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The Breathtaker Collection

The Breathtaker Collection

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-07 09:51:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Mark Wheatley
  • ISBN：1785867350
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Summary

The long-awaited remastered edition of the acclaimed graphic novel - including an introduction by Neil Gaiman。 All love withers and dies。。。 but for Chase Darrow， it is literally the kiss of death！

Chase Darrow is a beautiful weapon。 The US government gave her a sexual power that makes her utterly alluring - the perfect weapon for espionage。 Yet to kiss a man leaves his lifeforce drained and means that no one can love her without paying the ultimate price。 But Chase is now on the run from The Man - another government creation and the first superhero。 All machismo， he is sent to bring Chase back， but which weapon will prove the most powerful - love or death？

The Breathtaker Collection features the original four-part cult-classic， plus an all-new origin comic following The Man， by Marc Hempel （The Sandman， Heavy Metal， Hellraiser， Lucifer） and Mark Wheatley （Johnny Quest， EZ Street， Frankenstein Mobster） and features a foreword by Neil Gaiman （The Sandman， American Gods， Good Omens）。 Remastered and reprinted， experience the original Breathtaker story in an all new light。

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Reviews

Derek ，

She's a breathtaker。 She'll literally take your breath away and leave you dead。 That's Chase Darrow。 A woman whose love is so pure you'd die for it。 No one is safe from her wiles; men women， even animals can't help but be attracted to her。 And unfortunately （or fortunately！） they all end up paying the ultimate price for her love。This is an odd， refreshing comic。 Well paced， well told。 The art is vibrant and fits well with this most quirky of stories。 I loved it。 She's a breathtaker。 She'll literally take your breath away and leave you dead。 That's Chase Darrow。 A woman whose love is so pure you'd die for it。 No one is safe from her wiles; men women， even animals can't help but be attracted to her。 And unfortunately （or fortunately！） they all end up paying the ultimate price for her love。This is an odd， refreshing comic。 Well paced， well told。 The art is vibrant and fits well with this most quirky of stories。 I loved it。 。。。more

Romano ，

Un melancólico relato en torno al aprendizaje de que amar es dar y no buscar recibir。 El final es convenientemente reconfortante y dulce。

Pilipma ，

The story about lonelyness and love， doubt and guilt， obsession and death。Two main characters have super powers but it is the effect those powers had on their lifes that allows us to see just what kind of people they are。 And they are no one dimentional cardboard cutouts， let me tell you。 They hurt differently。 They want for things differently。 They are very unique characters that I've never seen before。Art is almost simplistic， but this just adds to the hyperbole of the book。 Also， if you manag The story about lonelyness and love， doubt and guilt， obsession and death。Two main characters have super powers but it is the effect those powers had on their lifes that allows us to see just what kind of people they are。 And they are no one dimentional cardboard cutouts， let me tell you。 They hurt differently。 They want for things differently。 They are very unique characters that I've never seen before。Art is almost simplistic， but this just adds to the hyperbole of the book。 Also， if you managed to get your hands on the first print issues you know how gorgeous those covers are。 Get it！ 。。。more

Keith ，

I've wanted to read this for awhile， but just never gotten around to it -- then I got a gift certificate to a local comics shop with a really solid collection of old Vertigo titles， and decided it was finally time。 The thing that's striking about the book isn't just the art within each panel， but also Hempel's gift for layout -- between the characters' expressiveness and the page designs， he's able to wring a lot of emotion out of each scene。The story is a little bleh， and even somewhat question I've wanted to read this for awhile， but just never gotten around to it -- then I got a gift certificate to a local comics shop with a really solid collection of old Vertigo titles， and decided it was finally time。 The thing that's striking about the book isn't just the art within each panel， but also Hempel's gift for layout -- between the characters' expressiveness and the page designs， he's able to wring a lot of emotion out of each scene。The story is a little bleh， and even somewhat questionable -- it's the succubus myth filtered through a pretty dull Secret Government Experiment backdrop， and while Wheatley probably deserves some credit for his honest attempt at writing a female protagonist， I wouldn't say he does a great job at it。 And while the creative team did some extra work on the ending for this edition （according to Neil Gaiman's uncharacteristically grumpy introduction）， the story still fails to stick the landing in a really meaningful way。 I do think it's a book that's worth reading because， even in its subpar moments， it's a clear reminder that books like this just don't exist anymore。 Even though we have more creator-controlled comics than ever before， I sort of feel like the beats of mainstream storytelling are so deeply entrenched in our collective psyches， and we're all so goddamn postmodern that today's most "extreme， out-there" comics still seem sort of watered-down and pat。 It sometimes feels like we've lost the ability to get outside of our heads enough to make work as uninhibited as this unless the lack of inhibition itself is some sort of gesture -- a frustrating closed loop。 Breathtaker isn't mindblowing， but elements of it are sublime and， as a whole， it just sort of is what it is， and that's something we may have lost。 。。。more

