The Vault – TrueBlood-Online.com

The first in the series of True Blood Comic Books is scheduled to be released right before the San Diego Comic Con event and should satisfy your cravings in between watching the show and reading the Sookie Stackhouse novels.

MTV has seen a copy and written a review which you can read below below:

Released through IDW Publishing, the first issue of the “True Blood” comic book series arrives in stores later this month, courtesy of a story from Ball and television series writers Kate Barnow and Elisabeth Finch. The issue itself was written by the team of Mariah Huehner and David Tischman with art from David Messina.

Want to know whether or not the first issue is worth sinking your fangs into? All you need to do is hit past the jump for our advanced review of “True Blood” #1!

THE GOOD: There’s a lot to like about the first issue of the new “True Blood” comic book series, with its action-packed and mysterious story right at the top of that list. For all of its compelling qualities, the televised version of “True Blood” doesn’t always excel when it comes to action sequences, largely due to budgetary constraints. In the comic book format, however, budget isn’t a concern. As a result, “True Blood” #1 dives head first into the thick of the action by introducing a brand new creature to the world of Bon Temps — a tentacled humanoid menace calling himself Ted. A fascinating character with an as-yet-unknown grudge against our favorite Merlotte’s regulars, Ted is the focal point of the issue, violently lashing out with his delightfully disturbing appendages, expertly drawn by David Mussina. I’ll certainly be tuning into issue two to find out more about Ted.

But Ted isn’t the only character worth looking forward to. Many of your favorite “True Blood” characters are on hand as well, from the obligatory Sookie and Bill to Jason Stackhouse and Lafayette. They stay true to their characters, even if their foul language is downplayed significantly. For fans of the show, it’s a lot of fun to see these guys on the paneled page.

THE BAD: That said, the lack of profanity in “True Blood” #1 is definitely noticeable. The HBO series is well known for its risque subject matter — heck, that’s what draws viewers in on a weekly basis, for better or for worse — so the absence of Lafayette’s creative curse words and Jason’s dimwitted oneliners are very much missed.

Additionally, the issue’s pacing needs some work. Without spoiling too much, the entirety of “True Blood” #1 takes place in or around Merlotte’s. You don’t notice it right away thanks to Ted’s pulse-pounding and relentless onslaught, but given the wealth of areas to explore in the surrounding world of Bon Temps, the issue might have benefitted from expanding its reach to Bill’s house, Fangtasia and other locations, if only briefly.

FINAL WORD: Not necessarily the easiest read if you’re not already familiar with the world and characters, “True Blood” #1 is nonetheless an enjoyable time for fans who are already immersed in the compelling and often strange world of Bon Temps. The characters pop off the page and the action is top notch, even if the bad language is gone and the pacing is a bit off. Those flaws shouldn’t deter “True Blood” fans from wanting to bite into the next issue of the series, if only to learn more about the mysterious Ted. He’s definitely a character that would be great to see on “True Blood,” even though budgetary constraints make that close to impossible.

“True Blood” #1 hits shelves July 21.

source: MTV

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In Episode 2 of True Blood’s Season 3, as Bill arrives as a guest at the King of Mississippi’s house, Talbot shows him upstairs to the guest room and tells him that it has just been redecorated.

Talbot goes on to say, “Wait until you see the bed. Bill, it’s marvelous. It once belonged to Countess Elisabeth Bathory, Hungary’s legendary serial killer. Rumor has it that she loved to torture virgins and bathe in their blood.”

Billsbabe Zuzana thought it might be interesting to do some research on the Countess to see just who she was and to learn if Talbot’s statements were true. It’s quite an interesting story as described below.

Who was this woman and what significance does she share with True Blood and Talbot or Bill?

What they have in common is that, she could have been a vampire herself and is related to the one who is called the vampire, Count Vlad; a model for the character of Dracula who was born more than 100 years earlier than Elizabeth.

According to legend, Elisabeth would kill a lot of young girls. Torture them and drink their blood and bathe in their blood. She did all this in order to preserve her youth and her white face. As a result, Elisabeth was called “The white woman from Cachtice .”

