"Your mission is havoc. [...] Do not get caught."

This graphic novel had literally everything I want in a story, let alone a vampire story. Badass, (blood) bank robbing, Nazi killing vampires? Sign me the hell up. The history, the diverse cast, the queer rep, the FBI, the art, the relationships, the not-so-secret government use of vampires, and the Thelma and Louise vibes made for a perfect read for me.

Rahal’s graphic novel is an enjoyable read but it does try to unpack a lot within its 150 pages. It a lot of ways it is very successful, but the reader does feel that it is part of an instalment and this maybe the beginning of a more involving story that will come at a later date.

I will write this review based on the above as I feel there is lot more to come. The Vampire genre is interesting and although you go to the beginnings with Bram Stoker or follow it through to the Vampire Diaries, there has been a lot of rules and guidelines broken and set up depending on how you like your vampires. Rahal has his vampires firmly established within the middle of Ann Rice and Vampire Diaries having a soap opera feel to his proceedings and carrying the story forward.

The story is very individual and given it a gay bent gives it the extra something to keep the reader invested. The action and characters are very well established and makes this a fun read. It is an unstoppable experience and keeps it interesting to a genre that sometimes becomes a bit thin due to over saturation.

Rahal does take the genre and make it his own but there are a lot of themes he tries to unpack within its pages and for the most part he does an excellent job but one wondered that if maybe it was longer, or he decided to use less themes he may have been more successful. This does not take away from the overall enjoyment of the graphic novel but I am hoping that this is just the first instalment and there will be much more to come.

His characters are exciting, thought provoking and the reader is truly invested in them and it would be a job to see more and see where their stories will lead you. Overall, loved it just wanted more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Vain is an amazing and innovative graphic novel featuring LGBTQ and PoC vampires! If you enjoyed Twilight, but wish that the vampires had been less "pale," look no further than The Vain. The Vain starts off with a group of four vampires, three of which appear to be PoC, robbing a bank. The vintage visuals of the bank, combined with the colors, made an impressive layout - an image that I will not soon forget. Soon afterward, at the start of the United States' involvement in World War II, the vampires turn from stealing blood to killing Nazis. The story goes on from there. People try to track down the group of four. The four's relationships ebb and flow as decades pass. Overall, this was a very original story, and I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. In addition, the art is fantastic. The faces and eyes, in particular, look lovely, and I could imagine the artist's prints being hung in a new art deco / art noveau exhibit. If the premise of vampires living it up throughout different decades sounds interesting to you, check out this graphic novel.

CW: There is a decent amount of blood and gore.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Vampires on the run, war, espionage, different eras, detectives, a little bit of romance — this graphic novel gives you all and more. Wow, such an interesting premise, not like and graphic novel I’ve read before! The art style is beautiful and the plot was engaging. Looking forward to reading more from this author!

That was such an interesting read. I loved the writing style, art style and characters. The book managed to have really good representation and the plot, although it was a tiny bit confusing at times, was really interesting and nice to read about. I especially liked the ending. (Also, this book gets bonus points for the super pretty cover!)

*Thank you to NetGalley and OniPress for providing me with an e-copy of this in exchange for an honest review*

!!SPOILERS AHEAD!! 3.5 stars.

Well, this was something alright. A lot happened in less than 150 pages and the ending was slightly underwhelming. It was enjoyable, but ultimately, I felt like I as the reader didn’t get any payoff by the end of the story as it ended so quickly after following the characters over 50 years. I understand that it was up to Lost and Fanny to end their lives as vampires the way they wanted to instead of being caught by the swarm of police cars that were chasing after them. Also, North and Marquis were already dead, so they had only themselves and their pink car, but it just felt anti-climatic after everything we’ve endured, like, they were all so badass at first going into robbing the blood supplies for themselves and knowing what they want to the grand ‘I’m glad I lived this life and will end it with you’ rhetoric. Considering the fact that they were the only LGBTQIA+ couple in the entire graphic novel, it seemed as though it was the kill your gays trope for shock value right at the end. That is just my opinion and I know that some readers will disagree with me. As a bisexual person, though, it was sad to see the queer representation we did have literally snatched away from us on the last page.

However, I did like the bits of Lost and Fanny’s relationship we did get. It was a brief glimpse of their 50 year relationship, but I enjoyed the stills we got where they were curled up together. Do I think it was enough to make up for the end? No, but it was nice to see when it was there.

In terms of plot, I don’t think it was as bad as other people are making it out to be. Yes, it was fast paced but you can’t go into immense detail in a graphic novel and the reader does have to do some of the work to fill in the gaps. I feel like we did get enough information as to what was happening to be able to follow the multiple threads and sub-plots. The panels and art style was really cool and I did vibe with the flow of the story and the clear iterations of a time skip.

The gore was quite graphic for me, but that’s more of a me thing than the graphic novel. I knew what I was getting into considering this is categorised as a horror, so this is more of a personal taste thing rather than a criticism of the portrayal of it on page. Saying that, the way it was drawn was really compelling in a strange way? Deffo more of the old style comic gore which was interesting to see.

The title was a nice touch to the name of the vampire clan. I came for them, and stayed because of Lost and Fanny. I was disappointed in the end, as I’ve explained, and that’s why it’s only a three and a half stars for me. The ending definitely let it down. I appreciate the time it took for the author and artist to make this, and I wish them well. I just don’t think this graphic novel was entirely my cup of tea, especially with the Franklin sub plot, but I am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to read this and I know it will totally be to someone else’s taste.