Paul B ，

I liked this series， especially because they started with the wild premise of a woman who had to have sex or die and the dumb superhero sent to catch her， （ she also gradually sucked the life outof the men she slept with ） which you would expect to have a campy plot， but then the story is moreserious 。 The woman doesn't intend to do harm and the superhero THE MAN is just trying to get bywhile working for the government I liked this series， especially because they started with the wild premise of a woman who had to have sex or die and the dumb superhero sent to catch her， （ she also gradually sucked the life outof the men she slept with ） which you would expect to have a campy plot， but then the story is moreserious 。 The woman doesn't intend to do harm and the superhero THE MAN is just trying to get bywhile working for the government 。。。more

Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay ，

The art in another book reminded me of this one I read a while back。 The vampire/succubus plot was mediocre and the themes were old and cliché， but the art， heavily Klimtian at times and at others like the work of his fellow Austrian Schiele， was all kinds of amazing。 Came with a pretty good intro to the history of the work as well， which was a nice touch！

Henry ，

Quite a lengthy graphic novel， the "Breathtaker" is the child of a genetically modified human experiment， who develops in adulthood the qualities of a Succubus， the same as her mother。 Pumping out enough pheromones to drive adults and animals wild， she inevitably ages to the point of death those she has a physical contact with。 It is implied that this was an unexpected side effect， and meant she became hunted by the government that created her， as opposed to presumably used as the ultimate honey Quite a lengthy graphic novel， the "Breathtaker" is the child of a genetically modified human experiment， who develops in adulthood the qualities of a Succubus， the same as her mother。 Pumping out enough pheromones to drive adults and animals wild， she inevitably ages to the point of death those she has a physical contact with。 It is implied that this was an unexpected side effect， and meant she became hunted by the government that created her， as opposed to presumably used as the ultimate honeytrap government agent。And therein lies the tale， a young lady fighting her desires but leaving death where she succumbs， being chased by both government agencies and those she has seduced， but left unrequited。 So yes， silly stuff which the author wants to take to deal with those most grandiose topics， as highlighted by each part starting with the words Money， Sex， God and Escape。 A little bit of hyperbolicized pretentions， as matched by the introduction。But it is highly enjoyable， full of characters you warm to， and some excellent humour。 I read with a big grin on my face almost all the way through， like a 12 year old。 The reason I read stuff like this。 And the art is even better， really great expressions to make you feel for all the characters， like a hyper realised cartoon。 Cannot quite describe it correctly， but great。 Recommended。 。。。more

