DC announced today that “American Vampire 1976” will be the final chapter of the decades-spanning horror series, created by writer Scott Snyder, artist Rafael Albuquerque and colorist Dave McCaig. The nine-issue maxiseries finds protagonist Skinner Sweet confronting the loss of immortality, through the only logical way in the ’70s: by becoming an Evel Knievel-style motorcycle stuntman, in the hopes that one of his jumps goes wrong. He’s pulled from his life of suicidal stunt work by a returning Pearl Jones, who arrives in the Nevada desert with a “shocking partner.” The agents of the Gray Trader have grim plans for the bicentennial, and Pearl needs Skinner’s help to stop them.
While the main plot will focus on Pearl and Skinner, Snyder promises many other familiar characters will get their time in the spotlight. This includes Travis Kidd and Calvin Poole in a “Son of Sam plot” set in New York City, as well as a “political thriller plot” featuring Felicia Book. “The characters in ‘76 are in a really dark place in terms of the fight against evil,” Synder says of the book. “The ’70s mirror our current era in many ways: the anxiety, the fear, and the re-examination of American identity.”
“Scott, Rafael, and I, we cut our teeth together on ‘American Vampire’ 10 years ago,” says DC executive editor Mark Doyle. “Returning to finish the story we started a decade ago is a thrill. Working on ‘American Vampire 1976’ has been so creepy and cool, especially because the parallels between ’70s paranoia and today are really chilling.”
“American Vampire” #1 first released in March 2010 under DC’s Vertigo imprint. Issues #1-5 featured stories from both Snyder and horror icon Stephen King. The first volume ran for 34 issues between 2010 and 2013, followed by the eleven-issue “Second Cycle” in 2014. Released between the two runs were two miniseries, a one-shot, and an anthology, while a second anthology was released in 2016. DC will be releasing “American Vampire 1976” through its Black Label imprint, as Vertigo was officially shut down in January of this year.
“American Vampire 1976” #1 will be available on October 20, 2020.
