Comics
Review: ‘The Strain: The Fall’ #1
In its highly anticipated return, “The Strain: The Fall” #1 strikes back with even more vampires and biting action. This is a dark apocalyptic vision of New York being overrun by hungry bloodsuckers. If you loved the best-selling trilogy of novels by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, you’re damn well going to love the comic book adaptation.
WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: Mike Huddleston
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE: July 17, 2012
In order for their survival, vampires have been living off the humans for many centuries. Humanity knows that these creatures of the night exist, but as always, we choose to keep them a secret locked away. Hidden from the rest of the world, there is a book made of silver, which can foretell their inevitable destruction. Now that the Master has conquered New York, he plans to take over the world next. If the sun does not rise, there is no stopping the next wave of vampire attacks. How will a small band of heroes prevent The Master from covering the planet in complete darkness?
Writer David Lapham moves away from the police procedural aspects of the first novel, and narrates a different kind of story. Darker in tone and more violent, this is a group ensemble/adventure tale. The team that Ephraim worked so hard to put together is now slowly drifting apart. After failing to stick to his sobriety, Ephraim has hit his downfall and succumbed to his alcoholic thirst. Will Ephraim rise to the call and be a hero for his son? Or, will he remain thirsty for alcohol, just like the vampires are thirsty for blood?
I was wondering how Lapham would adapt the Concerned Citizens brigade into the story. The Concerned Citizens are a neighborhood watch-type team, armed with heavy artillery. They are protecting their broken-down neighborhood from riots and looting. This resistance group thinks they are dealing criminals and junkies, not bloodsuckers. Though they are in a just a few pages, readers get everything they need to know.
In his artwork, Mike Huddleston depicts our protagonist in shadows, as if he lost all hope. In his poses, Ephraim doesn’t stand tall and strong as he did before. Looking way hung-over, Ephraim doesn’t have the energy to actually keep fighting the good fight. In his illustrations, Huddleston captures the struggling battle between sobriety and relapse in Ephraim’s facial expressions. It’s a serious and realistic depiction of an alcoholic losing self-control.
Huddleston takes away the sexiness and romanticism out of his portrayal of vampires. When Zack confronts his mother-turned-vampire, she is unappealingly naked and sickly thin like an anorexic. She doesn’t see Zack as her son; she sees him as food. Aimed at shock value, Huddleston takes a very creepy turn when he depicts naked vampires.
“The Strain: The Fall” #1 sets up a high octane adventure filled with action and suspense. Even if you haven’t read the novel, newcomers will not be at a loss in the narrative. It’s very easy for new readers to jump on in.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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