Strain #5

Locked in a jail cell for disturbing the peace, Abraham Setrakian has 2 new cell mates. One has a puncture wound on his neck and proceeds to tell them a horrific tale from his troubled youth. Romania 1937, Abraham’s family flee their home to escape the Nazis, but their escape is futile as Abraham ends up in a death camp, where everyday is a struggle to survive. But the Nazis aren’t the only monsters skulking about and Abraham learns the true nature of the one they call “Sardu”. He is a vampire that visits Abraham’s barracks at night and drains the blood of his victims until they are dead. At first Abraham is paralysed with fear, but soon realizes that he will eventually be next. With advice from another prisoner, Abraham gets his hands on a little bit of silver to kill the nocturnal creature. Combined with his will to survive, will that be enough to confront the creature?

The series takes a little break from the current crazy events happening in NYC and focuses on a terrifying story of the Holocaust. It’s a tale that sent chills down my spine as we delve into more vampire history and their impact on Europe. David Lapham keeps the creep factor cranked up high with some nail-biting tension. Mike Huddleston (illustrator) & Dan Jackson’s (colorist) frightening use of colors & shadows for the WW2 era would make Mike Mignola (Hellboy) proud. And E.M. Gist’s painted cover fully captures the theme & mood of this issue. Sleep tight. Based on the novel of the same name by Guillermo del Toro & Chuck Hogan. Scripted by David Lapham (Stray Bullets) & illustrated by Mike Huddleston (The Coffin). From Dark Horse Comics.