An Appeal for I, Vampire
Many of us have that book that we read that we absolutely adore, but realistically understand that its chances of reaching certain issue # milestones are somewhat limited by the reality of sales. We hope with our fingers crossed behind our backs and then shout about the injustice of it all when the book is cancelled, blaming anyone we can get our hands on (most often the publisher). While we might’ve talked about how much we love the book before… the truth is more often than not we haven’t actively tried to “save” our book, at least not all that well. In the course of yesterday’s reading, I felt compelled to take an active step, not only to save one such book, but also to get out the word about a hidden gem that is even now still overlooked.
I’ve listened to people’s appeals for books in the past, have tried them out on recommendations, and have often found myself overjoyed at having done so. (Avengers Academy, courtesy of cafeterialoca and others, Uncanny X-Force and X-Factor courtesy of the use formerly known as Dark Huntress and others, btw.) So below, I’ll try a couple of different tactics to convince you to read this book. If you are someone who already reads this book and finds it as stellar as I do, what I ask is that you help its chances by keeping this appeal afloat… adding your own support and sharing the excitement of such a title.
Critical Acclaim: Clearly this book has a lot of critical support. History has indicated that this is not at all correlated to the title’s success, in comics, television or film. But nevertheless, I wanted to share a few statistics, to show how overwhelmingly positive the response has been from those who read it. I, Vampire is one of the only titles of the New 52 that has received Five Stars on every issue where it has been reviewed, here at ComicVine. The only other that comes to mind at this point is Batman. Average community ratings on these issues go from 4 stars up to 4.8 stars. IGN’s average rating for the book is an astounding 8.9 on a scale out of 10. The average. Twice, it has scored near perfect 9.5 ratings, and twice more it has been marked at 9.0, a rating they note as “Amazing.” Clearly these readers have found something rather spectacular about these books worth considering.
Sales: The sales figures for this book are, at first glance, not inspiring. Thus, the rationale for this appeal. But look again. Since the sales of the first issue, relative to other titles I, Vampire has actually bumped up its ranking among New 52 titles. It has, in fact, jumped up a total of 5 spots. In terms of the numbers of total readers lost, the book is actually the 11 best performing book, and it has retained the same percentage of its original readers as Action Comics and The Flash. That ain’t too shabby folks. Especially compared to other low charters, a lot more people are sticking to this book, and there is a reason why. DC has historically also breathed an extra life or two into books like this, whose sales are relatively low, but far exceed the expectations set for them… Manhunter, Blue Beetle, R.E.B.E.L.S. and Jonah Hex all stuck around in part because they hit a level and maintained it, just as I, Vampire is starting to its potential to do.
Jumping On: If you’re worried that you won’t be able to jump on, don’t. There are many different options for you. First, many stores still have issues of the first arc available. If they don’t, the collection of the first volume is coming shortly. You can pre-order it now on Amazon for 45% off. Secondly, the recent crossover the book had with Justice League Dark was a pretty stellar entry point. If you want to trial run a section of the story, this arc taking place from issues #7 to #8 of both titles is a good starting point. Issue #9 is also the start of a new direction, providing an excellent jumping on point for new readers.
Why Try It?: The writing. The art. The story. The whole shebang. It is, seriously, one of the top books in my stack each 4 week of the month… which, given the size of my pile, is saying something. It is a story within the shared DC Universe, without being ‘just another super’ book, one that adds its own twist to the mythos of the Vampire and ranges from an epic legend-style story to an intimate and intense tale of the journey of two not-quite people. And in the words of Reading Rainbow’s Levar Burton and children everywhere, “but you don’t have to take my word for it…”
So if you’ve read it, and recommend it, say so. If you check it out, and enjoy it, say so. Let’s get out the word.
I, Vampire Recommended By: TheOptimist
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