's answer to the trending vampire phenomenon, True Blood, premiered with only average ratings in 2008. But the show raised the stakes with every episode — (that's the last vampire pun, I promise) — and by the end of the second season, an average of 12.4 million viewers were tuning in every week. It's even gone on to become the network's most-watched drama, surpassing even The Sopranos.
Which makes sense. Even as a gay man I'd rather look at Anna Paquin's rack than Tony Soprano's. (Which is kind of weird to say. I mean, she did play Rogue in the X-Men films. And Rogue ain't like that.)
The series, based on author Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, has risen from cult-favorite to marketable masterwork under the guidance of creator and adaptation-expert extraordinaire Alan Ball. You can even buy "Tru Blood" and enjoy a nice, warm bottle of Type O-Negative while watching the premiere of the show's third season on June 13th.
But if you're like the True Blood fans that I've met, and if you're reading this, you probably are — you can't stop there. You've read (and maybe re-read) the novels, you drank your overpriced cranberry juice with its licensed Tru Blood wrapper, and your roommate's ready to kill you for popping in your DVD again. So what do you do?
Head to your local comic shop, that's what.
This July, IDW Publishing will release True Blood #1. The comic company specializes in licensed properties, with a roster including everything from 24 to Star Trek, and Alan Ball himself is credited as a writer for the first issue. It features art by David Messina and even a variant cover by comics superstar J. Scott Campbell, pictured above.
The issue's solicitation reads like an episode you can't miss:
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2010.