A Midnight Opera

(Tokyopop, 2005-2006)
™ and © 2005 Hans Steinbach

The vampire Ein and his werewolf brother Leroux have survived centuries of persecution by Catholic fundamentalists who wish to exterminate all heathens and demonkind. Seeking solace through the music of his day, now “Einblick” is a rocking guitarist who has fallen in love with the pretty mortal Dahlia Whyte. But his unsettled past will soon come to haunt them both.

Interrupting Ein’s blissful plans, Leroux knocks some sense into his sibling, as their “undead” clan is on the verge of a new war. Elizabeth Bathory, the leader who had replaced Ein, seeks to conquer mankind, whereas the Order of the Holy Roman Empire is ready to rumble again. Will peace, love, and understanding be caught in the crossfire?

The German Steinbach crafts a Euro-Goth version of Underworld meets American Werewolf and The Phantom of the Opera. The latest in this publisher’s attempts to launch the oxymoronic “American manga” line, this series has an energetic style, but its substance fails to convey a truly byzantine backstory.

— Oliver Chin

From the Publisher:

For nearly a millennium, undead creatures have survived in a Europe driven by religious dogma by infiltrating and aiding groups bent on reformation and tolerance. As the centuries pass, and religion's stranglehold on society loosens, the undead begin to feel more comfortable nestled inconspicuously into regular, human life.

Some among the undead feel that now is the time, in the midst of human complacency, to strike against the mortals, in a coup that would leave humanity at the mercy of the "dark creatures." Of course, it is at a time of human complacency that dogmatic agents in the Catholic Church also feel ready to strike against "evil," with just as little regard for the cost to human life. The power to stave this ultimate, destructive conflict between evil and righteousness rests in two wise and powerful undead brothers. But the only problem is they haven't spoken to each other in a hundred and fifty years.

Hanzo Steinbach's A Midnight Opera is a thrilling portrayal of love and betrayal that plumbs the depths of the human soul.

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November, 2005
Cover Price: $9.99
2 copies available from $9.99

Hans Steinbach