Venerable, vengeful vampires craving vindication to circumvent an obstructive valiant maverick discovered providing various victims involved with vicious violence indicative of evolution developing an elevated revivification vividly visualized by having observation levels overcultivated and invest in preventiveness to vigorously subvert the ever vexing inconvenience.
Blood Stained Teeth #1 is the first issue of a new ongoing series from Image Comics. Written by Christian Ward, the basic premise is the Vampires that were born that way disapprove of Atticus Sloane’s behaviour and want him to correct his mistakes. Will this make you thirst for more?
It’s all about a vampire (Atticus Sloane) for hire for people who want to be bitten. He narrates how he charges them thousands to turn into Vampires or “Sips” in this world. It’s full of offbeat, self-deprecating humour that kept making me laugh out loud. It’s great when vampire stories don’t take themselves too seriously but can still provide a balance of horror and humour. It’s an engaging concept opening doors to many considerable possibilities establishing a likable antihero in the process. The cast is fleshed out with we’ll rounded characters I’d like to get to know more.
Illustrated by Patric Reynolds, the gore is unabashedly graphically brutal. I mean that as the highest compliment. It had very violent depictions of vampire bites. Some of the best I’ve seen in a long time. A boldly bright psychedelic colour scheme catches the eye within the mesmerizing panels. I became lost in the artwork. I had to look at every captivating detail.
The imaginative character designs make for a memorable cast of characters. Their unique appearances make them easy to distinguish from each other. The visuals for the surroundings are equally impressive. The world-building is fantastically unveiled page by page showing a futuristic world reminding me of the novel 1984 by George Orwell. I’m incredibly invested in the world introduced and I’m genuinely interested in discovering more about it. It’s fascinating.
Overall, Blood Stained Teeth #1 has everything: murder, sex appeal, conspiracy, avarice, betrayal, mystery and gore. Horror elements are sprinkled in throughout an original premise providing outstanding storytelling paired with shocking imagery that isn’t afraid to push creative boundaries in both regards. It separates itself from other vampire stories by using traditional cliches in unconventional manners. It not only subverts expectations, but it also does so with stylistic imaginativeness raising the stakes for the competition. I’m thoroughly impressed.
My only complaint about Blood Stained Teeth #1 is that some panels seem too busy therefore it took time to figure out what exactly I was looking at. Other than that, I highly recommend sinking your teeth into this page-turner because I certainly am thirsty for more since it’s raising the bar for what an original vampire story can be. It’s comparable to True Blood but has its own spin on things so as not to feel utterly derivative of it. And remember, unlike vampires, this book doesn’t suck.
9 Out Of 10
