“West of Sundown” #1

A vampire must escape New York City and the monster hunters that pursue her. Some Spoilers Ahead!

Cover by Aaron Campbell & Tim Daniel

Written by Tim Seeley & Aaron Campbell
Illustrated by Jim Terry
Colored by Triona Farrell
Lettered by Crank!

The year is 1871 and a beautiful vampire whose current existence has been turned upside down by a team of monster hunters in New York City. Knowing that she must leave the city and return to her ancestral soil of New Mexico; she and her loyal familiar Dooley set out on a path across the wild frontier, of a still forming, and recently torn apart, United States.

In the final years of the U.S. Civil War, a young Confederate soldier tasked with burying the dead after a battle hears a ringing coming from a nearby grave. Believing someone to be buried alive, he digs up the coffin to find a beautiful young woman. Giving this man, Dooley O’Shaughnessy, no further information, she asks him to accompany her to New York City. Jumping ahead ten years, the story quickly becomes about furthering the turn of the 20th century and what exactly Dooley his vampire companion, Constance Der Abend, have been up to the last decade. There is some bloody fun vigilantism at foot.

While the trappings of this issue, and presumably the series ahead, feel very much like a low budget, period piece horror flick from the 1970s, as the story progresses it’s clear that inspiration and execution aren’t as close as one might expect. As most of the variant covers for this premiere take the cult B movie route, the story overall has an interesting blend of that vibe and a stricter, more polished final product. There is still plenty of tongue-in-cheek fun to be had on each and every page, but the tone is tighter than that. It is all much more purposeful than some shoe-string midnight movie you’d catch at the drive-in, or nowadays on Shudder. There are some slightly bigger ideas at play, and a glossier look overall. Obviously comic book art doesn’t have to rely on all of the factors that a movie does and can easily look better than something with a tiny budget, but having something that feels gritty, grimy, and schlocky would have been nice.

Seeley and Campbell cleverly use this era to lightly prod at this time period of post-Industrial revolution capitalism, early United States classism, and social class crimes. In just a few short pages they comment on class, wealth, labor, racism, and more. While there are many other forms of media that stick their toes into such social commentary just to be afraid of digging deeper and backing away from these ideas, “West of Sundown” #1 gives us a few samples and backs away not out of fear, but out of knowing how much of it will serve this story in particular. We get just enough for table setting and that’s all that is necessary right now. It fills us in on Constance’s motivations; what inspires her to choose her victims. Like a combination of Robin Hood and Sweeney Todd, she is taking those rich citizens who make life worse for everyone else, drains their blood, and melts them in a lye bath in a hole in the floor. All with the help of Dooley filling her in on who will make the best victim. Incredible.

So, while she is clearly in this for herself, Constance at least knows she can do some good by taking out bad individuals so she can feed. She is never lying to herself or Dooley that her own self preservation is truly what keeps her motivated. It is Dooley, however, who is uncertain about his true purpose. Sure, he helps find her victims, but is that all he is? Is that all he’s good for after a decade of being her loyal assistant? It’s this revelation, approximately half way through the issue that both raises some questions, but is also quickly brushed aside to be investigated later. Having injected herself into the upper crust of society, seemingly quite easily, Constance is having the time of her life and may have gotten a little sloppy. After the masquerade ball that opens up the main part of this story, Constance and Dooley head home to find their place has been set ablaze, setting them on a new path back to Constance’s ancestral land in New Mexico. There are many allusions to classic vampire tales like “Dracula” or any number of cult vampire and monster flicks from the 60s and 70s. It is all a delightful hodge podge of references, without feeling uninspired or lazy. It’s all fun and has its own lore to build up and explore.

Jim Terry’s artwork is fun, slightly cartoon-ish, while still being a strong enough effort that it never feels under-produced like many indie horror comics. At times it feels a little too well done rather than leaning into glorious schlock. Finely illustrated panels and page layouts give it a slightly cinematic feel and its energy, and pacing never let up. His work helps the already strong script really shine. And as great as Triona Farrell’s color work is, it would have been a lot of fun to get some muted tones and distortion over the pages to give it a real cheap film grain look. But that’s just nit picking. It all looks great and perfectly matches the story that Campbell and Seeley have set out to tell.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout much of this issue, it didn’t quite play out as I expected. Took some chances in some areas, while playing it safe in others. I do wish it dabbled more in the grit and gore, but it’s still a fun, violent and smartly done vampire thriller. It isn’t breaking any new ground in vampire lore or the horror genre as a whole, so those well versed in such things shouldn’t expect to be shaken to their core, but it is safe to say that it’s a fun read and a stronger premiere issue than even the most knowledgeable fans may expect.

Final Verdict: 7.5, A bloody fun vampire romp, with solid twists that even the most jaded horror fan may not see coming.