Who was Elisabeth?
Elisabeth Bathory was born in 1560 in the current eastern Slovakia to a wealthy, aristocratic family.  She was very intelligent and well educated. She could speak and write both German and Hungarian. In addition, she could read in Latin and Greek.

As a 12 year old, she was engaged to Frantisek Nadasdy and in order to prepare for their marriage, moved in with his family in Cachtice for the purpose of learning their manners and customs. In Cachtice her mother in law, took care of her and Elisabeth didn’t like her for it and developed a hatred for her for her whole life.

As a 15 year-old she married 21 year old Frantisek Nadasdy, a soldier, and her life consisted of trips, celebrations and long periods of isolation, when Frantisek was out of town and fighting in the war against the Turks.

During their many years of marriage, Elisabeth gave birth to five children. Of these five children, only two girls and a boy lived to adulthood. She is described here as a very good and kind mother.

Her husband died in the war against the Turks at the beginning of the 1604 and in the same year, her mother in law dies. Then, her daughters marry; leave home, and her son Paul begins to study in Bratislava. This means that Elisabeth is alone with the burden of a huge property in current Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Romania.

According to legend, somewhere around this time is when she began her wild life.

Several people complained about the strange things occurring at the castle to the Emperor Matthew II who ordered the high official Thurzo to investigate.

One night, Thurzo came unexpectedly to the castle and there, he discovered things that were hard to believe. In a letter to his wife, the December 30, 1610 he writes: “When we came to the castle we found a dying servant and one who had died of various kinds of torture.” He wrote on to say that he also found a wounded woman and several other women tied up who were waiting for their turn.

In addition to this letter, there were about 300 different documented testimonies of various abuses and there were witnesses who said that Elisabeth Bathory’s abuses continued not only in Slovakia but also in Austria, Hungary and Romania for a long time.

In 1610, the investigation began. Approximately 300 people testified, but not Elisabeth Bathory herself or any surviving victims. According to the witnesses, girls were beaten with burning candles and hot irons. They were even stabbed with sharp needles and there were reports that someone poured water on naked girls and put them out in the cold winter so that they would freeze. Not all girls died.

Elisabeth’s three-servant accomplices were sentenced to death in separate trials. Their testimony was extracted under torture. They stated that Elizabeth killed about 30-60 people and it’s also been reported that there may have been as many as 600.

Elisabeth was imprisoned in her castle until her pending trial. For various reasons, she was never convicted of the crimes that would have earned her the death sentence. Even so, to keep someone of her high nobility under house arrest, without a trial, at that time, was something unheard of.

“Bloodbath “the most detested of her crimes, that she has become famous for, has never been documented or mentioned in testimonies. The author of this fiction is Ladislav Turóci, who published it in 1729, over 100 years after her death.

Why wasn’t she convicted?

The most probable explanation is that Thurzo, who was also of aristocratic birth, and was in charge of the trial, would not convict a fellow member of the aristocracy. Thurzo was also a very close friend of Elisabeth’s deceased husband, Frantisek and after his death he was responsible for the care of the family.

Had Elizabeth not bequeathed her property to her children, on conviction, all property belonged to Thurzo as representative of the emperor Matthew II. Therefore, some authors argued that Thurzo wanted Elisabeth’s property and when it became apparent that she had already bequeathed her assets to her three children, he had no reason to push the process forward with trial.

But even others contest this data and claim that it was Thurzo who gave advice to Elizabeth that as soon as possible she should bequeath all her property to her children. This was also supported by the message that is filed, that says Elisabeth´s children thanked Thurzo for the kindness he has shown them and their mother.

So who was she and what is true or not true?

Was Elisabeth a sick woman who committed bestial atrocities, or was she a lesbian and sexually liberal woman with a taste for sadistic sex which not always ended well?

There are different opinions on whether she had really done all that she was accused of.  Many think she did, but there are also those who claim that she was a victim of speculation and conspiracy from those whose purpose was to deprive her of her properties. More and more historians are beginning to support this hypothesis.

