Whenever Stephen King does, well, anything - it gets mainstream press and fans get excited. The announcement of American Vampire was no different. When Vertigo announced this series back in October of last year, the buzz was unstoppable. Combined with the fact that vampires are "in" right now, Vertigo + Stephen King + vampires was an equation that seemed to equal instant success.
And fortunately, with issue #1, it lives up to the hysteria. However, it's rather ironic that the best part of the comic book comes not from King, but from regular series creators writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque.
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And fortunately, with issue #1, it lives up to the hysteria. However, it's rather ironic that the best part of the comic book comes not from King, but from regular series creators writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque.
The first issues are split into two separate, but presumably intertwining, narratives, one by each writer. Snyder's story is the tale of Pearl, a young Hollywood wannabe starlet that is in search of her big break. When she gets the chance to mingle with Hollywood's elite, she discovers that Tinsel Town's bigwigs have quite the secret. Alternatively, King's tale is somewhat of an origin story of America's first vampire, Old West outlaw Skinner Sweet. Captured by pinkertons, Sweet's gang stages an escape attempt that has dire consequences. Sweet appears in Snyder's story as well, so I don't think it's presumptuous of me to think that these two narratives will converge by the time King concludes his arc.
As in vogue as vamps are these days, I have to admit that I haven't tired of them (Twilight not withstanding, of course). American Vampire adds a welcome twist to the concept by making it a period piece - both in the Old West and pre-talkies Hollywood - making for a tale that offers something a little different. In both narratives, the writers establish existing vampires in roles of social predominance; Hollywood big shots in Snyder's tale and a politician in King's. It's a great setup for a book, and one that hopefully indicates there is a long standing plan in place to really make this world unique.
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Snyder is able to create a charmingly sassy, but naive character in Pearl. She's a character that we instantly attach to and identify with in a classic case of a small town girl with big dreams. When Skinner is introduced in Pearl's narrative, he's a mysterious loner type that doesn't get much face time. Once King's story takes over, we get to see more of the man that is destined to become the first American born vampire, and he's a dick. In fact, it took me a bit by surprise how ruthless Skinner was depicted. I'm not sure why, really, as he is an outlaw after all. I'm very intrigued as to where King will take Skinner's character within his five issues.
Albuquerque's art is phenomenal, and to his credit he and colorist Dave McCaig are able to adjust to the time period of both stories. Snyder's 1920's Hollywood is rendered with sharp textures, bright colors and glossy finishes, whereas King's Old West has looser line work, grainy textures and an ever present brown hue. It's a remarkable book to behold in terms of artistic ability, and a prime example of what is possible when every member of the creative team comes together to create a unified vision of their story.
Vertigo, once again, lives up to the hype. I'm sure that King's name will be the initial selling point for most readers - perhaps even drawing a fair amount of non-comics readership - but I think that right from the get-go, people will be enthralled by the entire book as a whole. Hopefully this (along with the public's unadulterated love of vampires) will translate into readers sticking with the book issue #6 and beyond, once King's name no longer graces the front cover.
