There is no secret that I love reading The Strain: The Fall. I have been consistently following it for the last several months and I even got to catch up on previous storylines with the release of 3 trade paperbacks last week. It was nice going back. But but we now have a new installment, and things haven't changed a bit. It is still dark. It is still morbid. It is still awesome. From the creative minds of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, writer David Lapham has taken their novel and ran with it, adapting this creepy trilogy of terror into the comics format. It is likewise coming to a television set near you this summer. Stay tuned.
The Strain tells the story of a vampire virus that started in Manhattan and has spread at an alarming rate. Efforts to keep things quiet were futile and now everything is out of control. Our heroes who have been in the fight since the beginning of this tale, have found some relative safety on a tugboat. They also have an ancient manuscript in their posession that may hold the key to stopping the end. But it all might just be too late as The Master has unleashed his final plan of dark design and he will not stop until everyone is destroyed. No one is safe. Not even regular vampires.
Issue #8 covers the discovery of elements of The Master's plan from our gang as well as actions from The Master himself. All I can say is that he's a bad man. We also get some adventure in the form of subterranean suspense within the subway tunnels of New York City. Zack and Nora are stranded and the vampires are coming, including Zack's infected mother. It all leads up to yet another intense and great issue.
The visual imagery by Mike Huddleston continues to instill a sense of doom and hopelessness. I compare it to much of the work of Mike Mignola who draws these stories of evil with a "doom" sense that reaches you to your core. It makes the story exceptional.The cover art also leaves you with a sense of realness to the story. It is pretty disturbing.
David Lapham’s script continues to be episodic in nature and it plays so well to the action and intrigue being played out. It's like watching a television show. It is very addictive as you flow. But Lapham does much more and he generates a level of deepness to the characters. As the action progresses, you really begin to understand the different characters,their motivations, and how their reactions to events around them demonstrate their experiences. It is a rich experience. Of course, The Strain is also good old time horror as well. So dim the lights, cozy up with a blanket, and read a copy today. It is good fun and devastating horror.
Score: 4/5
Writer: David Lapham Artist: Mike Huddleston Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 2/19/14