Operation Sunshine vol. 1: Blood Run

Hex has been a vampire for over 350 years.  Steve has been one for just over six months.  They both hate it, but they’re still justifiably skeptical when a cure for their condition is suddenly dropped in their laps.  Smarmy upper-class vampire Anwar Gobin has found out where an item known as the Onyx Object, which has the power to revert vampirism, can be found.  Now he just needs the right crew in order to get his hands on it.  There is, however, the small question of whether Anwar can be trusted in this endeavor.  As well as what lengths the Original Vampires will go to in order to keep this thing that can end this life they’ve grown so accustomed to.

David Rubin illustrates this miniseries and it looks as good as you’d expect given all of the great work he’s done in the past on titles like “Ether” and “Rumble.”  He’s got a clear style that gives everything a great sense of energy and doesn’t skimp on the detail in the process.  This is whether he’s showcasing a tense sequence where Hex shadows an angry OV, giving us a great full-page shot of the vampires’ underground enclave, or having the characters emote as they discuss the finer details of their plan.

Which is pretty well set up by podcasters-turned-comic-book-writers Henry Zebrowski and Marcus Parks.  Co-hosts of “The Last Podcast on the Left,” they do some satisfyingly dense worldbuilding here with the stratified vampire society while also making sure the same detail is afforded to their cast.  Supernatural heist stories have been done before, but this one is set up well.  This is key because all of vol. 1 is setup with the payoff looking to come in the second volume.  They could totally whiff the landing there; except, what we get here is good enough to have me wanting to see how it all plays out.  Not bad for a first effort.