Strain #7

The Rundown

As Dr. Goodweather and company are being framed for the murder of Captain Redfern, a warrant has been issued for their arrests. Meanwhile, something is lurking in the NYC sewers and it ain’t the rats.

The Team

Adapted & scripted by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Silverfish) from the novel of the same name written by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (The Fall). Illustrated by Mike Huddleston (The Coffin, Deep Sleeper) & coloured by Dan Jackson. Cover by E.M. Gist. Published by Dark Horse Comics.

The Pros

Things are starting to get hairy for the protagonists of this story, as the tension is levelled up and the vamps start slowly invading NYC. Eldritch Palmer’s vampirism cure for immortality knows no limits as he frames Dr. Goodweather and his associates for murder. I really hope Del Toro directs the movie version of this first chapter, because there’s a part that just screams his name. The part where Vasiliy Fet the exterminator lurks the sewers of NYC in search of rats, like scenes from Hellboy or Mimic, I could just picture those clips unfolding in my mind & squirming in my movie theatre seat loving every minute of it. Another part that will look fantastic on the silver screen and will separate it from other vampire movies is how the vamps attack their victims with those very fat & long protruding forked tongues. Del Toro’s movies always have top notch special effects & gore, so I’m looking forward to that. However, it’s been a while since I’ve heard anything on the development of this project so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Illustrator Mike Huddleston’s sewer panels perfectly adds a creepy mood to them with the help of colorist Dan Jackson, no one is identified as the inker, so I can only assume its Huddleston. What I also love about this series are the stunning covers by E.M. Gist that paints a terrifying look to what’s awaiting you inside.

The Cons

Not much to complain here, since I’ve loved this series since the very first issue.

The Outcome

I keep praising this series because along with American Vampire (click here for my reviews of Vol. 1, 2 & 3), this is one of the finest vampires series the comic book industry has to offer.