It is impossible to say today what a legend is and what a truth is since, unfortunately there is little documented from the trial and many of the testimonies that were gathered were done so under torture, or gathered through the second and third hand. This was a much different time and we must remember that people still believed in witches and many women were killed due to false accusations.

At any rate, she never came to trial although the rumors persisted. Elisabeth died at home on August 21, 1614. It is unknown where she is buried.

Four hundred years have elapsed and children in school still learn about this evil “white woman from Cachtice”. Many still walk to the ruins of her castle and have a picnic in the beautiful green surroundings but we still do not know much about this enigmatic woman. The ruins of her castle remains in Cachtice in Slovakia which is a small beautiful country located in the heart of Europe.

One thing is clear. Legends of her life and death are a good subject for many writers and directors, such as the writer’s of True Blood. The unknown and the horror is always attractive.

Zuzanna adds a PS for Bill: Bill, darling, can you ask Talbot about a different guest room? This bed seems to give you terrible nightmares. Please, honey ?????

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Becca Wilcott the author of Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion, a 263-paged book compiling biographies, interviews with the cast and in-depth analyses of Alan Ball’s latest cult hit is now, after 8 months of slaving until 4 a.m. working on the book, is ready to stretch her meta-analysis skills again in weekly True Blood recaps for The Ampersand.

In the interview below, the Toronto-based writer gave The Ampersand an interview where she discussed the show that has garnered millions of fans and fang-bangers, True Blood.

Q: What initially drew you to True Blood?

A: It truly started with Alan Ball and Six Feet Under. I remember the closing five minutes of Six Feet Under. I think it just wrecked every television viewing experience…because it was just this brilliant departure and goodbye to this big ensemble cast. That’s the sort of stuff I love.

Q: Were you a fan of the original books?

A: I didn’t know anything about Charlaine Harris. I had no idea that there was this little telepathic character out there featured in this massive best-selling series.

Q: What elements of True Blood captured your interest?

A: When I saw the first episode…I was just awestruck because it was dirty, nasty and I loved the idea of vampires mainstreaming. It dealt with real life politics of race, gender, and sexuality but then it was also this silly and funny thing.

Q: Was there a scene from the show that really sold you on the series?

A: It was probably when we met [Sookie’s grandma] for the first time with Sookie in the Kitchen. You know, there’s just a lot of love and hate evidenced in the series and I felt that there was a place for me in this show. We all want that [grandma] who will give us permission to be ourselves and to grow up to be whoever we want to be.

Q: What are you looking forward to the most with the third season?

A: I’m kind of curious to see where people’s hairs are going to go. I know it’s kind of stupid but if you’ve seen any of the previews you wonder, ‘what are they doing with Eric’s hair?’ It went from this sort of greaser to a Rock Hudson side-part.

Obviously, I want to see what happens to Sookie and Eric. I personally really like the on-screen chemistry of Anna Paquin and Alexander Skarsgard. I’ve read far enough ahead to know the inevitability of their storylines as it pertains to the books but we’ve also heard Alan Ball say that if we think we know what’s happening, we may not necessarily know in terms of the television series.

Q: What do you hope the third season will accomplish that the others didn’t?

A: I don’t think [race] has been dealt with…The [show] is far more open with issues of sexuality which is fantastic but personally, I really hope they start to make race more visible in the series … I would like to see [Alan Ball] delve a little deeper in there.

Q: What can we expect from your weekly recaps?

A: My hope is that the recaps will be something that someone who has never seen the show will get an idea of what’s going on. Ultimately, the vibe is going to be as if we’re sitting side-by-side on the couch maybe kicking back with a glass of wine and going, “oh my god, I can’t believe they went there.”

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Billsbabe Lou, has read the book True Blood and Philosophy and below she shares her opinions about this interesting new look at the vampire series.

Have you ever dreamed of majoring in Merlotte’s? Studying the supernatural? Cramming  with (Bill) Compton, or educating with Eric (Northman)? Are you a valedictorian in vampology just waiting to happen?  Well, have no fear because True Blood and Philosophy: We Wanna Think Bad Things with You is here to take you to the head of the class!

