In DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE, Sarah Vaughn tells an intriguing tale of ghosts, enduring evil, and the yearning - by both the living and ghosts -- for an emotional connection. Before reading this story, I had never heard of Deadman aka Boston Brand before. I was initially drawn to this book because of the artwork and description, which had a gothic feel to it. This is a great book for other readers, like me, who may be new to this character and who enjoy a good ghost story. DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE has made me curious to learn more about Deadman's history.

From the first page, the sublime artwork by Lan Medina, Phil Hester, and Jose Villarrubia entrances the reader immediately, and sets the gothic tone for the book. Berenice's boyfriend Nathan has inherited a stately yet slightly creepy mansion that is starting to unnerve her. Hauntings, in fiction, are often used as a barometer for the relationship of the people being haunted. That is definitely the case in DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE. Sarah Vaughn does a marvelous job of telling Berenice's backstory and adding an extra layer of complexity to this book. Berenice is a medium and tunes into spirits -- the friendly as well as the more disruptive. Boston Brand aka Deadman enlists Berenice in helping him investigate the ghostly activity, other than his own, in the mansion. I like the way the reader is left to draw her own conclusion about who the villains are and what the love story actually is, until the very end.

DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE has a tragic love story, a gothic mansion, a dastardly villain, and some super cool spooky ghosts who help solve a mystery. The artwork in DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE contributes greatly to establishing mood, and making this story come alive. I hope to read more stories with this author and these artists. I'm happy to discover a new comic book character to read about and look forward to reading about Deadman's adventures in the Justice League Dark series.

Book Summary

Romance, mystery, and evil fill the halls of an old gothic mansion in New England. There's only one person in the world that can bring peace to this place: Boston Brand, a.k.a., Deadman! When a ghost cannot rest in the place that holds her, the DCU's authority on all things supernatural must help before all is lost!

In this tale that evokes tension tension of classic romance comics as well as supernatural superhero storytelling, DEADMAN: DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE is a new take on the classic DC hero! Written by indie comics sensation Sarah Vaughn, this graphic novel collects issues #1-3 of the critically acclaimed mini- series.