Image Comics, 2016
ISBN: 978-1632155443
Available: Webtoons, Amazon, ComiXology
Blood Stain is a slice of life comic that pits chemistry major and chronic loser Elliot Torres against creepy, probably man scientist Dr. Vlad Stein. When Elliot loses yet another job in her small town the pressure of trying to help her sister support both her baby and their mother leads to her answering an ad on the college help wanted board for a lab assistant. Despite being warned by students, Elliot calls and is whisked away to a strange manner where she learns the job is to be the Pepper Potts to the Doctor’s horror-inspired Tony Stark.
Of course, first impressions aren’t always correct and despite some serious issues with social skills Elliot finds herself not only kind of fitting in at the manor, but also actually being useful for once.
The plot is a little slow and depends greatly on tension. We don’t know if Vlad is an actual mad scientist, or just a neuroatypical genius with huge problems humaning correctly. Elliot empathizes because things always seem harder for her than for other people too, and her best never seems to be good enough.
Despite the set up that has been abused many many times in the genre’s past, Sejic avoids making Elliot the damsel in distress or Vlad an actual abuser. If Elliot is a modern Mina she’s one that might miss a moment in confusion, but then grab the nearest heavy object and bash Dracula until he apologizes.
The art is stunning, Elliot is a creative geek with an overactive imagination that is easy to connect with, and the slow build tensions (is he a mad scientist? Will they or won’t they fall for each other?) make for an enjoyable, engaging read.
Recommended.