Proud English conquerors come to invade India. A moment unfortunately common during colonization, except that this time, it is vampires…
English people discover a new world
Several centuries after the first contacts between the United Kingdom and the Indian kingdoms, the East India Company now seeks to move from trade to the conquest of territories. Faced with them, the local princes hesitated between lucrative collaborations and fierce resistance. On one of the Company's ships, an English lord has just been recruited as cultural attaché. But above all, he seeks to sustain his insatiable hunger. Lord Pierrefond is a vampire who will soon discover that this mysterious country also hides formidable beings. This book published by Hi comics last August starts mysteriously with multiple locations and characters that intrigue the reader. A couple tells each other tales. The second episode opens with a new character. Zachariah Sturn is a vampire hunter. All these characters are presented through different letters they write because These Savage Shores develops a very fine relationship between different writings beautifully highlighted by the lettering of Aditya Bidikar.
A historical horror tale
It is certainly a tale of vampires but the setting is original since it takes place in India in the eighteenth century, so at the beginning of colonization. This context is well known by Ram V writer and cartoonist Sumit Kumar, both Indians. The reader goes from fighting between large armies to the hushed room for negotiations between the different leaders. Faced with the painful reality for India, the struggle between an English monster and an indigenous demon illustrates the resilience of the local culture. Most of the characters are related to the history of the European conquest. Lord Pierrefond believed in a new beginning like many impoverished nobles or elite family cadets at that time. Prince Vikram of the Zamorins knows very well how to play between collaboration and resistance according to his interest. Through the dancer, we see that indigenous women were eroticized in art. Zachariah Sturn wants to rid the region of local monsters that live in harmony with men. We can see the link with the civilizing mission and conversion by European missionaries. 
These Savage Shores: a superb comic book
These themes are magnified by Sumit Kumar whose drawing is reminiscent of the Franco-Belgian style. The waffle iron layout brings this comic closer to comics. We can also highlight the splendid colors of Vittorio Astone. This volume released in the United States by a very small publisher, Vault comics, is the surprise public success of last year. Hi comics not only has the courage to release this title without any recognized artist but the book is also beautiful. The cover is reminiscent of ancient manuscripts with a gilded frame. Each chapter is separated by beautiful iconography. The bonus illustration gallery includes all the double cover pages of each chapter. These Savage Shores is the success of this comic book season. It is part of the progressive line of Hi comics as Coyotes released recently and the sequel to Skyward coming in October. The love story is touching while the vision given of colonization is subtle and avoids Manichaeism. The drawings are vivid and splendid from the first to the last box.
