American Vampire vol. 1

In terms of prose novels, I’ve probably read more by Stephen King than any other author.  Not only has he written the scariest novels I’ve ever read (it still creeps me out to think about the short stories in “Night Shift”) but he hasn’t lost his touch after all these years (“Under the Dome” read just as well as anything he’s done).  So when it was announced that he’d be contributing an actual story, not serving as a “creative director” as he does on Marvel’s “Dark Tower” series, to Scott Snyder’s new Vertigo series, I knew that I’d have to check it out.  Now that the first volume is here, it’s surprising to find out that while the reviews have emphasized Snyder’s work on the series to make him stand out from his more famous co-writer, King’s story is actually the more interesting one.

Let me say that Snyder does get points for having a genuinely original take on vampires and for setting the story in a time period that we don’t see enough of these days.  Set in the “Roaring Twenties,” just as movies with sound are about to make their big debut, the story follows an aspiring actress named Pearl who gets her big break when she’s invited to a movie producer’s big party.  In a twist that will surprise no one, it turns out that the producer and his friends are all old-school European vampires and they proceed to have their way with her.  

While she manages to barely survive the ordeal, her story really begins once she gets an infusion from one Skinner Sweet.  Now Sweet is a vampire himself, but he’s part of a new breed, “Shiny new 1926 Fords.  Top of the line,” as he puts it.  Not only are he and Pear immune to sunlight, they thrive in it and with her new powers Pearl sets out to get her revenge on the vampires who left her for dead.  From there, the story heads down a more well-worn tale of vengeance, its consequences, and its pluses.  However, Snyder proves himself to be a more than capable writer, capturing the feel and spirit of the era while making sure the plot moves quickly along.  

The main issue with his story here is that it’s all introduction.  Rather than being an interesting story in its own right, I was left with the feeling that the main purpose of this tale was to introduce us to Pearl, Sweet, and this new take on vampires.  It’s not done badly, but I find myself looking forward to the tales we’ll get from Snyder now that the introduction is out of the way.  There’s a lot of potential here, because there are a lot of cultures out there for vampire blood to infect and mutate.

That said, in giving King the opportunity to tell Sweet’s origin story he frees him from the obligations of setting up an ongoing comic book series.  It also helps that Sweet is a much more interesting character to read about than Pearl.  An unrepentant train robber and killer, Sweet’s story begins with him in irons and continues on through forty-odd blood-soaked years as he either kills everyone he meets, or ruins their lives instead.  He’s an unrepentant bastard, but his charisma and wicked sense of humor make his actions perversely entertaining.  There are a few clunky and needlessly wordy parts (King lamented how thought balloons were now passe in his introduction), but it’s still a thoroughly entertaining origin story about a character I wish was the main one in this series.

Also doing excellent work with both writers is artist Rafael Albuquerque.  Not only does he manage to capture the feel of whatever era the story is taking place in, his work is just as expressive and engaging as you’d expect from a Vertigo title.  He also has a knack for making the “angry vampire” scenes (you’ll know them when you see them) really jump off the page and stick in your mind.  Credit is also due to colorist Dave McCaig, who gives the book a bright look that contrasts nicely with its subject matter.

Based on what I’ve read so far, I’d have picked this book up even without King’s name attached.  Yes, the main story is just an introduction but it’s still entertaining and has great potential to become even better as it goes along.  Though King’s presence will be missed, I certainly hope that this leads to more work from him in comics down the road.