Greenberg the Vampire

Oscar Greenburg is a famous horror story writer. He's also a vampire. And he's the target of the evil temptress Lilith. Luckily, he has a loving mother, brother, and nephew who look out for him. Like his other soul-searching works, J.M.DeMatteis uses Greenberg to tell a tale that is more about family and identity than it is about the fantastic trappings in which he clothes his characters. In fact, it's a little unclear why Oscar needs to be a vampire, as it really adds very little to the story. It was interesting to see a nice Jewish family battle the forces of evil (priests and crosses are a bit overdone), especially as I had no idea that Rabbis could cast out demons. Greenburg isn't DeMatteis' best work. I'm much more fond of his Blood, Brooklyn Dreams (my review here), or even Dr. Fate. Still, fans of J.M. will find it interesting how he struggles with similar themes. However, I must say that subjecting the reader to page after page of Oscar's admittedly bad writing is simply inescusable. Mark Badger's painted art is fine, but it's a little too muted at times; and his consistently middle-range tones make every scene look inappropriately identical.