Dexter: Season 4/Crimson Vol. 1 & 2

Dexter: Season 4 (2009)

I only recently began my journey with Michael C. Hall as Dexter within the past year or so. Unfortunately, I skipped the first two seasons and just picked up with the third, and it didn't even matter. Sure, I missed a bunch of sweet, messed up stuff, but I got a good enough grasp on the characters to carry on. My roommates and I spent the last part of January and early part of February getting through the fourth season, and, unsurprisingly, it ruled. All the characters were just as likeable as I remember, and I continued to grow even more attached to them as the season went on. This particular season, and it seems the entire series in general, does a fantastic job meshing together humor, violence and utter despair. The best parts about this season? John Lithgow and the devastating ending.

Crimson Vol. 1: Loyalty & Loss - Brian Augustyn & Humberto Ramos (1999)

Crimson Vol. 2: Heaven & Earth - Brian Augustyn & Humberto Ramos (2000)

After finishing Watchmen, I had reached a lull in my graphic novel reading. Then my roommate Julian recommended I at least start the Crimson series, which he had the first two books of. This series is not subtle whatsoever. It tells a story that already has been told many times: good vs. evil, Heaven vs. Hell, humans vs. vampires, etc. Unfortunately, the first volume, Loyalty & Loss, does a terrible job of starting things off. While the artwork is great, the characters and storytelling are way too juvenile for my liking (though, I'm sure I would have loved it in middle school or early high school). However, shit gets pretty good in the second volume, Heaven & Earth. All the characters are fleshed out more, obviously. The actual events that take place (angels murdering sinners, a werewolf backstory and the slaying of a dragon) are pretty bad ass. What's done really well in both books is the blurring and confusion of the line between good and evil. A vampire is the protagonist, a demon that happens to be the father of vampires seeks redemption, the Knights Templar and God's archangels are murderous bastards. The list goes on. While the Crimson series is far from perfect, Heaven & Earth got me interested in some day trying to complete the entire collection.