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True Blood Issue #1

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by Sarabeth Pollock:

In May 2012, IDW Publishing released the first issue of the True Blood ongoing comic.  Showrunner Alan Ball laid the foundation for the ongoing comic with the first miniseries, True Blood: All Together Now, released in 2011.  Two other series followed, Tainted Love and The French Quarter, and all three were immensely successful.  Their success led to the birth of the ongoing True Blood comic series.

One of the things that made me excited about this comic leading up to its release is the fact that Michael McMillian is one of the writers.  McMillian, who portrays the former Reverend Steve Newlin, now the newborn “gay Vampire-American,” on the series, was also a writer on Tainted Love.  The new ongoing comic is set up to stand alone and compliment the series at the same time.  Having a writer at the helm who is also an actor on the television series may prove to be helpful for the fans…but only time will tell.

Issue #1 commences the “Where Were You?” storyline, and it starts with Sookie’s Story.  It opens on Coffin Night, a national vampire holiday celebrating the night when vampires “came out of the coffin” during the Great Revelation.  Sookie is on the phone with Sam, telling him she’s stuck in traffic on her way into work.  Sam isn’t too worried, because Merlotte’s isn’t busy on this holiday.  This is a night of celebration for vampires, and so vampires and fangbangers alike have taken to the street to celebrate in public.

Chow, Eric’s vampire right-hand man, shows up at Merlotte’s to present a request from the Sheriff.  Fangtasia is full of people and Eric wants Sookie to help fill in as a waitress, and he offers her a lot of money to do it.  Of course, this is really a ploy so that Eric can keep an eye on Sookie on one of the more dangerous nights of the year.  He knows how appealing her fairy blood is, so he wants her nearby…just in case.  Sookie isn’t the only one at Fangtasia that night.  Jessica is also there, and she asks Sookie what she was doing on the night of the Great Revelation.  Sookie’s mind drifts back to that fateful night….

And so the scene is set for us.  It is clear how this comic is a great tool, able to move through the True Blood universe completely uninhibited.  And Sookie’s memories are insightful.  Before the Great Revelation, she was the target of gossip and taunting by the Bon Temps locals who suspect there is something different about the Stackhouse girl.  She is working her shift at Merlotte’s enduring the taunts (Jason and Sam come to her aid), when the announcement comes.  It is a huge moment for the world, and Sookie can hear the terrified thoughts of the people around her; some people pray, others wonder if it’s a joke, and some fear for their loves.  For Sookie, however, it’s a huge relief:  “…Suddenly I wasn’t the weird one anymore.  To most people the world was a scarier place…but for the first time in my life I stopped being afraid.”

Of course, back in the present day there are other things going on.  Chow ends up in a box of Chinese food and the mystery begins.  But it’s a great way to delve into the storyline, past and present.  2013 will bring an end to Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Mysteries and I strongly believe that this comic will fill in the gaps.  Not only that, but it will give all of us in #FangNation something to sink our teeth into between Seasons 5 and 6.

Have you read the comic?  Share your thoughts below or contact me on Twitter.

Sarabeth Pollock is a contributor for DarkMedia.  Follow her on Twitter at @SarabethPollock and check out her blog at sarabethpollock.wordpress.com.

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About The Author

Sarabeth Pollock is the Senior Contributing Editor for Dark Media. She covers a little bit of everything, from TV shows and movies to comic books and pop culture. She’s an avid writer, reader, and pop culture fan and regular attendee at San Diego Comic Con. Follow her on Twitter at @SarabethPollock

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