Shlby ，

moralizing the succubus。。。 -_-meh， not anything jarring/unsurprising/unique/

Paul ，

Breathtaker is a comic book four-part limited series published by DC Comics， with a collected edition published in 1994 under the Vertigo imprint。 It was written by Mark Wheatley and drawn by Marc Hempel。Graphic novel about a Succubus who inevitably kills anyone and anything that she loves。 It’s a beautifully dark and highly erotic satire， with a clever introduction by Neil Gaiman。 Chase Arrow is someone who all men and women and animals will fall in love with。 In doing so， they find that they l Breathtaker is a comic book four-part limited series published by DC Comics， with a collected edition published in 1994 under the Vertigo imprint。 It was written by Mark Wheatley and drawn by Marc Hempel。Graphic novel about a Succubus who inevitably kills anyone and anything that she loves。 It’s a beautifully dark and highly erotic satire， with a clever introduction by Neil Gaiman。 Chase Arrow is someone who all men and women and animals will fall in love with。 In doing so， they find that they lose their looks， they age prematurely， and they die。 Chase doesn’t want to kill anyone。 She wanders through the book with a naïve charm and a desire to have a sustainable relationship that is rendered impossible。 The story would be dark and despairing if not for the inclusion of the most egotistical and ultimately doomed superhero in the history of comics。 The Man， （as he is called） is a Superman like hero of near unlimited god-like power。 He seems to have no weaknesses。 He is also vain and pompous and very proud of his own macho nature and his libido。 When Chase is discovered to be at large， he naturally sets himself to the task of capturing and satisfying her。 Their relationship gradually melts his confidence， as his hair and teeth fallout， bathe remains convinced that he can satisfy her and ultimately win the day to the end。Due to government experiments， the beautiful girl Chase Darrow is addicted to finding true love。 She is incredibly dynamic， with all sorts of men falling for her。 The problem is， loving her means death。 Her lovers literally age and die， though happy and blissful。 Chase is traumatized by this but it is hard to fight her addiction。Chase comes to the attention of the world's first actual super-human， called "The Man"。 He is crass and self-absorbed， a polar opposite of Chase's core personality。Here， the superman figure is reduced to how others see him at heart。 The Clark Kent persona， of weak， mortal and fragile is forced through。 The book therefore makes a startling revelation about what underlies the hero; the total impotency of the man who dreams of being the supreme athlete， lover， Man。 Breathtaker strips him bare in more ways than one。 The book works all the better for having some of the finest artwork in any graphic novel， especially in its sensitive treatment of nudity。 There is even a poignant moment when a Stag in a forest approaches the Breath-Taker and dies as she strokes it。 This is a wonderful book。 Faced with the Breath-taker， I think I’d be willing to take my chances， though I know my fate would be just the same as that of The Man， or indeed any man， woman or beast。 The hardcover collects the four issue series， Breathtaker。 So although the trade is published by Vertigo， the series was made before the imprint existed and as such simply wears the DC Comics labelNote to self: I have the original 4 issue prestige mini-series。I do not have the hardcover。 。。。more

Aaron Hunter ，

An extremely early Vertigo release which has gone largely unnoticed， Breathtaker is a frantic tale of death and desire， what we deal and are dealt， inscribed upon a veneer of criticism upon the corpse of the superhero。 Two decades after publication， this criticism may have lost any of the bite it once possessed in the face of plentiful predatory stories along the same lines， but the work still comports itself well enough。 It gives as much as it takes， which is， after all， a core ideal to the pie An extremely early Vertigo release which has gone largely unnoticed， Breathtaker is a frantic tale of death and desire， what we deal and are dealt， inscribed upon a veneer of criticism upon the corpse of the superhero。 Two decades after publication， this criticism may have lost any of the bite it once possessed in the face of plentiful predatory stories along the same lines， but the work still comports itself well enough。 It gives as much as it takes， which is， after all， a core ideal to the piece。 。。。more

Jim ，

Not bad from a story perspective， but very sparse。 The artwork is well done though。

D。M。 ，

Wheatley and Hempel are always good for an entertaining read with stunning art。 This time out's no different。 Though the story's a little thin， it manages to deftly weave together a classic tale of obsession with a government-conspiracy comic-book plot verging on mythology。 And it's beautiful to look at。 Wheatley and Hempel are always good for an entertaining read with stunning art。 This time out's no different。 Though the story's a little thin， it manages to deftly weave together a classic tale of obsession with a government-conspiracy comic-book plot verging on mythology。 And it's beautiful to look at。 。。。more

Erin Cataldi ，

I didn't hate this book， but I didn't love it either。 For a graphic novel， it is merely so so。The story follows a young woman， Chase， who has a condition that sucks the life out of the men that love her。 She doesn't mean to but she leaves a trail of bodies in her wake。 She needs love in order to survive， but the longer she stays with a man the more they age until she has sucked every last bit of life out of them。 Chase goes on the run when her boyfriend of nearly a year dies （because of her love I didn't hate this book， but I didn't love it either。 For a graphic novel， it is merely so so。The story follows a young woman， Chase， who has a condition that sucks the life out of the men that love her。 She doesn't mean to but she leaves a trail of bodies in her wake。 She needs love in order to survive， but the longer she stays with a man the more they age until she has sucked every last bit of life out of them。 Chase goes on the run when her boyfriend of nearly a year dies （because of her love） and the authorities think that she was responsible for it （yes）。 The Man， a real life super hero who is more like Chase than either of them could imagine， starts to track her down， what will happen when the authorities catch up with her？ Like I said so so， but some of the graphics were really amazing。 Which is probably the only reason I'm hanging onto this and not selling it back to Half Price Books where I bought it。 。。。more

