By Clyde Hall — It’s what happens when you’re part of the alpha predator elite, yet low on the pecking, or in this case fanging, order. The older fellowship members, those with more influence, more connections, and who’ve accumulated more wealth, set the rules. They then inflict them on those with less of everything. In a circle of immortal beings like vampires, it’s a way of ensuring the rightful order of things. In actuality, it’s more about having and keeping power.

In the world of Blood-Stained Teeth #1, we learn vampires come in two varieties. The ones born as vampires are the First Born, and as the ancient ruling class, it’s their world. Others just live in it, both mortals and the second kind of vampire, those once human but turned by a First Born. The turned are considered vicious, insatiable murder machines. Maybe that’s why creating a ‘child’ is forbidden by the First Born leadership.

First Born not calling the shots, the younger ones, however, play by their own rules. That includes one that states what the VIP vamps don’t know won’t hurt those breaking the rules. Our protagonist, Atticus Sloane, is a young Born Vamp with this attitude. Also a steady income from humans wanting turned and willing to pay for the privilege. Over the years he’s had many customers. Like Jennifer Rosen, online personality with two million followers. She doesn’t seem vicious or insatiable as per the official line on the turned humans, but she lacks a certain discretion regarding her vampiric nature. For example, she’s planning a ‘live feeding’ event for her online audience. Atticus tries balancing the ‘don’t believe anything online’ reaction with dread. This is exactly the behavior First Blood hate and resist by keeping vampires the fanciful stuff of folklore and superstition. And by forbidding ‘children’.

Writer Christian Ward fashions this stripe of modern, pragmatic vampirism with a simple concept and established hierarchy, then expands it through Atticus as events unfold. There’s also time hopping, with one stop fifteen years prior for an encounter with an injured man in an E/R. An injured man acting delusional and dressed in Bela Lugosi/Dracula fashion. One who vanishes after he’s stabilized and placed in a bed. Hospital staff member Dr. Beverly Phelps is intrigued by both vanished patient and a business card left behind for ‘Mr. Bite’, complete with 800 number. We’ll be seeing more of the good Doctor in future issues.

Eventually, Atticus’ casual violation of their rules as acts of Carpathian capitalism bring the elder First Born calling. They disapprove of the turned factory he’s been running and give him a scathing mission of contrition. One, should Atticus fail to fulfill, with immortality-ending consequences.

Ward is impressive in how quickly and efficiently he establishes rules for the undead in his world and introduces the characters involved. They cut across many perspectives in that reality, and the cinematic handling of headshots, names, and bullet points makes for a taut but effective narrative flow. Readers get precisely enough detail on each character, couched into a natural and lean storyline.

Ward also includes clever vampire pop culture nods. Atticus’ feeding scene mirrors both the 1922 Nosferatu and the Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski Nosferatu the Vampyre 1979 iteration. Another character even has the surname, or alias, of Kinski.

Artist Patric Reynolds capitalizes on these visual references, including a possible connection between Mr. Kinski and the ruling First Council. Reynolds avoids the gothic and sticks with realistic depictions of thoroughly modern cityscapes, hospital wards, and our social media outlets.

In character closeups, the artist avoids anything akin to a poker face. Even if the expression’s neutral, the eyes never are. Reynolds’ combinations of countenance, features, and body language convey fear, pain, loathing, and, at his best, underplayed malevolence.

He’s equally proficient putting these characters into sudden, violent motion. Hospital techs, nurses, and doctors sprint across panels in the E/R sequence. A meeting of the First Blood phases into feasting, the main entrée overpowered, unwrapped, and devoured in a ravenous wave. Reynolds instills cinema director instincts within each panel and makes us long to see his work animated. Or adapted live-action. The film storyboard’s already been produced right here.

When a vampire is exposed to sunlight in one scene, we witness the strength of Heather Moore’s inventive color process. Psychedelic hues convert flame and suffering into a chromatic hell lingering across pages. It’s a recurring technique throughout, lessened but still vibrant for a full-page splash of a twilight road trip beneath prism illumination of the city skyline, billboards, and office windows. Moore’s work transcends any of the usual horror shadow play techniques and makes this issue’s aesthetic soar in entirely uncommon, entirely unforgettable, directions.

Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s letters on those drop-in introduction portraits vary in style and appear tailored for each personality displayed. His eye-jarring impact fonts for everything from fights to searing flesh carry a vicious joy. That’s a spirit which reinforces all other elements of Issue #1. It’s a capstone for a team sharing a vision, one achieved by all contributors working toward it with consummate talent and intent.

The time hops early in the issue, jostling readers between now, earlier in the now, and years in the past, came as a disorienting flurry. The chronology of happenings wasn’t clear on the first reading but smoothed into place with the second. It’s the one instance the book’s pacing, otherwise dynamic and agile, left me adrift.

As a premiere issue, this one performs well above usual expectation in nearly every category. Atticus Sloane is a vampire bastard, but he knows it, owns it, and is unapologetic about it. We also feel he’s right; he’s still not as bad as the greedy, manipulative older members of his Brotherhood. Anne Rice’s LeStat was the vampiric rebel with an artist’s soul whose utter disregard for their rules plagued his elders no end. Atticus is a rebellious vamp dedicated to a reliable cash flow on the downlow, because ongoing unlife’s expensive. He doesn’t even come across as greedy, content with a reasonably comfortable lifestyle and some collectible vintage vinyl. Meanwhile you know elder First Blood are hoarding missing Renoirs and pillaging national economies.

Creating a workably recalcitrant, relatable protagonist like Atticus without use of backstory and based only on the power of his personality is a tough sell. This team makes it look easy. You’ll want more.

Overall: A young undead turns humans for profit, not fun, and for provender in Blood-Stained Teeth #1. An elite class of vampire billionaires demand conformity to their edicts. Will Atticus Sloane comply, or topple their immortal regime through his journey and let fanged freedom reign? 8/10

Blood-Stained Teeth #1

Blood-Stained Teeth #1
Writer: Christian Ward
Artist: Patric Reynolds
Colors: Heather Moore
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99.
CHRISTIAN WARD, the Eisner Award-winning co-creator of ODY-C, Invisible Kingdom, and Machine Gun Wizards, returns to Image with red-hot artist PATRIC REYNOLDS (The Mask) for an all-new ONGOING SERIES—a fast-paced 100 Bullets-style crime saga with fangs!
Atticus Sloane—misanthrope, criminal, asshole, and vampire—lives in a world where blood isn’t the only thing vamps crave. And for the right price, he’ll make you a vampire too. After all, immortality isn’t cheap.
Buy It Here: Digital / Pre-Order the Physical Trade
Release Date: April 27, 2022

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Clyde Hall (He/Him) lives in Southern Illinois. He’s an Elder Statesman of Geekery, an indie author, a comics fan/reviewer, and a contributing writer at Stormgate Press. He’s on twitter at: (@CJHall1984)