When I was asked to provide my buddies at Big Shiny Robot with a review of David Laphams take on The Strain I nearly busted through my jeans. This comic rendition of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s best selling horror novel of the same name was released this past Wednesday, December 14th, through Darkhorse comics for the low low price of $1.
A table side ghost story sets the issue in motion. A small boy sits in the candlelight as his grandmother tells the tale of a tall man’s misfortunes on a hunting trip and the important of quenching ones hunger in an effort to get the him to finish his dinner. Little does the boy know that the details and messages within his grandmothers story hold the the keys to his survival and the answers to the questions involving a mysterious plane landing in New York. A plane, that upon arrival, is discovered to be holding a cabin pull of dead passengers. Spoiler alert!! It’s got a little something to do with an ancient vampire. Not some glittery, baseball in the rain vampire. But a new take and perspective on an old archetype that only come from the mind of Del Toro.
Even if you haven’t read the source material you shouldn’t shy away from picking this up. The art provided by Mike Huddleston is top notch. His versions of the characters and environments is spot on with the images I had in my head while reading the book. That being said, Lapham does a great job of including details from the book to keep those familiar with the source material happy.
Anyone who enjoys titles like Hellboy, Locke & Key, or even some of Brubaker’s crime stories, would be doing themselves a favor by dropping the 20 nickels on this one.