The United States bicentennial is right around the corner and so is the end of the world. Somehow, only the original American Vampire, Skinner Sweet, is the key to stopping it. Spoilers for American Vampire 1976 #1 follow.
It’s been over four years since any stories of American Vampire were released with the most recent being an anthology issue. As for the ongoing story being told in the first volume of the series and Second Cycle, it’s been nearly five years since an issue was released and boy, craving half a decade for a new issue of any series is fun. But now, American Vampire is back and it’s just as good as ever.
Starting off, I just want to say this, as a fan of the series, this is a great jumping on point to anyone interested in American Vampire. It helps if you’ve read the series prior to this issue, but it absolutely isn’t necessary. Writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque do a wonderful job of setting the stage for this new series in a way that is welcoming to new read readers, while not necessarily holding their hand and explaining everything. It’s a nice balance that is welcoming to new and old readers alike.
Beyond just being accessible to new readers though, this issue a great beginning to this all new arc, which feels different than everything that’s come before it. Seeing Skinner actually being forced to be human is great and, even though he’s been a monster since issue one of American Vampire, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him. He’s a fantastic character that is given a lot more depth in this issue in some great ways.
But the part of this issue that hit me in the most emotional way was when Pearl finally showed up. Intellectually, I knew she was going to appear in this issue, probably in the final couple of pages, which is exactly what happened. When she appeared though, my heart jumped and I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. She’s my favorite character in the American Vampire mythos, so to finally see her again in a new issue after five years, it was incredibly satisfying, especially given how badass her first panel here is.
As for the story though, this issue is almost entirely set-up and, as such, is moderately slow paced, which is good. It effectively sets up all the players, as well as the general idea as to where the story is heading, but there isn’t enough information to truly predict where the story is going to go. It’s a really effective set-up issue that allows the characters to take the forefront.
As for the art, it’s wonderful to see Rafael Albuquerque takes on these characters once again. Combine that with Dave McCaig’s colors, it really feels like this series hasn’t missed a beat, even though it’s been so long since a new issue of the series released. The art is fantastic and, honestly, might be better than ever in a general sense. The storytelling is slightly tighter and linework is a bit cleaner than older issues of American Vampire, and as such, it fits a bit more into the more modern era that this issue takes place in.
