Yeah, I know. I'm tired of vampire stories too. But Blood & Water actually is different from other vampire stories, just like creator Winick has been telling people in his "On the Ledge" column. For one thing, the whole vampire aspect is just barely explored this issue, as Winick puts his considerable talent to work developing the characters first, and the result is a strong foundation to build a story on. Adam Heller, the lead character, comes across as feeling a little bit sorry for himself, but it's understandable given the hand of cards life has dealt him, and Winick and Coker do an excellent job of portaying a guy who has known only sickness and gloom for several years. Then they give him a way out, and that's where things get interesting, and make it almost certain that readers of this first issue will come back for more.
What stands out most about this issue for me is the visual that Coker has cooked up for Adam Heller. Just from seeing the character, even without getting any of the narration, you know a lot about him. His body has been distorted by illness, and he's had to live with a lot of pain and a lot of failed expectations. With his distended belly and sloppy clothes, he has the look of a man who has pretty much given up. Coker also has a style that sort of places Heller out of reality to some degree, as if we're viewing all of this through his memories, so that we only see background details when they're important, but usually we just see him at the center of things. It reminds me of some of Tim Bradstreet's work, with the same gritty tone and focus on how shadows fall across the human body.
Of course, there's only so much you can convey with visuals, and that's where the first-person narration, courtesy of Winick, comes in. Heller comes across not as self-pitying but more self-deprecating, a good guy who had bad luck and is dealing with it the best way he can, with a sense of gallows humor and a little bit of well-earned moping. This entire first issue is mostly dedicated to telling us who he is, what his sickness has done to him and what he was before he got sick. It's a fairly bleak and realistic look at serious illness, and it speaks well of Winick that he's able to convey is so convincingly, especially since reaching for this material probably forces him to revisit some dark places in his own life.
Blood & Water isn't going to be a crushing portrayal of one man's search for a cure for his illness, though. It becomes quite clear at the end that this darker tone may be the ground floor of a somewhat quirky and funny story when we're introduced to Josh and Nicky, Adam's best friends who also happen to be vampires. A lot of my interest in the book hinges on how being a vampire is treated, and whether the sense of fun continues, but we're off to a good start, with Adam's choice of crucifix and Nicky's reaction being particularly funny.
I'm not really in the market for a new vampire story, and haven't been for some time. But a new story with solid characters and an interesting twist on an old formula, not to mention a sense of humor and solid art? Hell, I'm always in the mood for one of those.
