Vampires Just Living Life in the Future in ‘Bleed Them Dry #1’ Review

Creator: Hiroshi Koizumi / Writer: Eliot Rahal / Artist: Dike Ruan / Vault Comics Whereas some science fiction comics revel in the elaborate worldbuilding in their inaugural issue, Bleed Them Dry instead opts to just casually state that vampire exist in the future and proceeds to continue on its merry way of blending all of the greatest parts of cyberpunk, ninjas, and vampires without a care in the world. This is the double-edged sword that creator Hiroshi Koizumi, writer Eliot Rahal, artist Rahal, and colorist Muerto wield in unison. On one hand, it’s a bit of shock to be in the year 3333 and there are vampires just living their lives. On the other, unburdened by long expositions and an imagined history, the creative is able to fully embrace the wildness of the world and let the audacity of this vampire ninja tale speak for itself. And dear readers, it’s saying that the team is here to have fun. While there aren’t specifics of how exactly we ended up in a Japanese mega-city called Asylum, the story does manage to create an evocative world. The cityscape has a distinctively futuristic look with its odd geometries and beautiful technicolor. The vampires contrast quite nicely with the humans having a distinct aura around them accentuated by both Ruan’s artwork and Muerto’s colors. And lead detective and lead of the story, Harper Halloway drives the story with her narration and presence, and while I got questions about how law enforcement has somehow managed to make it to 3333, …