This graphic novel was like experiencing a lucid dream, which is a perfect format for exploring the life of Number 4, Klaus. He lives in a state between life and death, always so close to passing over that threshold. The novel has many instance of death in varying forms; vampires who are now undead and immortal, demons whose bad deeds in life follow them to the grave, and people trapped in the Void (a waiting area between life and the afterlife). There are also the Gods of Hollywood, who can make or break a persons life with the snap of a finger. Klaus must travel through all these worlds where death lingers so close to the surface, but he is not afraid to confront death and to push it into the light. He orchestrates a means for all these different iterations of death to collide. The colours and visuals are stunning and really bring Klaus's sad, tragic story to life. The Academy is dark, a place Klaus finds little comfort. The Void has no colour, is just grey and dull. Hollywood is bright, but really only through the lights and glamour and less because of the people who live there. When Klaus deals with his powers it is always green and bubbly, like poison. The colours transition well, point out the bad from the good, provide context for Klaus's decisions for who to help and who to hinder. A great look at redemption, what it means to move on, and the power of a persons deeds during their lifetime. Vivian uses others for her own means and disposes of them when they are no longer useful to her. Klaus is sick of his gift and decides to pass it on to her, but those she channels from her past were like her and begin to bleed into her (blending their awfulness with hers, creating a new kind of monster). Shivers misses his wife, but in reality he is the cause of her death and caused her misery throughout her life. He is selfish with her in life and with her in death. Lyle ignored those in his life in order to write, he knows that he did nothing good or bad, and accepts that because of how he lived there is no entrance to heaven for him. This graphic novel also looks at the relationship between fathers and sons, or fathers in general. Lyle is a father who completely neglected his children. Klaus is always at odds with his father, who only wants to use him for his power. The lead vampire in Hollywood is using his son (Sage) as a front for business. Klaus is finally able to break away from his father's control, to say 'No' when requested to return home. Lyle realizes his mistake of not spending time with his children, regretting his life choices and accepting that his fate may be hell because of them. Sage kills his vampiric father, having spent years trying to live up to his father's unrealistic expectations, finally realizing his own potential by destroying the person who never made him feel valued. All of these tie together in a way that reflects Klaus, his need to remove himself from his father's control in order to truly live his own life. Klaus may be a drug addict, may trust too easily in others, may blindly walk through life whether for good or bad, but at heart he is a kind and caring person. He truly tries to help all those around him, and when he finds that he cannot he helps to stop them from becoming worse. He hides his pain behind medication and drug induced comas, because he is afraid, he is lonely, he is sick of his gift. He has been used since childhood, without being asked whether he wanted to expand his gift or not. So now, he is trying to do things for himself, trying to use his gift as he chooses.
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