This is the penultimate issue of The Strain: The Night Eternal series of comics and it is just as exhilarating to read as the show on FX is to watch.
The tagline of the comic reads: “FUEL UP FOR THE FINALE-LAST STOP FOR GAS BEFORE THE END OF THE WORLD!” I found that to be very appropriate because the reader is taken for a joyride, with the pedal to the metal from page one.
The issue starts off with a bang both literally and figuratively as we find the group of survivors being hounded by a horde of ravenous vampires. While fleeing from this onslaught of bloodsuckers they get split up into two teams.
On the way back to the rendezvous point Gus and Nora spot a helicopter and decide to track it. What, or rather who, they discover there will change everything.
Vasiliy, Quinlan, and Ephraim reach the meeting place and there they encounter an older couple who tell them of a settlement of another group of survivors not far up the river from there. More importantly, they have information on the Master’s origin site.
Soon after, Gus and Nora rejoin them all but that isn’t the only reunion that happens here. I don’t want to give away too much but not all homecomings are harmonious.
They soon realize that while trying to retreat from the Master’s reinforcements they have inadvertently fell into his trap and led him right to them. A fight soon ensues and the aftermath will effect our heroes for some time to come.
This issue comes to an end with a bomb on the way to the Master’s origin site and an explosive revelation as to who may be the one to end it all.
This comic is an adaptation of the novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The script by David Lapham is a masterful rework of the original.
The artwork is done by Mike Huddleston, who must have a key to unlock the mysteries of the mind of del Toro, because this comic looks and feels like a del Toro film. The colors were magnificently done by Dan Jackson.
The lettering was done by Clem Robins who gets bonus points for making thought/speech bubbles cool again. The cover was done by E. M. Gist.
This comic debuted on July 15th 2105 with the finale of this series set to drop on August 19th. The second season of The Strain TV show premiered at 10pm on FX on July 12th 2105.
You can find out what to expect from season 2 of The Strain and more by clicking here.
