Fans of Guillermo del Toro's The Strain Trilogy (The Strain, The Fall, The Night Eternal) will probably be thrilled to learn that it has been adapted into a comic book series from Dark Horse. I have not read the novels, but my first thought before previewing the comic was, "Ugh, another vampire comic." What new could possibly be added to a sub-genre that already saturates the market?
Although it's too early to tell for sure, the set-up in issue #1 is at least intriguing enough to offer promise for something original in future installments. A Boeing 777 lands at JFK International Airport, then suddenly goes dead, sitting on the runway dark, with all window shades down. Fearing a terrorist attack, the CDC investigates…
Besides this exciting and mysterious starting point, about the only other thing a 24-page first issue can do is introduce the characters. It seems like our hero is going to be Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, a divorced father already trying to juggle his responsibilities without the added pressure of a potential vampire apocalypse. However, there's also an elderly pawnbroker for whom the threat seems familiar; it is unclear how he will affect the story.
Adapted from del Toro and Chuck Hogan's novel by David Lapham, the first third of the comic is a prologue that takes place in 1927 Romania. At first read, I didn't find anything original about this; however, I did appreciate an allusion to my favorite vampire, Barnabas Collins (Dark Shadows), in the form of a cane "with a silver handle carved into a wolf's head". The tapping of this cane, which announces the arrival of its owner, is one of the book's wonderful details.
The art by Mike Huddleston and colors by Dan Jackson are fine, although not particularly noteworthy. I found it most effective when capturing the wide-eyed look of fascination on the face of a child, an image that appears on page one. And I thought it unusual that early scenes of gore in snowy exteriors are colored against pale blue backgrounds rather than white.
It's really the story, not the art, though, that would make me pick-up issue number two. Although I found the background a little ordinary, the modern-day set-up is definitely worth continuing. And I would hope that with del Toro's inspiration behind it, The Strain will branch out to new and exciting areas, going where no vampire has gone before.
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