Blood & Water
Encyclopedia
Blood & Water was a 2003
five-issue horror
comic book
limited series
written by Judd Winick
and illustrated by Tomm Coker
, with covers by Brian Bolland
. It was published by Vertigo Comics from March to July, 2003, with cover dates of May to September, 2003.
It stars Adam Heller, a young man with terminal illness whose friends offer to save his life, but through an unusual means that may come with a price.
, forcing him to drop out of college, and taking his once athletic body away from him. He has just been told of an inoperable hepatoma on his liver, and has not long to live.
Adam's best friend of five years, Joshua, and his lover, Nicole, tell him that they are vampires, and want to turn him into one to save his life. Adam is frightened, but they explain that vampires are not villains who attack innocent humans, and only drink animal blood, because human blood turns vampires into irreversible psychotics that the vampire community must then "take out". Although crosses and daylight are not fatal to them, they are sensitive to light, and wear sunblock and sunglasses regularly. They are immortal (Nicole is 278 years old), never become sick, and have five times the strength of humans, though they can die if they bleed to death or experience massive tissue loss.
Adam agrees to become a vampire, and drinks some of their blood. After a painful transformation, he is born anew, the ills suffered from his body having disappeared. Adam enjoys his new life, the powers he has, and the sex that he hasn’t had in three years.
One night, Josh is attacked and mauled by a mysterious assailant. Taking refuge at Adam's apartment before he dies, he begs Adam to make sure he is cremated within twenty-four hours, because vampires who die without cremation returns as emotionless zombies. After Josh dies, Adam and Nicky are joined by other members of the vampire community at a wooded ceremonial plot outside of Santa Cruz
. Malcolm, the oldest living vampire, and the greatest hunter-tracker among them, says only another vampire could have killed Josh, and that a unit of the Taveen, a sort of royal guard of the vampire race, is already investigating. He refuses to help, however, because he is no longer Taveen, and is done hunting vampires. An altercation ensues, and Adam strikes Malcolm, sending him flying through the trees, much to the shock of the crowd, who wonder how a month-old vampire could do this to one of the Ancient Ones. Malcolm says that Adam is “old blood”, calling him “Tribe”. Nicky is horrified at this, and the other vampires flee in terror.
Nicky explains that thousands of years ago, a sect of vampires called Tribe developed that, unlike other vampires, feasted on humans, and later, other vampires, altering them physiologically and mentally, becoming ferocious creatures whose strength dwarfed that of normal vampires. Unlike normal vampires, they procreated, and their children were mostly abandoned, murdered or devoured. They eventually turned on each other, and a myth began that they fell into hibernation
, and would only be awakened by the smell of one of their own. It was feared that some of the Tribe’s abandoned children would be found and raised by humans, their true nature remaining dormant as long as they did not feed on blood. Adam is apparently a descendant the Tribe, and when Josh and Nicky made him, he not only became Tribe himself, but a dormant member of that race awakened and came for him, attacking Josh because Adam’s blood smells like that of his maker.
Adam and Nicky return to San Francisco, and wait for the creature in Golden Gate Park
. Adam confesses that he did not get Hepatitis A from food poisoning, but from a dirty heroin needle. He and Nicky are then attacked by three Tribe. Malcolm arrives to assist Adam and Nicky, and Adam kills the Tribe. Nicky tells Adam that she must leave in order to grieve Josh, but jokingly tells Adam that since he’s the only vampire in existence who can procreate, she might return to him one day.
comics, and now showed in his horror work. He commended the stark, textured realism of Tomm Coker’s art, and the surreal tone added by Jason Wright’s colors. MacPherson was impressed by Winick and Coker’s depiction of Adam’s hepatitis, which with Josh and Nicky’s offbeat characters, added a mature, twisted sense of fun to the story.
Randy Lander, reviewing the second issue, referred to the vampire material as “great”, praising Josh and Nicky’s humor, and the concrete terms with which Winick described things like the taste of the blood concoction, the way vampires live and eat, and the anecdote about vampire celebrities. Lander praised Coker’s art as “moody but not too dark”, able to convey both the humor and the horror, particularly Adam’s hallucinations as he is made.
Rick Dakan of Pop-Comics.com also saw the artwork as “very strong and moody” and perfectly suited to the story, but thought the story’s pace was a somewhat slow. He nonetheless thought Winick handled the exposition of issue #2 well, and enjoyed it as much as the first issue.
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
five-issue horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written by Judd Winick
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is an American comic book, comic strip and television writer/artist and former reality television personality...
and illustrated by Tomm Coker
Tomm Coker
Tomm Coker, also known as Thomas L. Coker, is an American comic book artist and film director/writer.-Career:Coker's career started in the early nineties drawing comic books for Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Marvel Comics and DC Comics...
, with covers by Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland
Brian Bolland is a British comics artist, known for his meticulous, detailed linework and eye-catching compositions. Best known in the UK as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology 2000 AD, he spearheaded the 'British Invasion' of the American comics industry, and in...
. It was published by Vertigo Comics from March to July, 2003, with cover dates of May to September, 2003.
