Comic book review
Written by Scott Snyder and Stephen King
Art by Rafael Albuquereque
Vertigo / Titan Books hardback
Release date Out now (US); 29 October 2010 (UK)

Something different has come out of the Old West – a vampire unlike any other…

American Vampire is something of an oddity as a comic book – each issue contains two stories, one by creator Scott Snyder relating the adventures of Skinner Sweet in a 20th Century environment (in the first five issues collected here, Hollywood in the 1920s) while the other, written by Stephen King, tells of Sweet’s genesis.

The two characters initially almost seem like completely different people, only linked by the name. However as the stories unfold, you start to understand how the Sweet who underwent the torments related by King becomes the character who at times seems almost peripheral in the 1920s story. It’s a very neat narrative device which is helped by the continuity of artist between the two.

Surprising as it may seem, this is King’s first essay into comic book writing, though he’s penned screenplays in the EC Comics mould, and of course The Dark Tower and The Stand have both become the bases of ongoing series. It suits his style of narrative, and as he becomes more experienced, King starts to experiment a little, with some genuine shocks along the way. Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 8/10
An interesting take on the vampire mythos.