The Marquis: Danse Macabre (2024)

The main attraction for me was the exquisite detailed art of Guy Davis, worth multiple viewings in order to appreciate fully. However, the story is well done although it seems to be a bit repetitive across the five issues that comprised this mini-series. (I read this in the original single issue comics).
I'm reminded bit of SPAWN, especially the main character who doesn't realize who he's really working for- - although once learning this it does not seem to deter him. MARQUIS is about faith and how it can sometimes cause a practitioner to become more like those he opposes.

I've been a fan of Guy Davis since the first appearance of Baker Street way back when, and am always interested to see what he produces, especially on his own. This is the first of three volumes of The Marquis, but the only one I've read or own. There's a reason for that.
There's an interesting story here, but Davis should have stuck to his original impulse to make it a shorter one. As it's turned out, though his art is possibly at it's best, the writing is so painfully overdone, and scenes so repetitive, that Danse Macabre proves a job to read. The story and the dialogue are fairly humourless, perhaps as should be. Characterisations, in spite of Davis' best efforts, run toward the thin and predictable.
The strength of this book really rests in the world Davis constructed, the way he's depicted it, and the fantastic creatures he's created...and his masterful use of Zip-a-tone is a force to be reckoned with. All of it is reminiscent of 90s Heavy Metal magazine storytelling, with all that goes with it.
This edition offers a new Prelude chapter introducing le Misere (a character who appears late in the story), as well as the originally published Prelude (which didn't feature him at all), some sketch pages, an introduction by Steven Seagle, an afterword from Guy Davis and some pages from his original conception of the first issue. (And all without a single mention of the debt he owes Amadeus.) Strangely, though the original-issue covers by Mike Mignola, Charles Vess, Teddy Kristiansen and Kelley Jones are mentioned, they're not to be found here. Pity, too, as they're among my favourite artists.
Any Guy Davis fan should have this, and I'm a little embarrassed to not own the other two books. Outside of that, fans of the kind of bizarre pseudo-Lovecraftian bestiary seen in books like Hellboy might find the monsters here fun, but I can't see it being much for anyone else.

Confession time: I am a late convert to Guy Davis's artwork. For those of you who're already converted, there's probably not much I need to say about his solo project The Marquis. It's frequently inspired--especially the creatures--and it's a pretty perfect showcase for his talents. I found the story itself to lag in places, but the setting and tone and, yes, again, the creatures are all more or less pitch perfect.

There are a couple more volumes of this, which I'll be eager to check out.

Very nice art, but I must admit I found the story sluggish. It means well, but it takes a long time getting there.

Idk how I feel about this. It was long and slow and complicated while also at the same time having too fast a pace.
It's incredibly unbalanced.
pages upon pages are dedicated to long, pretentious conversations and monologues on the nature of faith and morality and every one of these ends it's like the book is itching to start another one. There's something like 4 total inquisitions in this book about an inquisitor and the ending of chapter 1 is basically the same as chapter 5 but with like more context and a character shift.
But at the same time I kind of respect all of those things. I definitely respect the beautiful art (expect that all the faces look the same)
I really don't know. I'll read more of this engimatic series and see what I think by the end

Guy Davis is one of the unsung heroes of modern comics. He's what I might call a cartoonist's cartoonist. People in the trade know how good he is, but he should be one of the leading lights; a STAR.

Many comics fans know his work as the illustrator of B.P.R.D., the spin-off of Mike Mignola's Hellboy (not to mention countless other gigs), but not as many know what a fine writer he is as well. The Marquis, Davis's theologically embattled protagonist, anchors this series, which has surprising gravitas for a book with so many wigged out monsters (and no one draws demons and critters as wigged out as Davis's; they're brilliant). Part treatise on faith, part action/adventure, part historical costume drama, The Marquis is 100% entertainment. Smart, beautifully crafted and essential to any decent comics library.

My "how to create graphic novesl" teacher gave me this edition and told me I´d like it. He was right. The Marquis tells a story revolving around faith, duty, the devil and a religious dictatorship. The artwork is outstanding. Shades of grey, rough inks and a sketchy feeling to the whole book match the atmosphere of an imagined 18th century france perfectly. I am really looking forward to a new edition called "Inferno" that includes the second part "Intermezzo" - and the following titles in the series that will come out in the near future. Dark Horse seems to be the new home of "de marquis". confess!

Guy Davis's character-owned series, The Marquis is a remarkable rarity: a horror comic that is genuinely frightening. Davis has a vaunted talent for designing monsters, but he's also a cunning storyteller. His Marquis stories play wonderfully both as individual adventures and as the ongoing, twisted tale of a wicked paladin in a sinful world. There's an incredible blend of atmosphere and action in these books.

Great graphic novel set in an 18th century Paris-inspired city where a ruling theocracy has fallen into decadence and depravity. One man becomes the cleansing tool of Hell to return the escaped souls of the Damned that have latched themselves onto the souls of the living like demonic parasites.
The world of masks, the seen and unseen, and agonies of doubt make this book similar to the Milos Foreman film Amadeus. Private weakness and public stature make a volatile combination.

I liked the story as an introduction and I love Guy Davis' art. Andrea mentioned while flipping through it that it like kind of busy, or something along those lines. I remember thinking while reading BPRD that if it wasn't for the color it would have been a mess but now I'm not so sure. Instead of colors there's a bunch of grey "zipatone" patterns which looks kind of overwhelming when you glance over it but is really immersive while reading.

This is a horribly beautiful book giving a modern touch to classical superstition and religious shame. The art is somehow dirty yet clean at the same time and one is easily immersed into such a strange yet familiar world. This book made me care about the Baroque era, too!

It's a must read for anyone into Mignola-esque retro horror comics or fans of religious barbarism.

Absolutely my favorite graphic novel of all time. This is my "Watchmen," which I thought was good, but for my money doesn't hold a candle to Guy Davis' creation. I don't think a more disturbing vision of Hell exists.

nice alternate historical setting. verbose, but not a hindrance. two thumbs up for art-twist in last chapter.

I love the marquis books, they are fantastic. Is he a madman, fighting demons only he can see, or is he a lone hunter, fighting down evil?