Review by Leroy Douresseaux
Published May 14, 2008

One thousand years ago, vampire King Akabara "Red Rose" Strauss lost both his sovereignty, The Kingdom of the Night, and his wife, Queen Adelheid, who was entombed behind an enchanted seal in a secret location.  His enemies, dhampires -- humans with the blood of vampires -- erected thousands of false seals.

A thousand years later, Akabara hunts for the true location of Adelheid, while dhampires hunt him.  Akabarah's quest has always been haunted by the shadow of the Black Swan, the black bird of despair that can destroy magic in any form.  Every 50 years, the Black Swan inhabits the body of a young girl, and now Yuki Komatsubara, the 49th Black Swan has come to kill Akabara.

THE LOWDOWN:  With its expressionistic art, The Record of a Fallen Vampire, Vol. 1 introduces the reader to a world of wild magic and even wilder battles.  The visuals suggest the fluidity of anime rather than the admittedly static, but kinetic art of shounen manga (boys' comics).  Fallen Vampire is a vampire romance, but not the way we currently think of romance as meaning a love story.  This is a romantic adventure and a fight comic -- like the original Dracula novel and its Victorian moodiness meets gothic-inspired action manga like D.Gray-Man.  Yes, this is an odd mixture, but it grows on you into an entertaining read.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Offering flashy visuals and untamed battles of fiery magic, The Record of the Fallen Vampire may appeal to fans of anime like "Trinity Blood."