Countdowntoblastoff ，

Darkly humorous graphic novella about a reluctant succubus originally printed as a four-part limited series。 Much of the fun is provided by Marc Hempel's expressively cartooned artwork--no stiff and over-muscled comic book heroes here。 A too-abrupt ending can be forgiven because of the space constraints of commercial comicdom。 Darkly humorous graphic novella about a reluctant succubus originally printed as a four-part limited series。 Much of the fun is provided by Marc Hempel's expressively cartooned artwork--no stiff and over-muscled comic book heroes here。 A too-abrupt ending can be forgiven because of the space constraints of commercial comicdom。 。。。more

Sophie ，

I bought this one after reading a really passionate review about it。 I have no regrets， this was a great read - maybe not the world-changing kind the reviewer made it out to be， but it was good。The reviewer insisted that it would be wrong to say too much regarding the plot， and I agree。 I suppose one can say it's about a woman called Chase， who is hunted by The Man。 Why she is being hunted you have to find out for yourself。 "Breathtaker"is very well plotted and structured， something I love， and I bought this one after reading a really passionate review about it。 I have no regrets， this was a great read - maybe not the world-changing kind the reviewer made it out to be， but it was good。The reviewer insisted that it would be wrong to say too much regarding the plot， and I agree。 I suppose one can say it's about a woman called Chase， who is hunted by The Man。 Why she is being hunted you have to find out for yourself。 "Breathtaker"is very well plotted and structured， something I love， and I also liked its overall message regarding love and passion and sex。 The artwork was fantastic - I know Marc Hempel's work from Sandman， and while it took me untit I saw the Absolute edition of Sandman to like his style， it works very well here。 The coloring is mighty fine as well。So yes， a very satisfying read。 Recommended， if you want to try something a little different。 。。。more

The_Mad_Swede ，

I picked this up quite a while back， having missed its original publication back in the '90s。 It had caught my eye at that time already though， what with Marc Hempel （who together with Mark Wheatley is responsible for the volume at hand） having done a number of issues of The Sandman， which I thought （and still think） showcase his talents in a good way。Breathtaker is an interesting， obvious deconstruction of the superhero genre and although not originally a Vertigo title clearly fitting its "new" I picked this up quite a while back， having missed its original publication back in the '90s。 It had caught my eye at that time already though， what with Marc Hempel （who together with Mark Wheatley is responsible for the volume at hand） having done a number of issues of The Sandman， which I thought （and still think） showcase his talents in a good way。Breathtaker is an interesting， obvious deconstruction of the superhero genre and although not originally a Vertigo title clearly fitting its "new" home under that banner very nicely。 This is not a genre deconstruction along the lines of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns or Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons' Watchmen， but rather along the lines of Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean's Black Orchid， Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol or Animal Man， or Pete Milligan's Shade the Changing Man; i。e。 it moves further beyond the genre of superheroes than the two first mentioned and into a somewhat less definable territory （well， Vertigo would be a working definition）。It is the story of Chase Darrow， a woman who is cursed with power of getting men to love her to death， quite literally; and also the story of The Man， superhero agent extraordinary。 Both stories interwoven and slowly revealed to the reader。It is a good read。 Perhaps not quite as awesome as Neil Gaiman's foreword wants to claim， in my humble opinion， but definitely a very good read nevertheless。For some reason that I cannot strictly speaking pinpoint （I'm not sure if it's something in the art， a tone in the storytelling or something completely different）， I am reminded of Gordon Remmie & Martin Emond's White Trash （another comic I'd recommend， though not to the squeamish）。 At the same time I find this a rather weird and awkward comparison， because these two comics are really two different species of stories。 White Trash is a humoristic， ultra-violent extravaganza that would probably appeal to fans of classic Lobo stories like Lobo: The Last Czarnian， Paramilitary Christmas and Lobo's Back， none of which need appeal to someone who'd appreciate Breathtaker。 And yet there is something in the latter that makes me think of White Trash。 Go figure。At any rate， it is an interesting and good story。 Don't avoid it。 Pick it up， if you get a chance。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Breathtaker Collection

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Breathtaker Collection&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Breathtaker Collection&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0