The first thought when looking at this book and not knowing anything about it beforehand, one would think to dismiss it as a ‘been there, done that’ sort of thing.  It seems to simply be another vampire book with perhaps some sort of American theme.  Unbeknownst to the casual observer this book is far, far more than that.  In fact within the pages, Scott Snyder, the author, takes the same tried and true concepts of vampirism and either turns them on their head, reinvents them or just plain makes them better.  There are not too many writers out there today who could pull off such a feat, with Brian K. Vaughn, Robert Kirkman and Ed Brubaker coming to mind immediately.  That fact that Snyder does it and does it so well speaks volumes to his talent.  It is frankly, a wonderful thing to see performed with a concept as widely used and abused in today’s modern culture.

And so it is that Snyder and artistic collaborator Rafael Albequerque take us on a journey through the decades concentrating on the vampire in America and the spread of its disease.  Our main character in this tale is not a hero, but a villain named Skinner Sweet.  There is usually a different protagonist for each story arc, but it is Sweet who carries the book and moves the story along.  Sometimes he is front and center and sometimes he is only a background player – but he is the star attraction and he is written so well, it is as if the character himself knows it and plays up to it.

When we are introduced to Skinner it is the mid-1920s and it is here that we are first hand witnesses to his mischief.  We are also introduced to a major series player in Pearl Jones, whom Skinner turns into a vampire such as himself.  We are then taken through different story arcs in the 30s, 40s and 50s chronicling the story through the decades with Skinner among many others, showing other aspects of the country, vampires, the VMS (Vassals of the Morning Star) and much, much more.  We are also privy to Skinner’s origin in the old west as a child and a young man in the army with art by legend Jordi Bernet.

Falling back on preconceived knowledge and tested concepts is an easy thing for any writer to do.  There is the Dracula myth, the Anne Rice folklore and even the Twilight franchise now to draw upon for inspiration and rest your laurels upon, yet Snyder does not do that.  He takes some bits from here and there and does his own thing.  Snyder introduces different breeds at various times through the story, which has been done before but he gives them lineage and origin as well as specific weaknesses to differentiate them.  Taking Skinner Sweet as an example he is vulnerable to gold but not to silver or wood.  He and Pearl are also a new breed of vampire unseen before in the comic’s timeline which is where the title comes into play, American Vampire.  It is also intriguing that Snyder has shown us that old breeds die out or are killed off and new ones are made depending on race, locale or circumstance leading to further diversification.  Vampires can also cross-pollinate on other continents normally without creating new races just like in any other fiction, but in American Vampire there is always the risk of something new permeating.  He also puts forth an agency to investigate, hunt and kill the vampires.  called the Vassals of the Morningstar, or the VMS.  It is certainly not a new notion in comics either, as some writers find it a way to introduce a worthy foe that is essentially bigger and more powerful than its prey.  Snyder twists the concept a bit by making them an agency that will go to any means including employing vampires for the cause.

None of this could have been done without Rafael Albuquerque.  He brings the book to life perfectly with a blend of early Sienkiewicz, Ashley Wood, Ben Templesmith and Rick Veitch with a little Kubert thrown in, but with a style and panache all his own.  Good company to be counted among for sure, yet an artist that stands on his own.  Every scene is awesome to behold whether it be an action scene with Travis Kidd and Sweet racing cars, or simply Pearl and her husband sitting in a room.  Albuquerque’s pencils draw you in just as much as the story and it is hard to imagine the book without him on it in some fashion.  It would be curious to see just how much leeway Snyder gives Albuquerque on the design process as everything in this book is distinct from the character designs to the various vampire breeds.  However it might be, losing Albuquerque would be a shame and one can hope it will never happen.

There are not a lot of vampire books in the market currently.  Marvel and the DC Main have none while Dark Horse has The Strain.  Image and Archaia have none as well while Boom has Day Men and Dynamite has stalwart Vampirella.  I, Vampire and Morbius the Living Vampire were recently cancelled by the Big Two so it leaves the market pretty sparse at the moment, which is a good thing when it comes to American Vampire.  Having little competition assures that this book can thrive, as well as being completely different from the aforementioned books.  Where as American Vampire takes place within modern history for the most part, books such as Vampirella and Day Men take place in the present.  Snyder seems to be looking at a much grander canvas than many other creators and it is paying off.  By painting such a large tapestry with his tale, Snyder is giving readers something more to invest in, making the observer part of the story instead of just a visitor.  That historical context gives the author the opportunity to draw upon any era for inspiration giving him untold opportunities for stories in the future.

While cinema and television are sometimes glutted with vampire themed tales, the comic scene is not at that point yet.  Perhaps Scott Snyder was aware of that point and that is why we have such a beautiful book such as this.  Whatever the case it is a perfectly crafted book that many can learn from and many more can enjoy.