The Strain Vol 1 TPB Review: Not Your Kids Vampire

Vampires. They have entranced the imagination of mankind for centuries. Whether as vicious hellspawn such as “Nosferatu,” suave charmers such as Dracula himself, or the modernized variant of sensitive, humanistic “Twilight”-style vampires, they are always prevalent in our culture. And now Guillermo Del Toro has shined his special eye for horror and fantasy onto this mythos with “The Strain.” And it is glorious. Dark, morbid, and delightfully intellectual, this comic series is as layered as an onion, and it isn’t even done yet. This is only the 1st volume, with so much more to go. Even though this 1st volume has 10 issues in it, you’ll be engulfed in the story within the first two.

This comic series’s biggest strength to this point is in its overall tone throughout. Both the art style and general feel is dreary, gothic, and almost perverse at some points. The color scheme is bleak, wholly depleted of all but the most solemn of colors and shades. This is a Tim Burton fairy tale, and you can practically smell Del Toro’s fingerprints all over it. For the most part, the only time there is an especially noticeable splash of color is in a blood splatter. And these are found everywhere. This is not for the faint of heart. There is gore and blood aplenty in this.

An interesting highlight is in the plot. Without giving away details, it explains vampires through a combination of both religion and science, together. Both working hand-in-hand, to bring about the fall of mankind.

Something about these issues that will possibly be overlooked by some is just how damn deep it truly is. While superficially it may seem to be a “vampire plague story,” as you continue to read it touches upon social issues, religion, and the essence of humanity itself. Del Toro does not shy away from pointing out, sometimes not so subtly, social injustices while still keeping the vampire action flowing.

If there is a fault with this series thus far, it certainly lies with the action panels themselves. While the action is not incomprehensible, it is definitely a bit jarring and can come across as rather disorganized. And it honestly appears to be less of an artistic choice, but more of a mishandling of placement of the panels. Again, it is a somewhat small fault, but can be nonetheless a bit jumbled.

Overall, this foretells to be an excellent series for any horror fan. It draws from vampire lore throughout the ages, while still reinventing it for its own purposes This is a comic that will entertain you, horrify you, as well as make you think. It will also bring you some hope, for the heart of mankind. The fight always goes on.