Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: David Lapham
Artist: Mike Huddleston
Colourist: Dan Jackson
Release date: May 13, 2015
Price: $3.99

At a time when zombie entertainment is putting the stake in vampire fiction (and yes, I do know what I did there), The Strain series injects some new life into an increasingly overworked genre. Drawing from far-flung sources such as Bram Stoker, Ramsey Campbell and Stephen King (double dipping from The Stand and Salem’s Lot), The Strain creates a hypnotizing mythology on a grand scale. Mind you, if you’re new to the series starting here might run the risk of some confusion. But if you are one of those people who get a kick out of reading comic books out of order, this is no problem.

There are no easy victories for the combatants, and often no victories at all. The heroes struggle to defeat the Master and his hordes minions (not the yellow ones), who now rule a post-apocalyptic world.

The remaining humans, who don’t seem to like each other very much, together with their ally vampire-commando Quinlan, find their mission complicated by betrayals and unruly humans. There is very little uniting to defeat the common foe here.

Writer Lapham has a lot of threads to connect and a lot of characters to play with, but keeps the action moving like a bat out of hell or a zombie out of Night of the Living Dead. And Lapham also brings a rarity to the ensemble cast, every individual character benefits from a distinct and individual personality.

Huddleston’s stylized art has bite; it’s dynamic and shadowy, broad brushstrokes permeate every panel. Huddleston knows how to make action sequences take flight. Colorist Jackson renders everything dark, adding to the mood, even if the details suffer slightly.

Remaining vampire fans out there should sink their teeth into this series and bite off all they can chew.

Reviewer: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker