Vampires are extremely familiar territory for horror fans, with Nosferatu originally hitting theaters more than 100 years ago and one of the most famous literary vampires published way back in 1897, in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The point being, be it through literature or the screen, bloodsuckers have been a major part of genre storytelling for centuries. That being the case, these stories can sometimes feel all too familiar. Well, it sounds like the folks at Dark Horse Comics have found themselves a pretty interesting take on the subgenre with the upcoming miniseries Survival, which debuts in May.
The book hails from writer Sean Lewis (King Spawn) and artist Bryndon Everett (Half Breeds). Spanning five issues, the miniseries is described as a cross between “the action-packed drama of Red Dawn and the horror of 30 Days of Night.” If I may? Fuck yes. More specifically, the series sees supernatural Russian forces described as “militarized vampires” storming the coast of Alaska. Needless to say, a little bit of a departure from our typical vampire tale. The synopsis for the first issue reads as follows:
“When Emma Reed journeyed back to her hometown in Alaska, she was expecting little more than a tense family reunion at the annual military alumni get together. But early that morning, a plane crash landed in the thick woods near the mountain. And the creature within brings an ancient terror to the last American frontier, and will turn this unspoiled wilderness into a killing ground.”
Rounding out the creative team for the book is colorist Natalie Barahona (Kill Whitney Donovan), letterer Ed Dukeshire (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and cover artist Tomm Coker (The Black Monday Murders). “Survival was written years before Russia invaded Ukraine,” Lewis says. “Some would call it prescient, but it seemed obvious—old empires don’t like to fall. Survival merges a social aspect with a very fun, very pulp story of vampires and machine guns, survivalists and invaders.” Everett had this to add:
“Not only did I grow up at the tail-end of the Cold War reading comics, pulp novels, and watching B-movies with my Dad, but my Grandfather was also a hermit on the Olympic peninsula. I spent my summers with him on his mountain, learning bushcraft and learning the value of self-reliance. This is my world, so it was a whole lot of fun getting to be a part of this project.”
Survival #1 is set to hit shelves on May 3 via digital retailers and comic book shops. To find a comic shop near you, head on over to ComicShopLocator.com.
