By WILLIAM J. WRIGHT
Chinese spy balloons are nothing compared to what’s coming from Russia in SURVIVAL, the new five-issue limited series from Dark Horse Comics. Written by Sean Lewis (King Spawn) and drawn by Bryndon Everett (Halfbreeds), with covers by Tomm Coker (The Black Monday Murders), SURVIVAL #1 follows Emma Reed as she returns home to Alaska for a reunion of military alumni. However, the tense atmosphere of the meeting quickly becomes the least of her worries when a plane crash unleashes a weaponized supernatural force. As an invasion of bloodthirsty Russian vampires descends on Alaska, political intrigue, action and mind-ripping horror collide in a tale that could have been ripped from today’s headlines.
“SURVIVAL was written years before Russia invaded Ukraine,” writer Sean Lewis says. “Some would call it prescient, but it seemed obvious … old empires don’t like to fall. SURVIVAL merges a social aspect with a very fun, very pulp story of vampires and machine guns, survivalists and invaders.”
“Not only did I grow up at the tail-end of the Cold War reading comics, pulp novels, and watching B-movies with my dad, but my grandfather was also a hermit on the Olympic Peninsula,” artist Bryndon Everett adds. “I spent my summers with him on his mountain, learning bushcraft and learning the value of self-reliance. This is my world, so it was a whole lot of fun getting to be a part of this project.”
Produced by 12-Gauge Comics (Plastic, Plush), the debut issue arrives in comic shops May 3. It is available for pre-order now at your local comic shop for $3.99. Can’t wait? Get a sanguine soupçon of the mayhem to come in the gallery below!