I had the pleasure of reading this collection of essays recently, and I have to say it was quite an intriguing premise. I have seen countless discussions on message boards and blogs regarding some of these very subjects, but to have them gathered in one book made the experience just a bit more special. There was an impersonality at times to some of the articles that I thought could have been aided by more than just factual knowledge of the show, but that’s a small grievance at most.

As a business major who never made it past Intro to Philosophy in college, I thought that a book like this might talk down to the reader, but it was surprisingly accessible from the very first pages.  Sure, there are quotes from Aristotle and Plato, John Locke (no, not the character from “Lost” – I checked) and Sigmund Freud. Even the Bible is quoted on occasion, or maybe that was the Constitution.  I’ll have to check with Jason Stackhouse for clarification and get back to you.

True Blood and Philosophy definitely focuses on the vampires of the HBO show True Blood and the Southern Vampire Mystery books upon which the television program is based.  While all of the main characters are touched upon at one time or another, it’s the vampire’s origins, morality/ethics (or complete lack thereof), and general comportment that take up a vast number of the essays included.  As a certified fangbanger, I can tell you this is not a bad thing.

Among other vampire-centric pieces, I particularly enjoyed “’Honey, If We Can’t Kill People What’s the Point of Being a Vampire?’: Can Vampires Be Good Citizens?”  by William M. Curtis.  Not only is the title an awesome homage to the dearly departed Malcolm, it’s an interesting thesis on whether vampires can actually live among humans in a productive way. I’ve seen plenty of arguments for or against this simply based on human/vamp physiology and where we all fall on the food chain. However, this article goes deeper and looks at how the intensely hierarchical vampire society itself may be the thing keeping most vampires from realizing that maybe humans aren’t just blood-bags after all.

But never fear, for those who prefer the living and breathing humans/supes that reside around Bon Temps, you won’t be left hanging. The vampires get the bulk of the attention in this book, but Sookie Stackhouse and her feminist qualities are also examined, as are our favorite shifters and those black-eyed orgy participants.

But for this fangbanger, it all comes back to the vamps.  In my opinion, if your blood runs hot for the cool-bodied and cold-blooded among us, you won’t be disappointed in this book. Not only will you have a thought-provoking read, but the helpful footnotes at the end of each chapter referring you to specific episodes and page numbers, as well as other referenced works, are a great resource and such a scholarly touch.

Written by Lou

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Book review: “A Taste of True Blood: The Fangbanger’s Guide” written by Icanseerussia

Being a True Blood fan from the very first episode, I was intrigued to read a book over the week-end, “A Taste Of True Blood“.

I wasn’t real sure what to expect, but what I got were 18 essays from all different aspects of the True Blood series. It dissected everything from Jason’s penis to comparing Sookie to Jimmy Stewart.

The essays were written from a hodgepodge of writers – a married couple, a current psychotherapist, former social worker, former stand-up comic and someone who has a deep understanding of Southern traditions and racial bigotry. One writer had an apparent extensive religious Christian background. How these people got to their new job of writing/editing/reviewing would be a book in and of itself.

I never knew what to expect from essay to essay as it followed no rhyme or reason. It took the main characters and from the writers perspective gave an intellectual opinion of what drove these characters in the Alan Ball series.

Interestingly, the longest essay was about the shortest subject – the opening montage and what each picture/clip meant in relation to the series. I’m not sure Alan Ball would agree with some of the writers opinions, but there were a few writers who certainly were Alan Ball fans (as are we here at the Vault in his huge world of True Blood).

In “Sookeh Be-Ill“, clearly written by a “Team Eric” writer who had no qualms about voicing her dislike for where Alan took Bill as a character in season 2, got me riled up and I like Eric almost as much as Bill.

She said in her bio that she blogs about motherhood. I’m glad she has another job. She had such dislike for Bill, and Bill and Sookie together, I’m surprised she would even watch Sunday night HBO. I would agree that it would have been more interesting to keep Bill a little on the more darker tortured side than the human one, but she said “impotent” a few too many times for me.

I enjoyed the discussion on Merlottes and how this bar was the driving force behind all of the characters and the main home base for everything True Blood.

