Vampire stories come in a wide range of approaches, but at their core they all share one thing: vampire stories are ultimately about humanity. Sometimes the aspect of humanity takes the form of abandoning it, with horrific tales of monstrous bloodsuckers that have no regard for the creatures they once were. Others, the story centers around the imitation of humanity, with vampires trying to find a way to exist in the living world undetected and still others center around the quest to become human again. It’s the latter take on humanity that is at the heart of Operation Sunshine. Published by Dark Horse Comics and written by The Last Podcast on the Left hosts Henry Zebrowski and Marcus Parks—along with artwork by David Rubin, colors by K.J. Diaz, and letters by Ferran Delgado—the first issue sets up the unexpected journey of two vampire-like creatures known as “bugs,” Hex and Steve, who find themselves embroiled in a quest to find a magical relic from an “OV” (original vampire) and to be cured of the vampirism in the process. It’s a fun premise with a fresh take on vampire lore and while the execution is a little rough at points, the issue sets up a blood sucking horror story that feels just new enough to venture into the light with.
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The first issue of Operation Sunshine is, narratively, pretty dense. From a practical standpoint, the issue not only has to world build and set up some of the story mechanics, but also has to introduce our primary characters, their conflict, and send it all off to the races. It’s a big task, but it gets done, offering a quick overview of the idea of “bugs” and “OVs” all while simultaneously introducing Hex, an eternal teenager just trying to scrape by in contemporary New. York where she’s lived for centuries at this point. The transition to the next primary character’s story is a little imprecise, taking readers to Steve, an office worker who is himself a newly made bug who has found a way to continue his human life by claiming to have a “skin condition”. He and Hex collide when he uses an app he created, Bloodpool, to get a blood delivery that ends up having something more with it: information about some of the scariest of the OVs which in turn leads to an elder vampire and a quest for a stone that could very well cure Hex and Steve, giving them back their human lives.
What works is the inventiveness of that story. While we’re not deep into events yet, the issue offers a solid overview of this take on vampirism, one where there are those born as vampires, those who are created, and what seems to be some sort of sadistic hunter/hunted dynamic between the two. Humans, at least thus far, seem to be secondary to the story. This is truly a vampire’s tale. What works a little less well is that the characters feel more like caricature than fully developed characters with stories worth caring about. Steve is very much a nerdy, outcast stereotype and the elder vampire who they end up working with, Anwar Gobin, is a very campy Dracula riff. it’s distracting, though hopefully future issues will flesh both characters out and use their more stereotypical aspects to play for comedy. There’s also a lot of clichéd language used by all the characters, which contributes to an uneven read.
Art-wise, the style is certainly one that might not appeal to all tastes but works very well with the tone of this story. It’s a little rough, a little cartoon-like – an approach that particularly works for the transformation between the human guise and the more monstrous forms of the bloodsuckers. The colors also play beautifully into the line work, giving the story a gritty vibe that fits the setting and, at times, even adds some depth to the characters that the actual writing hasn’t offered yet.
Operation Sunshine #1 is a solid enough start to a story. While the first issues suffers from some rough transitions and some small issues with characterizations—and is overstuffed with information straight out of the gate—the story is promising and offers a fresher take on the classic stories about vampires and humanity. It’s horror with humor and even a bit of fun. It will be interesting to see where this all goes and whether Hex and Steve really can see the sun again.
Published by Dark Horse Comics
On October 11, 2023
Written by Henry Zebrowski, Marcus Parks
Art by David Rubin
Colors by K.J. Diaz
Letters by Ferran Delgado
Cover by David Rubin
