The second cycle is upon us. Let us all rejoice. A few months back, American Vampire scribe Scott Snyder and artist extraordinaire Rafael Albuquerque took some time off from their iconic chronicle of the undead. Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones had one more adventure, one that cost Pearl her husband and separated the two blood-crossed vampires from each other. During all of this, Snyder introduced the concept of The Grey Trader, an evil so sinister most had no idea it existed.
American Vampire: Second Cycle #1 opens in 1811, with a vicious attack on an Indian tribe. The attack is not just violent, but cruel, and cold, foisted on these innocents by something quite unspeakable. Jump ahead to Kansas, 1965. A mob is chasing a little girl, determined to turn her over as a foreigner. It’s the time of Vietnam, and anti-immigrant hatred is running wild. Rising from the wheat stalks comes the great protector Pearl Jones. Returning to her hometown, Pearl has decided to take in those who need protection, not just from racists but from those looking to harm the undead. Think of it as an Underground Railroad for vampires. In her home are various bloodsuckers, all created by different species.
Meanwhile, Skinner Sweet is doing what he does best – being an absolute douche bag. Patrolling an area in Mexico, Sweet has adopted the name “The Sugar Man” and spends his time ripping off illegal cartel runs. Sweet is still a badass, this time with multiple machine guns and a bike. The runners are afraid of him, to the point one offers to betray their boss just to keep Sweet from raining down his horror on them. Sweet shows up to what is supposed to be a drop point, but he discovers a power that dwarfs even him. The last panels of the story show a school bus of children being brought down before a dark figure in the rain. One can only assume it is The Grey Trader.
Once again, Snyder steps up to the plate and shows us why he’s one of the best comic book writers going today. Set-up issues, even with familiar characters, can be tedious. Snyder sidesteps that by creating completely separate narratives. Literally the style of writing he uses changes with each set-up. He involves you in the characters current lives, not just the new Grey Trader arc. It’s also a good idea to bring in a villain that unnerves Skinner Sweet. That just guarantees to peak interests.
Rafael Albuquerque is on point as well. His style is always unique, but here it seems to have changed a bit. The hyper-stylized human faces, the angular way Albuquerque tends to draw, it’s all softened a bit. I don’t mean that in a negative way – in fact, it adds a new layer to his already gifted pencils. The tense use of shadows and heavy inks remain, as does Albuquerque’s inventive use of shadowing. Few artists really set themselves apart from the pack the way Rafael Albuquerque does.
American Vampire returns the same way it left, with its hand clutched firmly around readers’ throats.
(4.5 Story, 4.5 Art)
