The Countdown to Halloween has begun! This time of year is my favorite season and I am looking forward to once again participating in the month-long celebration of all things kooky, spooky and ooky.
This year, I've decided to combine two of my favorite loves and highlight some of my favorite scary stories, bloodcurdling books, creepy comics, and terrifying tomes. Each day, I'll post a sample from my personal library. Warning! These novels are graphic!
My first choice worthy of crowing is American Vampire by Scott Snyder. I have read the first two volumes of this ongoing DC Vertigo comic series (the fourth was just recently released) and it is some of the best vampire fiction I have read in decades. Snyder has created a world rich with characters and history on par with Anne Rice's, but without the gothic romance. Skinner Sweet may have a cute alliterative name, but make no mistake, he is one of the deadliest, ruthless killers to ever sport fangs.
The artwork by Rafael Albuquerque perfectly suits the prose with just the right atmosphere. Like the story itself, the art makes this take on a classic creature new and fresh. Albuquerque and the rest of the art team have established a definitive style for Snyder's world, so much so that I've already seen imitators attempting to ride the wave this series has started.
American Vampire is a monthly series that has recently celebrated its 30th issue. It is also available digitally and in collected trades. If you're tired of the sparkly and campy vamps currently in the media, I invite you to meet Skinner Sweet. He's an All-American in every dangerous sense of the word.
1 comment:
Interesting. Never heard of this comic!
Post a Comment