reference the sources of inspiration mentioned above, with scenes being directly lifted from Die Hard, and lines reminiscent of other creature horror films such as the Alien and Predator franchises. Another small and slightly subtler reference to the genre, that a few other reviewers happened to notice as well, was a potential cameo appearance of the Cigarette Smoking Man from The X-Files television series. Interestingly enough, it’s fairly easy to imagine the plot of this story being an episode for the aforementioned show and given The X-Files lengthy run which amounted to abundance of character building, could have perhaps alleviated some of the pacing issues seen throughout comic book series.

While Vampire State Building is a fun, gory, and fast-paced tale, it at times relies too heavily on character archetypes and the stereotypical storytelling associated with the genre to relay its narrative. From the stereotypical main character who attempts to join the army to run away from his traumatic past, to the love interest with the overprotective and wealthy father, to their friend group who consist of a nerd, a jock, and his cheerleader-esque girlfriend; each character fits neatly into the role carved out for them, and never tries to be more than the stereotypical position within the genre’s narrative that each character continuously perpetuates.

As with most graphic novels, the backpages of the book give the reader a gallery of cover art used throughout the comic’s print run, as well as some of Adlard’s conceptual sketches and character designs.

Overall, I would highly recommend the series to any lovers of horror, but would advise them not to go into the story looking for anything truly genre-defining.

Thanks to Ablaze Publishing, Diamond Books, and Netgalley for the review copy provided in exchange for this unbiased review.

I'll start by just coming out and saying that I really did not enjoy this. It didn't seem to have the faintest idea how to tell a story that was in any way believable.

It's a real shame as the concept is pretty damn cool. They just ruined it for me. Every decision taken seemed to be based of either no knowledge or the most randomly obscure knowledge that someone just happened to be an expert on at the time. Far too convenient.

The choices made by characters were laughable and the ending just sort of happened. I stopped reading it halfway through, which was a big mistake as I just totally struggled to pick it back up again. In the end I forced myself and am just glad to have finished it.

It's not all bad. The artwork is pretty decent and gives it a dark feel. Sadly, no matter how good the artwork may be, it just can't save this from feeling like a rushed job. The main reason I gave it a two rather than a one was for the artwork (and the gorgeous cover and decent concept). Beyond that, for me at least, I struggled to find much in the way of redeeming qualities. Unless you count the fact that it could be a pretty convincing B-movie as a redeeming quality.

Campy, bloody, and fun. I think they made this comic just because they came up with the cool name. It starts off foolish, it makes no sense. Stupid love relationship issues. No one is safe. But I actually found myself interested in the silly story.
Very creative art for the vampires even though the humans were a little flat and messed up artistically.
It was quick, it was fun, the monsters were interesting. Over all, much better than expected.

Vampire enthusiasts will want to add this to their collection!

I was hooked from the start. The graphics, characters, and plot were amazing! A great balance of speech and artwork. The colors enhance the storyline.

If you like vampires and horror, pick this up. You won't be disappointed.

I can't wait to get a hard copy of this for my collection!!

After discovering a hidden compartment in the Empire State Building, an uprising of vampires storms the Empire State Building, killing anyone in their way. When I read the description I was intrigued, but after reading it, I didn’t really enjoy it. The characters weren’t developed well and the whole vampire tribe wasn’t explained well enough for me. Even though this is the first book in a series, I would have wanted more of it explained. However, I did enjoy the art style and it was a fast read.

The Vampire State Building by Ange and Patrick Renault reminded me of an '80s movie bloodbath.

This graphic novel begins at the top of the Empire State Building with a going away get together for Terry Fisher. Terry is getting ready to leave for the military, so his cousin has invited the crew for a final send off.

Meanwhile, several floors below, two workmen have finally opened the door to a sealed room that does not appear on any of the building blueprints. IT has awoken.

Chaos ensues. The building is swarmed. People are running for their lives, being caught and torn apart, or brought to the Vampire God to feed. His name, U'tluntla. He had been sealed in the building during the initial construction. He is now released. Let the reign of terror begin. Terry, how much of a hero do you really want to be?

At times a bit campy, at time a bit over the top, the story-line is okay as long as you don't expect anything more than what it is. The best artwork was hidden at the very end with multiple versions of the cover art and characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and Ange, and Patrick Renault for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Ok so this one should definitely be a movie, it's art is very cinematographic. Nothing really original here but it's entertaining for sure. Some clichés here and there.

Thanks a lot to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for this ARC 💙

Uma experiência surpreendente... A Hq foge do clichê das histórias de vampiros e apresenta uma narrativa instigante,complexa e única. A arte e o traço são lindíssimos e enchem os olhos...
Temos uma história de vampiros, oriundos de uma antiga lenda, que invadem o prédio mais icônico dos EUA para iniciarem seu ritual e despertar seu cruel lider. Em contrapartida, visitantes e funcionários ficam presos no prédio lutando para sobreviver.
Nada mais justo para uma boa história de vampiros que ter muito sangue derramado, e é exatamente isso o que temos aqui.

It has a great, eye-catching cover I couldn't resist. The story is interesting, although it tends to revel in the gore. It's over over-the-top but still too much for me. On the other hand, such an approach helps to build the tension - it makes it clear no one is safe. You start to like a character, and bam, they're gone.

The art is great and atmospheric.

Vampire State Building #1 is a strong debut issue that entertains and terrifies even though it doesn't break new ground.

Vampires in New York and there's a cultural significance to them. But you have to be tolerant of the creative liberties people take as the "Hamatsa" were a cult on the other side of the country somehow with the Iroquois being mixed together with them. The suspense is definitely good considering the many dire circumstances like friends turning and the fires. But when it comes to character interaction it's more like plot armor protects the main couple. Not to mention the main guy doesn't even have all his cards on the table in terms of stakes; things just worked out for him despite all the half-baked implications behind his actions.

The story isn't that good, but the art in this comic was well done and I enjoyed it.

I realize this isn't a novel or even a short story so there isn't a lot of space for story or character development, however I think there was definitely a huge lack of background on the characters and events in the comic.

It was a very fast paced storyline, but I found myself skimming what little was said about halfway through because I found it boring.

Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Story: ⭐⭐/5

I had higher hopes for this story but it was beautiful and still interesting. I feel like it was a bit bland and predictable for a suspense/horror graphic novel, though the story was intriguing enough that I finished the book in one sitting. Overall, definitely not my favorite but worth reading, if only for the artwork.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.