Thought Train to Pusan

I have this problem where I always say I’m going to read the next volume or book in a series as soon as I can, but since I always have so many series on the go, it ends up being far too long before I actually get reading the next installment. In any case, it’s been a while since I’ve read any American Vampire , but fortunately I seemed to remember most of the characters and what-have-yous from the previous volumes when I picked up this third collection of issues #12-18. Volume 3 is split into two major stories, both set within the timeframe of World War II. The first tale, “Ghost War” focuses on the vampire Pearl’s husband, Henry, as he goes on a mission to Japan in the hunt of a new breed of vampire, only to find an island with an infestation that is far more than he (and a tag-along Skinner Sweet) had bargained for. The second half focuses on a miniseries entitled “Survival of the Fittest,” with vampire hunters Felicia Book and Cash McCogan going to Nazi-occupied Romania in se...

The second volume of comic series American Vampire picks up in a new era of American history, allowing us to see how the vampires and their many different forms and feuds have influenced that history over time. But while this book was good, I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as the first volume. Maybe because I read that one a while ago and forgot some of the little things that had already happened, as well as some of the characters we had met? Or maybe the story itself just wasn’t as thrilling and compelling this time. I think it may have had a little to do with each. In any case, this second book in the series is comprised of two main stories, with certain characters and relations overlapping between the two, as well as connecting from the previous, first volume (which is to be expected). In the first story, the tale of Skinner Sweet continues, this time focusing on his influence (as well as the influence of other wealthy and connected vampires) during the expansion of Las Vega...

This past weekend I spent my time at the Calgary comic expo, and one of my cousins (who is an avid fan of all comic books and genres) got into a big discussion with me about what he recommends I read, and American Vampire was one of them. He said it was one of the only vampire stories that has even interested him since he was about 12 years old, given that the whole thing has become a bit overpowering and sanitized in popular culture today. But American Vampire is quite intriguing regardless of this, as it addresses the concept of generational vampiric evolution, and isn’t afraid to leave a twisted trail of bodies behind. Scott Snyder predominantly writes the American Vampire series, with art by Rafael Albuquerque. For the first trade volume (single issues #1-5), however, the stories told alternate between writing from Snyder, and guest writing by Stephen King. Each volume of the series focuses on a different period of American history, and how the new bloodlines of v...