5 Reasons Why You Should Be Reading American Vampire

3. The Storytelling

My favorite aspect of American Vampire is the storytelling. The plot starts in the Wild West with one of the main vampires, Skinner Sweet, being taken to his execution. Not all goes to plan and he becomes the first American vampire. The story then unfolds over American history as the formation of Vegas, the second world war and the 50's are all explored. Scott Snyder does a brilliant job when it comes to balancing the overall story arc and the stories of each individual character. The series is the story of the American vampires as a species and not just Skinner Sweet and Pearl Johnson. Characters flit in and out of the overall narrative and events that happened years ago to the character are rarely ignored or not followed up on. This leaves with the sense that everything matters and that it is all building up to something. The characters are also so defined in their personalities that it comes as a shock when they do something years later that goes against what you thought they might do. This is one of the things I enjoy about Snyder's storytelling in general, as much as you are given in terms of back story and context, sometimes something comes out of nowhere and takes you by surprise. This allows Snyder to explore themes such as progression, greed, racism and mortality through his characters and the time that they exist in. As a framing device, the across time aspect of American Vampire is a great idea as the reader is allowed to experience the events of an immortal life and how change affects the environment and vice-versa.

4. The Artwork

Rafa Alberquerque is amazing on this book. I am a fan of his artwork and he seems to be getting better and better with each story. The colours are also amazing and add as much to the mood as the art and story. There are a lot of cool character shots as well. The first appearance of Skinner Sweet as a vampire is a great sight to behold - all unleashed and hungry for revenge and sustenance...in no particular order! Rafa has also contributed to the back up stories during the Night of the Owls story and transferred his great story telling to Alfred and his families association with the Court. The way that Rafa often uses subtle expressions and body language truly makes the stories that much more emotional when something goes right...or wrong.