Blue Bloods: The Graphic Novel

Gr 8 Up—The first volume in this popular vampire series is now available in graphic format. The story begins with a flashback to a handwritten 1620 diary, chronicling the arrival of vampires with Myles Standish and the early Mayflower colonists. It quickly segues to a contemporary club scene in New York City. Readers meet 15-year-old Schuyler and her classmates from an elite prep school, as well as Bliss, newly arrived from Texas. The girls begin to experience unusual symptoms, including blue veins that form intricate patterns just below the surface of the skin. Schuyler discovers that she and her glamorous young friends are Blue Bloods, a form of fallen angels or vampires. She learns that something is hunting them, even killing some of them, and she is determined to stop their annihilation, even if she must contend with the vampire hierarchy. Graphic devices help readers keep track of the frequently changing scenes and multiple characters. Small black boxes with white lettering provide introductions to the numerous characters, and boxes shaded in pale blue give time and location information. Occasionally the artist uses changes in color palette to signal scene changes. The numerous abrupt changes create a reading experience that is often disjointed, constantly fluctuating among the various characters' story lines. Realistic art highlights the glamorous lifestyle of these upper-class young "immortals," and the graphic images of blue-blood veins are particularly effective.—Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY