A Reason to Love the Undead: American Vampire

The popularity of the vampire comes and goes in pop culture, but those blood-sucking creatures of the night are always lurking around somewhere. The idea of the vampire is as immortal as the creatures themselves. Just when audiences get tired of them, somebody finds a way to re-invent the vamps and they come back more powerful than ever. If, like me, you aren't a big fan of the current wave of angsty, pretty, sparkly, vampire lover-boys, then American Vampire may be just what you need to make you love the undead all over again.

Vertigo's newest series, American Vampire is brought to you by a team consisting of Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerue and, a promising writer you may have heard of, Stephen King. The series asks the question, what if vampires change and evolve over time? As new people in new places are "turned," they may well bring something new to the table. If the stereotypical "Old World" vampires infected the landscape of rough and tumble early America, what would be the result?

The first arc of this series tells the story of two particular American vampires. First up is Pearl Jones, a tough young lady trying to make something of herself in 1920s Hollywood. She works hard to survive in this town that tends to chew up and spit out the weak, and she succeeds. That is, she succeeds until she runs into some blood-sucking producers who are actually blood-suckers. Of course, Pearl's story only begins with that fateful encounter...

Next up is the tale of 1880s Western outlaw Skinner Sweet. He's a bad, bad, man, but Skinner is smart enough and mean enough to thrive in the lawless world of the Old West. Little does Skinner suspect that the bloodless banker he's been robbing is something even worse than the outlaw himself. It is clear from the start that Pearl and Skinner's stories are interconnected, and they are just the beginning of generations of American vampires. (I suspect Skinner Sweet is on the fast-track to comic book icon status. You read it here first!)

American Vampire was created by Scott Snyder, but King was so impressed and excited by the pitch he read for the series that he asked if he could contribute. This is not one of those comics adapted from King's work, or based on a story idea he gave someone, this is an actual, scripted comic written by King himself. For the opening arc of this series, he is writing Skinner's introductory tale while Snyder handles Pearl's story. With these two great writers on board, Albuquerque's amazing art seals the deal. He does the art for both stories, but brings a different style to each time period, perfectly capturing the "feel" of both eras.

So, with a viscious outlaw vampire, a '20s Hollywood starlet, intense characters, and great art, there is no possible excuse for you to miss out on this new series. Especially now that American Vampire is Four Color Fantasies' guaranteed Book of the Week. If you're ready for some blood-sucking fiends with no sparkle whatsoever, you need to sink your fangs into this comic!

Mysteries will keep you reading: Sparta: U.S.A. #1

Ahhh, the American Dream. You know what that is right? Hard work, patriotism, white picket fences, football, brutally killing your neighbors to get their stuff, and maybe winning a baby on Stork Day. What, doesn't that sound right to you? Well, it may not be the Dream where you live, but it sure is in Sparta: U.S.A.

Wildstorm's Sparta: U.S.A., by writer David Lapham and artist Johnny Timmons, is a new series set in a very strange reality. In many ways, Sparta is the ultimate vision of what 1950s America was supposed to be. It's a place where people work hard to support their families, take pride in their homes and their town, go to church every Sunday, and play football. In fact, EVERYONE there plays football. In a town with under 10,000 citizens, there are literally hundreds of football teams. Of course, none of those teams are as great as the Mighty Spartans, a team so awesome that they never, ever, lose. The Mighty Spartans are the town's true heroes, beloved and respected by all. Especially the legendary Godfrey McLaine, the greatest player in Spartan history.

The Spartan version of the American Dream does have a few weird lapses, though. (Aside from all the football, that is.) In Sparta, what you do behind closed doors is 100% your own business, even if that means slaughtering your neighbors to advance your own family. In fact, the mysteriously blue Maestro encourages such noble ambition, unless you mess up and let your actions be seen by the public. It is the responsibilty of every citizen to keep up the facade of life in Sparta. Another odd thing: children aren't born in Sparta, they are handed out on Stork Day, great gifts from the unseen President of the U.S.A. Oh, and then there are the yeti up in the hills. They eat people who go up there, so no one ever leaves Sparta. No one except Godfrey McLaine, that is.

Life in Sparta is seriously shaken up when Godfrey returns home. After he disappeared into the hills, he was assumed dead by the citizens of Sparta. But, three years later, he comes back, bright red and with a message to the people of Sparta that they are living a lie. His plan to take down the Maestro means that nothing in Sparta will ever be the same...

Sparta: U.S.A. is a lot like the darkest Twilight Zone episode ever. Its skewed vision of an ideal America is disturbing, and there are plenty of mysteries to keep readers guessing as to just what is going on in this "perfect" American town. Luckily, you have an amazing opportunity to try this new series out with no personal risk to your life or family. Strap on your football helmet and rush over to Four Color Fantasies today where you can pick up this guaranteed Book of the Week with no fear of reprisals or yeti attack!

A Compelling Start to an Overlooked Crossover: Doomwar #1

He's the baddest dude in the whole Marvel Universe. He's the man with many a plan, the man in the iron mask, the dictator from Latveria. He's the Fantastic Four's greatest enemy, and the one guy NO ONE really wants to cross. He'll wipe you from the face of the Earth before you even know what happened. That's right, you all know who I'm talkin' about. It's DOOM, baby! Victor Von Doom, that is. And he's planning to take over the world.

There are an awful lot of thoroughly hyped event comics crossovers going on in the big two's superhero universes right now. Arguably, a few too many. In between all the Black Lanterns, Sieges, and Hulk Wars, many readers seem to have missed another, less hyped but equally Earth-shattering event: Doomwar.

Of course, Doctor Doom is always scheming up new ways to conquer the world and put a stop to that accursed Reed Richards and his heroic shenanigans, but this time he seems to be onto a real winner. He's teamed up with some shadowy insurgents to wrest control of the Black Panther's country, Wakanda, from its rightful rulers. Taking over one country is pretty small potatoes for Doom, but Wakanda also happens to be the world's only source of the miracle metal Vibranium. In the hands of the right craftsman, Vibranium can make some amazing gadgets, like Captain America's shield, for example. But it can also amplify mystical energy, and Doom has a whole bunch of mystical energy at his fingertips. With ten thousand tons of Vibranium at his command, Doom could easily become the most powerful force ever to walk the Earth. And considering some of the folks who have walked the Marvel U's Earth, we're talking about some serious power.

To conquer Wakanda, Doom had to get King T'Challa, AKA the Black Panther, out of the way. That also means dealing with Queen Ororo, AKA the X-Men's Storm. As you can imagine, the X-Men aren't very happy to see Storm arrested and sentenced to execution for "treason." When an angry T'Challa shows up looking for some help to take back his country, he finds some more-than-willing mutants ready to go kick butt and chew bubblegum. Need I even mention that they're all out of bubblegum?

With the X-Men, the Black Panther, and Doctor Doom already invilved, you can bet it won't be long before even more of the Marvel Universe is pulled into the Doomwar. Writer Jonathan Maberry has gotten this story off to a compelling start. The characters are well-written, the stakes are high, and the drama will quickly pull you in. (And the last scene of the first issue is a definite "Whoa!" moment.) Scot Eaton's art is an excellent complement to the story, with loads of detail that lends the characters and events of this tale some serious dramatic heft. Best of all, this "event" is confined to one limited series, so you don't have to worry about a bazillion crossovers or spin-offs.

So, to reiterate: DOOM, baby, DOCTOR DOOM! (He's got a PHD in kicking your butt!) You know you love him, but if you don't give this guaranteed Book of the Week a try, you just might find yourself on his "naughty" list. Believe me, you DON'T want to be on Doom's naughty list. Pick up Doomwar #1 today, or you'll be sorry you didn't. Why? Because DOOM, that's why.