The Strain, Vol. 2
Story by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Script by David Lapham
Illustrated by Mike Huddleston
Colored by Dan Jackson
Lettered by Clem Robins
Covers and Chapter Art by E. M. Gist
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 05, 2013
Cover Price: $19.99

Adapted from the novel by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, volume two of the comic series The Strain has just been released by Dark Horse. Written by David Lapham, with art from Mike Huddleston and color by Dan Jackson, this action-packed thriller has really picked up the pace and shed some new light into the mystery of the vampire plague. Read on to find out my thoughts!

Dr. Ephraim Goodweather is on the run and wanted for murder. He and his partner Nora have teamed with the aging Jewish vampire hunter, Abraham Setrakian, to get the truth out about the vampire Sardu and human cohort Eldritch Palmer’s devious plans for world domination. Setrakian knows all about the vampire catastrophe hitting New York, as he has a long history with Sardu dating back to his time in a concentration camp; and for certain reasons, Setrakian feels it is his fault for ushering in the oncoming apocalypse. It’s a race against time as a disease is spreading through the five boroughs of New York City and other players are beginning to make themselves known, including other original vampires called The Ancients.

Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword, Volume 1
Written by Paul Tobin, Scott Allie, Mark Finn, Marc Andreyko, Joe Casey, Robert E. Howard, Jeremy Barlow, David Lapham, Joshua Williamson, Dave Land, Peter Doree
Art/Illustrations/Pencils/Inks/Colors by Wellington Alves, Ben Dewey, Greg Scott, Pop Mhan, Tony Parker, Fabio Cobiaco, Patric Reynolds, M.S. Corley, Sean Phillips, Tim Bradstreet, Tim Seeley, Robert Atkins, Rebecca Buchman, Michael Atiyeh, Dave Stewart, Grant Goleash, Michelle Madsen, Jose Villarrubia, Brian Miller, Hi-Fi Colour Design, Dan Jackson
Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 9, 2013
Cover Price: $17.99

Okay, first off, the individuals listed above were done so in the order in which their stories were placed in the anthology, subdivided by the type of work they contributed. No offense was implied towards any person who might have been placed incorrectly in this review. There, I’ve been about as politically correct as I can be. All characters are based upon the work of Robert E. Howard. This is, after all, Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword, Volume 1.

The Strain #2
Story by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Script by David Lapham
Art by Mike Huddleston
Colors by Dan Jackson
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Mike Huddleston
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: January 11, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

“They have always been here. Vampires. In secret and in darkness. Waiting.”

The Strain #2 keeps the story rolling and manages to hold your attention for the duration of the read. While it does seem to drop a lot of the depth the book had, it doesn’t sacrifice any of the major parts.

The story picks up right after the last issue with the three survivors in the hospital receiving treatment while the authorities are baffled by the seemingly unknown cause of death of the rest of the flight.

The Strain #1
Story by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Script by David Lapham
Art by Mike Huddleston
Colors by Dan Jackson
Letters by Clem Robins
Covers by Mike Huddleston, Steve Morris
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: December 14, 2011
Cover Price: $1.00

Amazing story, wicked plot, gorgeous art. There, that is my review of The Strain #1… no, seriously. It is that good. Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan wrote an excellent book and David Lapham did a very worthy adaptation for comic form. Add to that mix some great art from Mike Huddleston and you have the making of a stellar comic. No matter what your bag, this has something for you. This is a vampire tale that defies what you may have read in other comics or books. This takes a very modern view of the supernatural.

Put on your capes and cowls, everybody! There’s pine needles on the living room floor, snow on the ground, and a scent of cinnamon in the air. Your dogs and cats are tearing apart wrapping paper, your family’s in town and you can’t stop drinking sparkling cider for some reason. That could only mean one thing, folks, it’s the nondescript religious holiday season! And that means that it’s time to go into credit card debt so that you can show those closest to you that you care, you know? And to make it a little bit easier on you guys, we here at Geeks of Doom have been shoveling our driveways so that we can deliver to you this, The Holiday Geek Gift Guide – Batman Edition! The best bat-gifts possible for the geeks on you gift-giving list!

As you can see, I’ve changed up the intro a smidge, and that’s simply because today we celebrate the holiday in the best way possible, with The Batman. Yes, The Batman. And while it may not make much sense to you that we’re doing this, you fail to realize that Batman makes everything better. In fact, the presence of Batman-centric holiday gift guide on this site makes not only this site better, but also it makes the world better. And isn’t that truly what the holidays are about? Making things better or something like that? Sure, why not! Anyway, it’s been a pretty big year for The Dark Knight, and that will certainly be evidenced by the majority of this list. We’ll also be making it a little easier on you by narrowing this list down by separate topics such as comics (and comic-inspired items), statues, Batman: Year One, and Arkham City. Sure there will be some overlap, but that’s all right because we’re talking about Batman! So let’s start of with the merriest of merries, comic books!