This article contains spoilers for Blood Stained Teeth #1, on sale by Image Comics
Image Comics is no stranger to telling stories about vampires with unique twists and turns. Drain, Turf, and Redneck are just a few examples that come to mind. However, their recent take on vampire culture in the modern world is an example of a truly extraordinary comic book series. Blood Stained Teeth (written by award winner Christian Ward with art by Patric Reynolds and color by Heather Moore) uses a combination of fast-paced storytelling and unique art to create this series.
Blood Stained Teeth #1 reveals two types of vampires. The First Borns are natural-born vampires while the Sips are turned into vampires. Sips are forbidden by the high society of First Borns, but for protagonist Atticus Sloane, he uses his First Born abilities to turn people into Sips - for a price.
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However, readers soon learn, no price can cover the unwanted exposure his actions have caused. When the First Council (a group of vampiric leaders of the undead) catch wind of his activities, Sloane is left with one choice - kill all the Sips he’s ever turned within three weeks, or die. With a time limit and high stakes, this story is sure to keep readers on their toes and awaiting the next release.
The storyline isn’t the only thing interesting about this series. The art is visually stunning, and uses a variety of colors in a way that not only pleases the eye, but conveys the story. Vampires tend to come out at night, but Heather Moore makes a great use of colors to deter from the typical dark and dim scenes. The art style combines the use of neon colors with the story’s dark undertones, making it a unique story in which vampires thrive in a modern world, not only through blood, but through the money of the elite. Sloane takes advantage of this, and charges the rich for living an immortal life because in his words "immortality isn't cheap". This has allowed him to live a luxurious life.
Patric Reynolds captures scenes with details reminiscent of popular depictions of vampires. The first page in which Atticus turns an influencer is similar to the scene from 1922’s Nosferatu, one of the first cinematic adaptations of vampires. Later, the newbie vamp live streams a "feeding" to Sloane's horror, and he begins to question if this was a good idea. Throughout the story, Sloane slowly descends into regret as his actions quickly catch up to him, and Reynolds captures this with ease.
Reynolds' art style coupled with the colors from Moore takes readers on a psychedelic journey into this world of vampires. It perfectly weaves elements of horror and crime with the colorful art style of these creators. With a colorful cast of characters and artwork that stands as its own masterpiece, Blood Stained Teeth is a series worth reading for anyone looking for a gritty vampire story to sink their teeth into.