American Vampire

Plot

The series explores notions of vampire evolution and traces the bloodline of a new kind of vampire, an American species, with new powers and characteristics, through various decades of American history.

The first five issues feature two story arcs. The first takes place in 1925 from the point of view of an aspiring actress in L.A. who becomes the second American Vampire and works to get her revenge on those who turned her. The second is of a writer at a book conference due to the reediting of his book, Bad Blood. Here, the author claims that his work – which has been long considered a fictional western/terror story – is actually based on true events which he has either witnessed or has collected reliable information on.

Publication history

This series publication began on March 17, 2010, with the release of American Vampire #1. This is the first comic which features original Stephen King scripting who was contracted to the initial five issues.

Issues

First Cycle

Second Cycle

1976

Others

Collected editions

Omnibus editions

[[DC Compact Comics]]

2024 TPB Collections

Characters

• Skinner Sweet – an outlaw who lived in the Wild West, he was turned into a vampire when the blood from Percy, a vampire banker, fell into his eye during a fight while he was escaping from being hanged. After being trapped into a coffin sunken sixty-six feet under water, he escaped and hunted the vampires who tried to kill him. In 1936, Sweet has relocated to Las Vegas, where he opened a brothel, using the name Jim Smoke. Later Skinner finds himself swept up into WWII as he hunts down a threat with Pearl.
• Pearl Jones – an aspiring actress in the 1920s who was ambushed by a group of vampires led by a vampire director named B.D. Bloch during one of his parties. She was left for dead at a pit in the desert, but was saved by Sweet when he dropped his blood on her eye, turning her into a vampire. She has relocated to Arrowhead, California, using the surname of her husband, Henry Preston, while she is hiding from the other vampires.
• Hattie Hargrove – Hattie is Pearl's ambitious and slightly put upon roommate in Hollywood, sharing an apartment with the main character before Pearl is murdered by vampires and transformed by Skinner Sweet.
• Henry Preston – Pearl Jones' husband, a World War 1 veteran who works as a jazz musician who decided to help Pearl to enact her revenge against the vampires who almost killed her. Prior to arriving in Hollywood and working as a resident guitarist at a speak easy where Pearl worked, Henry was a journeymen Guitar player. He isn't intimidated by Pearl's vampirism, but sometimes he feels some sadness by the fact that while he's getting older, Pearl isn't. Henry later dies stopping Hattie.
• Mr. B.D. Bloch – a European vampire masquerading as a Hollywood Mogul.
• James "Jim" Book – a detective who worked for Pinkerton Agency, he hunted and arrested Skinner Sweet, who turned him into a vampire in retaliation. Before being consumed by his vampiric instincts, he extracts a promise from Abilena, she is to kill him in exchange for fathering her child that same night.
• Abilena Camillo/Book – daughter of Felix Camillo, her mother died at birth. She is James Book's god-daughter, though she professes an unrequited love for him once she grows up. After his death, she takes his surname and together with her daughter Felicia Book hunts Skinner Sweet for an organization called The Vassals of the Morning Star.
• Felix Camillo – father of Abilena Camillo/Book Deputy to James Book, and Grandfather of Felicia.
• Will Bunting – the writer of "Bad Blood" and witness to the birth of Skinner Sweet as the first documented American Vampire.
• Percy – leader of a cabal of vampires taking advantage of western expansion, and the maker of Skinner Sweet.
• Finch – human servant of Percy and the Vampire cabal and employer of James Book.
• Mimiteh – a young Shoshone woman who was the first actual American vampire though her exploits were lost to history.
• Felicia Book – fathered by James Book and his god-daughter Abilena on the night he dies. She is a member of The Vassals of the Morning Star, an organization which hunts vampires. She seems to have unique abilities due to her father's vampirism, though the extent of her abilities is yet to be seen.
• Jack Straw – another member of the Vassals of the Morning Star, Straw was partnered with Felicia Book while investigating vampire activity in Las Vegas.
• Cashel "Cash" McCogan – as Chief of the Las Vegas Police Department, Cash became involved with Jack Straw and Felicia Book while investigating the grisly murders of several persons responsible for the construction of the Hoover Dam (then called the Boulder Dam).
• Calvin Poole – a soldier in World War 2 who served with Henry Preston during the "Ghost War" story arc. He was accidentally turned into a vampire after a bottle of Pearl's Blood broke and infected him.

Notes

References

1. McMillan, Graeme. (November 10, 2009). "American Vampire's Snyder Introduces Our Secret Toothy Cousins". [[io9]].
2. Snyder, Scott. (June 21, 2019). "I cannot express how proud I am to have been a tiny part of Vertigo. ...".
3. (14 August 2012). "''American Vampire'' Trailer; King and Snyder Talk Scary, Not Sparkly, Vamps". Dread Central.
4. (2010). "DC Comics Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle". [[Dorling Kindersley]].
5. Vaneta Rogers. (29 June 2023). "Scott Snyder Prepares to Go it Alone on ''American Vampire''". [[Newsarama]].
6. Geddes, John. (October 30, 2009). "Stephen King and Scott Snyder give ''Vampire'' an evolutionary twist". [[USA Today]].
7. "Comics: I Don't Fucking Sparkle: Interview with Scott Snyder, Creator of ''American Vampire''".
8. Phegley, Kiel. (October 26, 2009). "Scott Snyder & Stephen King Launch ''American Vampire''". [[Comic Book Resources]].
9. Rogers, Vaneta. (October 26, 2009). "Stephen King Brings an ''American Vampire'' Tale to Vertigo". [[Newsarama]].