Another holiday Wednesday means another Tuesday run to your local comic shop.
That’s right. Just like last week, where Christmas Day landed on a Wednesday, your comics are arriving a day earlier than normal. And it’s strange. It’s strange because you’d think that the comic book publishing companies might take the week off themselves. Hell, the pickings were pretty slim last week, but I was still able to find a jewel amongst the…well, almost nothingness. This week is a little bit different in that there are quite a few titles pushing to be shipped before 2014 officially starts.
As a bit of a horror fan, wouldn’t it be just grand to usher in 2014 with a horrific and absolutely stunning vampire tale? Yes, how about some Bad Blood in time for the new year?
Bad Blood #1
Written by: Jonathan Maberry
Illustrated by: Tyler Crook
Published by: Dark Horse Comics
It might be a little unfortunate today that comic shops won’t be as busy as they might otherwise be, what with people away on holiday or gearing up for New Year’s festivities. Those that do venture into their local shop are in for a real treat – and let’s hope those that follow in the days to come find that same treat on the store shelves.
Acclaimed novelist and Bram Stoker Award winner, Jonathan Maberry (Ghost Road Blues, Patient Zero, Rot & Ruin), has returned to comic books (after stints at Marvel writing Black Panther among others) with a decidedly different take on vampire mythology. Bad Blood #1, the first issue of a five-issue mini-series is out today, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
In a nutshell, Bad Blood tells the story of college student Trick, fighting cancer and in the depths of despair when he’s inexplicably attacked by the King of Vampires. But Trick’s pharmaceutically laced blood, you see, is poison to vampires. A kid with nothing to live for suddenly becomes an unlikely hero – and mankind’s answer to ridding the world of blood-sucking scum!
Maberry, no stranger to supernatural fiction, pens a compelling and new take on vampire mythology. His imaginative story and evocative diction is coupled with the exceptional Eisner-Award winning artist, Tyler Crook, whose watercolour work on this book stirs feelings of despair and sympathy, friendship and love in readers, alongside an extreme sense of dread and disgust. Crook’s take on a vampire is that of a cruel, razor-toothed, coelacanth-lipped monster of a being, larger than life and definitely out of place and time. It will be a joy to see what else he visually conjures with the rest of the series.
Take a look at what I’m talking about. You can find a free preview of Bad Blood #1 right here.
So today, on New Year’s Eve, make the run to your local comic book shop and bring a little Bad Blood to the evening’s party. It’s the only way to usher in 2014!
Every Wednesday, JP makes the after-work run to his local downtown comic book shop. Comics arrive on Wednesdays you see and JP, fearful that the latest issue will sell out, rushes out to purchase his copy. This regular, weekly column will highlight a particularly interesting release, written in short order, of course, because JP has to get his – before someone else does!
