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The Strain #7 comics review

By Leroy Douresseaux
May 24, 2013 - 09:31

The Strain #7 cover image

Part 7: “Rats”

The 11-issue, comic book adaptation of The Strain, a 2009 vampire novel from filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and novelist Chuck Hogan is published by Dark Horse Comics.  Also entitled, The Strain, the comic book is scripted by David Lapham, drawn by Mike Huddleston, colored by Dan Jackson, and lettered by Clem Robins.

Dr. Ephraim “Eph” Goodweather of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) heads the Canary Project, a rapid-response team that investigates biological threats.   Eph and his second-in-command, Nora Martinez, have found such a threat at J.F.K. International Airport in New York City.  There, a Boeing 777 went dead silent after landing, while inside, almost all the passengers and crew were dead.  Now, bodies are disappearing, and a strange virus is leaving people dead and bringing back people who should be dead.

In The Strain #7, Eph becomes public enemy number one, as he and Dr. Martinez are framed for murder and sabotage.  Now, more than ever, they need Professor Abraham Setrakian, teller of strange vampire tales.  Meanwhile, Eldritch Palmer, CEO of the Stoneheart Group, takes an active role in a conspiracy around the mysterious virus that is spreading across NYC.

Meet Vasiliy Fet, rat exterminator extraordinaire.  He gets a call from an acquaintance after the man’s daughter is bitten by a rather large rat.  Vasiliy says that such large rats usually keep underground, unless something scares them out.  What is scaring the rats?  A visit to the area beneath “The Bathtub,” the foundation site of the World Trade Center, will reveal something wicked.

THE LOWDOWN:   The seventh issue of The Strain pays attention to a supporting character, Eldritch Palmer, and a guest star, Vasiliy Fet.  Writer David Lapham does not miss a beat; this issue is as good as the ones that focus on Eph or Setrakian.  It’s Lapham talent; when writing a thriller, he makes every page count.  Artist Mike Huddleston takes the story from one character or scene to another, and his art is consistently excellent.  He and Lapham make it a strain to stop reading The Strain.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Fans of horror comic books should have read The Strain by now.

 

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12