In a world filled with super powered, colorfully clad individuals flying around for the entire world to see why should vampires be hiding in shadows and darkness? That is the answer the stars of DC Comics’ I, Vampire #1 are asking. The creative team of writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Andrea Sorrentino bring horror to DC Comics’ New 52. With vampire romance and vampire horror popular today this book takes both and puts them together for a love story covered in blood.
Andrew wants to be the good vampire and avoid confrontations that will lead to vampire hunts and execution. Andrew carries the weight of the world on his shoulders he wants to protect vampires but also control them so as not to bring about persecution.
Mary is the opposite. She is cool, calculating and impulsive. To her vampires should be in charge. With aliens from Krypton, green ring wearing space cops and Amazon warriors running around why must the vampires keep to the night and hide in the shadows. They should be running the world and she is going to make that happen.
Andrew and Mary are diametrically opposed to one another but for centuries have been madly in love with each other. Mary wants Andrew to come to her side of the battle. Andrew just wants her to be calm and live a quiet life with him.
The art of Andrea Sorrentino conveys that this is not a comic book for the squeamish. The tones of the story are dark, the scenes are horrific. Bodies are stacked after mass vampire executions. With all this carnage Sorrentino still manages to show the beauty of Andrew and Mary. These characters are sexy. Amidst all the terror these two are surrounded by, there is the gentle exquisiteness that Sorrentino brings across the pages.
The mind of Joshua Hale Fialkov must be a scary place. First his horror graphic novel Echoes and then following up with I, Vampire Fialkov is showing his skills as one of the top horror writers working in comic books today. Fialkov is showing the dark side of the DC Universe, the places where the heroes are not venturing. This is the story of centuries old vampires who despite their supernatural abilities are trapped in a world of their own making. This romantic horror story is driven by the characters of Mary and Andrew. In Mary, Fialkov writes a character that is exciting without limits. She is very much in the moment but is cunning and witty.
The decision: I, Vampire is something new from a major comics publisher. This comic introduces diversity in the publisher’s line of comics while still playing in the same sandbox as the super-heroes. Fialkov has the horror writing chops to make this comic have the necessary fear factor and Sorrentino’s art accentuates the dark tones of the comic while also pushing the love story of the comic book. The conflict of the characters goes along perfectly with the timeless love they share. This is a comic book to watch going forward.
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