In one essay, I was reminded that Mary Ann from Gilligans Island had been arrested for smoking pot!

Vera Nazarian was very funny and entertaining on explaining how Bill had evolved into a kinder gentler vampire and comparing Godric to a “Vampire Ghandi”. This essay was the defining moment in the book for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed her sense of humor.

In “True Stud“, Kirsty Walker clearly had Jason’s psyche and behavior nailed down to the “absent father figure” and how it tied into his indiscriminate sexual behavior. Why, I almost wanted to cuddle Jason after reading how his early life led him to his wild sex-capades and all the way to the Fellowship of The Sun debacle. Her bio was as interesting as Jason’s. I bet it would be fun to hang out with her!

There were some difficulties I had reading about all the colors used and their meanings in “Night is the Color of Blood“, for example, the discussion of colors that Sookie wore throughout season one and the meanings behind them.

And finally, I did not particularly like reading about Victorian Vampires and their evolution into what we have now in True Blood.
And in the end, I felt that I did not come away with anything that would have made me buy the book, should someone have told me what it was about. If you have experienced this series as I have and seen the evolution of The Vault and what we have here with all the fans and our camaraderie, we have already been there and have been having a taste of True Blood for 3 years now.

Everything has already been as cut up and soufflé as was Daphne’s heart. Also, I would have hoped for more humor in its descriptions. But, I have to say that I very much enjoyed the banter between husband and wife in “Count Dracula to Merlottes“. I know this couple has some real fun on Sunday nights as do we all!

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Author of the must-have unofficial True Blood companion, Becca Wilcott was interviewed by Books on TV.

What can readers can expect from the book Truly Madly Deadly? There are the requisite actor bios and episode guides. The guides themselves aren’t synopses, so much as one long thread that ties two seasons of storytelling together. They showcase the key themes along with my own take of their effectiveness. But the reader can also expect highlights, Did You Know tidbits, as well as my vote for the creepiest moments in each show, and relationship advice for all the characters who seem to be fumbling through their love and family lives with stupendously horrific results. There’s also two exclusive interviews with two of my favorite actors from the show, Kristin Bauer (Pam Ravenscroft) and Patricia Bethune (Jane Bodehouse.)

There are also a few unique bits in the book: correspondence between me and Kevin Jackson, the author of Bite: A Vampire Handbook (because I couldn’t stop at just one email, he’s that intriguing); an interview with screenwriter Karen Walton (Ginger Snaps) on monsters as metaphor; a ton of vampire lore and how the vampire has come of age in books, film, and television; and two chapters that I’m particularly proud of, one of the LGBT themes in True Blood, and a focus on some of the bloggers who keep the undead discussion very much alive, even when the show has shuttered itself back into the coffin between seasons. They’re absolute champs and worthy of space on a page for all immortality.

All told, the book speaks to a variety of people: fans of Alan Ball, fans of vampire lore, fans of popular culture and online fandom, and fans of alt lifestyles. And then there’s the international flavor that has blessed True Blood in a cast that’s blowing up around the world.

Read the complete article here.

If you live in the Toronto area you might want to check out the official launch of Truly Madly Deadly on June 1at Czehoski (upstairs mezzanine), 678 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON. From 7:00pm – 11:00pm.

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Truly Madly Deeply: The Unofficial True Blood Companion Book written by Becca Wilcott will have its launch party in Toronto on Tuesday, June 1, 2010. I was so lucky to receive a copy of this companion and although I haven’t read it entirely yet, I can tell you this book will make you see certain season 1 and 2 scenes in a different light. If you think that you understand all the dynamics of True Blood you will be surprised to find out that there are one of two things that you have missed. Besides bio pages for the main actors the companion offers in depth information about every episode of season 1 and 2 and highlights the fandom in particular the twitter role players and several fan sites including The Vault. Yes, I am one of the interviewees :)

Upon arrival at the book launch, all attendees will be provided with “Hello, my name is” tags. Write down a name other than your own. This will be your alter ego for the evening. Always wanted to be a Stella? A Stephan? Chuck or Blanche? Get creative! (Role play to follow.)

