Would you believe we can interrupt one long-running series with an even older and longer-running series? I’ve got no qualms with it, especially since it’s to cover the revival of one of the best comics anthologies this century. Ex.Mag was a series of anthologies from Peow Studios a few years ago—my last review of its fourth volume was during similarly distressing times—but since the studios dissolution not long ago, it seemed the series was all but gone. But with the launch of Peow2 and their revival of this anthology series, they’ve brought us the thematically appropriate fifth volume with Bloodsucker.

For this volume’s genre, we’re going back into the supernatural with over a dozen artists’ interpretations of vampires—from the lore to their presence in the nooks and crannies of our lives. Stories like Adam de Souza’s “Zoonosis” shows us the recognizably vampiric, but its genesis is all the stranger as it’s more of a possession story than having the curse transferred from another vampire. But then we do see that plenty, namely in “Blood Kiss” by Toa Roxae and the effects of that bite on one of the nuns living in a local convent. But what is always most interesting with interpretations of such well-known pop culture entities is the extent to which many creators can pull from the concept. “Le Blood” by Luca Oliveri gives us a vampire who’s rich, handsome, irresistible to most, and is only able to enjoy one kind of blood. But when he finds the person who has that blood—an unpopular guy at an art college who’s obsessed with video and tabletop games—and none of his usual charms and shortcuts work, he has to legitimately make friends with someone for the first time in centuries.

As with an of the Ex.Mag anthologies, Bloodsucker shows us how many different directions the narrative can push its mood. As mentioned with “Le Blood” previously, there’s a subversion of expectation for the character and tone of the story as a result. But in another piece like Marko K. Gavez’s “End of the Line” we’re instead shown this kind of weary desperation in the lead, M, and his desire to just not be immortal anymore. He tries to do something about the immortality, but nothing seems to stick longer than a few decades. At least until he takes a trip down deep below the Earth to a desolate chapel and we quickly shift into a strange horror piece.

Ex.Mag is why I keep coming back to anthology comics. There’s always something within its pages that remind me why comics as a medium and why genre experimentation help keep this kind of storytelling feel fresh. Throwing as many ideas as possible at something will always lead to a story that will keep and resonate for years and there are a few panels in this volume that I’ll keep coming back to long after I return it to my shelf. 

Get excited. Get bloody.

Drew Barth (Episode 331, 485, & 510) resides in Winter Park, FL. He received his MFA from the University of Central Florida.