REVIEW: ‘Vampire: The Masquerade,’ Issue #1

The world of Vampire: The Masquerade is one of my favorites. The scenery, the violence, the themes, and of course the vampires. Now, Vault Comics has taken the table top and video game world to life in a new comic series: Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #1. Written by Tim Seeley, Tini Howard,  and Blake Howard, with art from Dev Pramanik and Nathan Gooden, colors by Addison Duke, and letters from Andworld Design, this first issue is a deep and dark start to a story with blood and intrigue in spades.

In Vampire: The Masquerade #1, Cecily Brine is a courier for the Twin Cities Camarilla who takes a mysterious younger vampire, Alejandra, under her wing. This issue works as any first-issue does, establishing the rules of the world through exposition and setting the stage by connecting you to the protagonist with an empathetic string.

Cecily is a badass, for lack of a better term. She’s cold on the outside and ruthless, killing a human as a sign for the other kindred, what the vampires are called in this world, to keep order. She’s an enforcer, but she also doesn’t buy into the monarchy of the Masquerade although she will protect by any means. We also get to see her fight, and her strength fills the panels. But instead of being the one-note tough as nails female character, she has a softer side. Under it all, she’s clinging to a hope that she buries inside herself as she tries to protect her aging Alzheimer’s afflicted sister.

While the issue carefully lays out glimpses of the kindred hierarchy this issue, it’s Cecily herself and her struggles that make this issue phenomenal and will pull any reader back for issue number two. While we see her brutality we also see her heart, laid bare for sister. Additionally, the pages that show Cecily interacting with her sister are heartbreaking and capture a small glimpse of caring for someone you love with the disease. This hit home for me in a way I didn’t expect, as did the way that Cecily is clinging onto what small pieces of her sister’s memory remains in the flashes that it comes back.

With such a massive creative team on one story, I was worried that you would be able to see the different marks of each writer and artist. Instead, Vampire: The Masquerade #1 is a flawless vampire story with teeth that comes together effortlessly. It elicits the emotions of the video game series while also making a spot for itself in the franchise as a story that stands alone. While there is a lot of naming titles without a clear structure, it’s clear that there is a method and there is also a madness coming after it.

A small feature of this issue that will hit home for the table top players out there is the inclusion of lore sheets for some of the series’ characters that make them playable characters. The fun thing about this inclusion is that it also allows readers to get even more familiar with Cecily, and what I’m assuming will be other characters as the series progresses.

There is a wonderful and dangerous world in Vault’s Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #1 and it’s just the beginning for it. If you’re worried about stepping into the vampiric underbelly of the Twin Cities with this issue because you’ve never played a game in the franchise, fear not. This is a story for vampire loves of all backgrounds and with a cover that exudes big Bliss energy, it’s a must-buy for horror fans.

Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #1 is available wherever comics are sold now.