Other activities to include mixing and mingling. It’s just a good ol’ fashioned book party with a twist.

Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Time: 7:00pm – 11:00pm
Location: Czehoski (upstairs mezzanine)
Street: 678 Queen Street West
City/Town: Toronto, ON

Location info: http://www.czehoski.com
Visit Becca: http://www.beccawilcott.com
Follow Becca on Twitter: @BeccaWilcott

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Here’s a new book called True Blood and Philosophy: We Want to Think Bad Things with You which looks at the philosophical issues behind Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries and True Blood.

Teeming with complex, mythical characters in the shape of vampires, telepaths, shapeshifters, and the like, True Blood, the popular HBO series adapted from Charlaine Harris’s bestselling The Southern Vampire Mysteries, has a rich collection of themes to explore, from sex and romance to bigotry and violence to death and immortality. The goings-on in the mythical town of Bon Temps, Louisiana, where vampires satiate their blood lust and openly commingle with ordinary humans, present no shortages of juicy metaphysical morsels to sink your teeth into.

Now True Blood and Philosophy calls on the minds of some of history’s great thinkers to perform some philosophical bloodletting on such topics as Sookie and the metaphysics of mindreading; Maryann and sacrificial religion; werewolves, shapeshifters and personal identity; vampire politics, evil, desire, and much more.

True Blood and Philosophy provides food—or blood—for thought, and a fun, new way to look at the series.

source

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I’m proud to say that The Vault reported about this phenomenon way before NPR decided to discuss it, and we wrote about it here. But this past week on NPR’s, “All Things Considered”, Robert Siegel did a show entitled “For Love of Do-Good Vampires: A Bloody Book List”, which discusses how very different vampires are today, during this current craze, from the past.  Below are a few snippets from the transcript of that program and the audio file from their site. As you can see from the bits I’ve gathered here, they also highlight the books by Charlaine Harris in which True Blood is based.

Robert Siegel, the host says: “For decades Americans have been fascinated with vampires on TV, the big screen and in books. They’re enjoying a particular resurgence these days, thanks to the HBO series “True Blood” and the wildly popular “Twilight” books and movies. But look closely and you’ll notice that our vampires now are very different from, say, the vampires of the 1980s or even the 1990s. That’s because they reflect who we are as a culture and have changed with us over the years. So, what is it about the spirit of the times that’s making bloodsuckers so popular these days? NPR’s Margot Adler has read 75 vampire novels in the last seven months, and she was ready to take this one on.”

One of the books Margot Adler read was Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse, Dead Until Dark, book 1 of the series and here’s what she had to say about it.

5-13.The Sookie Stackhouse Novels

by Charlaine Harris

There are nine of these so far, starting with Dead Until Dark and ending with Dead and Gone, and more are coming. They take place in northern Louisiana; much of the action plays out in two bars, Merlotte’s and Fangtasia. The books are the basis for the HBO series True Blood. In this alternate world of today, the Japanese have developed a synthetic form of blood, and vampires can “come out of the coffin” and live among humans. Sookie Stackhouse is a mind-reading waitress who falls in love with Bill Compton, a vampire who was turned after the Civil War.

In the audio from this interview below you can hear how True Blood’s Bill Compton talks about his “humanity” and he discusses how different life is going to be for his new vampire daughter, Jessica as opposed to when he was turned. HBO’s True Blood turns in part on the character of Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), another morally upright vampire, who’s in a relationship with the human Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin). As in Vampire Diaries, Bill is constantly being pressured by his vampire brethren to embrace his gory appetite.

and read the entire transcript of this fascinating look at the whole vampire craze and why we are so fascinated by clicking here.

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Smart Pop Books wants you to help them shape the topics they choose for their books, as well as the books themselves that they are currently working on. Right now, they are working on an anthology on True Blood (to be released this June), and they wanted us to ask you, as devoted True Blood fans, to weigh in on the look of the cover. They have two potential covers  (designed by the lovely and talented people at Faceout Studio), shown below.

Which one would you pick?

To indicate your choice, go to there site, by clicking here. Hurry, the voting will only be online until Monday, February 1.

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