Why So Blu?

‘Looker’ Turns Few Heads

I once spoke with an acquaintance who referred to vampires as cupcakes. It’s not because of their sweetened depictions in a great deal of pop culture productions.  Rather, it’s because they are the current flavor, if you will, just as the hand-held dessert is the current pastry trend. Let’s face it, vampires will always be with us in all their lore and gore glory. But just as vampires were once only associated with Dracula as cupcakes were only chocolate or vanilla frosted, the two have grown exponentially in their variety and complexity in recent memory.  Yet there comes a point when something needs to get a facelift in order to continue to work in an already overcrowded genre. So what does DC’s Looker have to offer?

Emily Briggs is, or was I should say, one of the world’s top supermodels.  She was sexy, rich, alive, arrogant and owned the catwalk like few others.  She’s still all of that, just minus the ‘alive’ part.  Emily can also add ‘vampire victim’ to her resumé.  Left for dead, the read-headed hottie turned to become a creature of the night, just like the mystery man-vamp that unknowingly turned her.  Today, Briggs runs her own modeling agency known as Looker, while using her supernatural abilities to protect the innocent.

Writer Ian Edginton penned the story, which sounded attractive at first glance, considering he has some impressive works under his belt, such as the Sherlock Holmes/zombie mash-up Victorian Undead and some of the Alien vs. Predator tales from Dark Horse in the 1990’s.  The dialogue, especially from main character Emily Briggs, is very believable and comes across as more novel-speak than comic book talk.  It’s to the point, which is the opposite of how the overall flow of the story felt.  The plot just kind of meandered along without the necessary punch and wow factor it was capable of.

The artwork (Mike S. Miller) and coloring (Antonia Fabela & Rex Lokus) combine for a very flashy, glitzy appearance that is certainly befitting for a story about models.  The panels are vivid and lush with attractive tones where smooth lines and flawless-looking characters highlight the landscape.  While this wasn’t a unique style, it worked well here.  It was, however, hampered as a whole by a story that was less than enthralling.

So I ask again, what does this title have to offer?  Honestly?  Not a whole lot.  Looker tries to establish its own identity, but at the end, just feels like more of the same of what’s already out there in an ever crowded arena of bloodsuckers.  This was DC’s second release under the National Comics imprint.  While its first title, Eternity, was a home run, Looker is a foul ball, and though it isn’t horrible, there are better issues out there to spend $3.99 on.

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