It stars Adam Heller, a young man with terminal illness whose friends offer to save his life, but through an unusual means that may come with a price.
Full credits
- Writer: Judd Winick
- Artist: Tomm Coker
- Colors: Jason Wright & Digital ChameleonDigital ChameleonDigital Chameleon was a comic book coloring and inking studio based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have countless credits for a variety of publishers, and are attributed with being the first studio to make the use of the computer software program Adobe PhotoShop widespread in the comics industry...
- Covers: Brian Bolland
- Letters: Kurt Hathaway
- Editors: Mariah Huehner & Heidi MacDonald
Plot
San Francisco resident Adam Heller is a young man who had a bright future ahead of him. But a case of food poisoning when he was twenty gave him Hepatitis AHepatitis A
Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus , an RNA virus, usually spread the fecal-oral route; transmitted person-to-person by ingestion of contaminated food or water or through direct contact with an infectious person...
, forcing him to drop out of college, and taking his once athletic body away from him. He has just been told of an inoperable hepatoma on his liver, and has not long to live.
Adam's best friend of five years, Joshua, and his lover, Nicole, tell him that they are vampires, and want to turn him into one to save his life. Adam is frightened, but they explain that vampires are not villains who attack innocent humans, and only drink animal blood, because human blood turns vampires into irreversible psychotics that the vampire community must then "take out". Although crosses and daylight are not fatal to them, they are sensitive to light, and wear sunblock and sunglasses regularly. They are immortal (Nicole is 278 years old), never become sick, and have five times the strength of humans, though they can die if they bleed to death or experience massive tissue loss.
Adam agrees to become a vampire, and drinks some of their blood. After a painful transformation, he is born anew, the ills suffered from his body having disappeared. Adam enjoys his new life, the powers he has, and the sex that he hasn’t had in three years.
One night, Josh is attacked and mauled by a mysterious assailant. Taking refuge at Adam's apartment before he dies, he begs Adam to make sure he is cremated within twenty-four hours, because vampires who die without cremation returns as emotionless zombies. After Josh dies, Adam and Nicky are joined by other members of the vampire community at a wooded ceremonial plot outside of Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
. Malcolm, the oldest living vampire, and the greatest hunter-tracker among them, says only another vampire could have killed Josh, and that a unit of the Taveen, a sort of royal guard of the vampire race, is already investigating. He refuses to help, however, because he is no longer Taveen, and is done hunting vampires. An altercation ensues, and Adam strikes Malcolm, sending him flying through the trees, much to the shock of the crowd, who wonder how a month-old vampire could do this to one of the Ancient Ones. Malcolm says that Adam is “old blood”, calling him “Tribe”. Nicky is horrified at this, and the other vampires flee in terror.
Nicky explains that thousands of years ago, a sect of vampires called Tribe developed that, unlike other vampires, feasted on humans, and later, other vampires, altering them physiologically and mentally, becoming ferocious creatures whose strength dwarfed that of normal vampires. Unlike normal vampires, they procreated, and their children were mostly abandoned, murdered or devoured. They eventually turned on each other, and a myth began that they fell into hibernation
Hibernation
Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve food, especially during winter when food supplies are limited, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
, and would only be awakened by the smell of one of their own. It was feared that some of the Tribe’s abandoned children would be found and raised by humans, their true nature remaining dormant as long as they did not feed on blood. Adam is apparently a descendant the Tribe, and when Josh and Nicky made him, he not only became Tribe himself, but a dormant member of that race awakened and came for him, attacking Josh because Adam’s blood smells like that of his maker.
Adam and Nicky return to San Francisco, and wait for the creature in Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
. Adam confesses that he did not get Hepatitis A from food poisoning, but from a dirty heroin needle. He and Nicky are then attacked by three Tribe. Malcolm arrives to assist Adam and Nicky, and Adam kills the Tribe. Nicky tells Adam that she must leave in order to grieve Josh, but jokingly tells Adam that since he’s the only vampire in existence who can procreate, she might return to him one day.
Reaction
Don MacPherson of thefourthrail.com, reviewing the first issue, was surprised by the range of Winick’s writing, stating that Winick’s strong characterization was the common element in his humor, biographical, and superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
comics, and now showed in his horror work. He commended the stark, textured realism of Tomm Coker’s art, and the surreal tone added by Jason Wright’s colors. MacPherson was impressed by Winick and Coker’s depiction of Adam’s hepatitis, which with Josh and Nicky’s offbeat characters, added a mature, twisted sense of fun to the story.
Randy Lander, reviewing the second issue, referred to the vampire material as “great”, praising Josh and Nicky’s humor, and the concrete terms with which Winick described things like the taste of the blood concoction, the way vampires live and eat, and the anecdote about vampire celebrities. Lander praised Coker’s art as “moody but not too dark”, able to convey both the humor and the horror, particularly Adam’s hallucinations as he is made.
Rick Dakan of Pop-Comics.com also saw the artwork as “very strong and moody” and perfectly suited to the story, but thought the story’s pace was a somewhat slow. He nonetheless thought Winick handled the exposition of issue #2 well, and enjoyed it as much as the first issue.