That said, if you’re looking for a vampire clan spanning from World War 2 to 2020, murder, mystery and a decades long case, this is the graphic novel for you.

Representation: Lesbian Relationship, Black Characters, Asian Characters.

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Body Gore, Violence, Guns, Drugs, Alcohol, Police/FBI, Hospital for People With Severe Mental Health Problems, Broken Marriage, Blackmail, Death

This graphic novel reminds me of others that I’ve enjoyed with its ensemble of outsiders working to disrupt a system. I like seeing the LGBT+ representation and racial diversity. The art in the book was excellent. I was rooting for the characters when they were fighting bigots and when they had clever dialogue. I’m glad I got the chance to read it.

I will say the story got a bit muddled as time progressed and it became unclear what the characters’ goals were. Towards the end I wasn’t really rooting for characters on either side, which was a shift from the beginning of the story. The ideas were good and the story would benefit from being more developed and cohesive.

I would like to see more books like this in the future.

An interesting take on the vampire story, it's fun and fast, but maybe a bit too fast?
The relatively short length didn't allow for much detail. We get a sort of vague idea of who the characters are; Felix, the soldier/detective/hero comes off a little better- we get some idea of his motivations and of who he is, but the vampires are a mystery. No background, no motivations, nothing. The big question for me was, why do they rob blood banks instead of just killing? What's their deal? We don't know, we just have to accept it for what it is and go with it. And it's fine, it's still a fun story, it just feels like it could use a little bit of fleshing out.
The ending was solid and kind of bittersweet? Very Thelma and Louise. (At the same time, though, it felt rushed, even though it took 80 years to get to it.) I appreciate the fact that it was a self-contained story with a concrete ending.
The art was polished and suited the tone. The artist did a great job of portraying the different time periods. You always knew where and when you were.
For me, it was alright, and something a bit different from what I normally read. I think if you're a vampire fan, though, this would be a nice addition to your library.

<b> The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </b>

2/5

Alright, this comic was oddly a bit rough to get through. I think it was mostly the plot that made it this way. Four vampires robbing places for blood sounded cool, but then fighting in the war and also the whole investigation? I found there was a lot going on and it was a bit much for me.

Pro's: I love the cover, the love between the two females I enjoyed. Great art

Cons: The constant gore that almost felt as if it was made for a ''shock'' effect but then started to bore, too many plotlines

Just not the story for me, unfortunately! However if you like comics containing war, gore and vampires, go for it!

This is an entertaining, if rather basic, vampire story. I read a lot of horror but not many graphic novels and this was a nice little diversion for a few hours.

I loved the premise of this novel, and I think it could have had more potential if this was made into volumes, just so the characters and the plot of the story were more fleshed out. I would have loved to see the vampires more throughout the years. the time jumps just made it hard to connect to the story

This one had it all: the forties slang, a library science major, queer representation, diverse characters, the FBI, WWII, Havana in the 50s, the 60s/70s cultural revolution, and vampires!

What a treat The Vain was. I loved the art and the storyline immensely. The story follows a group of four vampires working for the FBI during WWII to further America's interests in the war. Reading this felt like watching a delicious show, it was really fun to see this idea of vampires as spies/assassins with the backdrop of a really dark period of history unfolding in the background.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here in this house we appreciate a vampire aesthetic that is executed well. ESPECIALLY A LESBIAN VAMPIRE COUPLE!!!!!! Scamming the world together!!! Riding off into the sunset together!!!

So basically it’s vampires v secret service spanning the life of one man as he attempts to track them down and bring them to justice for a string or robberies and murders.

The art is great, the characters are both poc and hire and lgbtq+ which we LOVE to see. The story just felt a little flat overall but was still a fun and quick read.

This arc was received in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC copy from Oni Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 3.5 stars

The Vain brings the historical spin of vampires' centuries-long battle for survival mixed with Nazis in the present time (?). Sounds intriguing, right?

Four rebels, Lost, Fanny, North, and Marquis, form a group known as The Vain. The group operates for a few decades in attempts to keep body and soul (if any! :wink::wink:) together despite all the time and technology changes and development, adjusting to them and defying them. One FBI agent, Felix Franklin, stumbles upon one of the cases involving the group and decides to catch them, no matter the time, no matter the price.

As excited as I was about reading this graphic novel, I also found it rather difficult to follow the timeline and plot development. I loved the story (action-packed to the brim), loved the gory elements (it wouldn't hurt if there were more, in my opinion, because, after all, we are talking vampires here, and we expect that). The artwork is gorgeous — the illustrations are beautiful, the colours perfectly match the action, the lines are sharp, the facial expressions on point.

However, the timeline covers many historical events The Vain were involved in, starting with the Nazi period (the 1940s) to today. This made me feel rushed through the story, not giving me enough details or even time to digest what happened previously. I know the graphic novels are fast-paced (and I love them for that!) and that the large portion of the story is read-between-the-lines, but a frame or two more wouldn't hurt.

Two details struck me the most. The Vain, as a group, changed through time. Their outfits change to match the epoch, which added more personality to each character; we can see how they adjust themselves to the situation at the given time. And Lost and Fanny's sunrise escape ride... it literally took my breath away. Till death do them part!

I feel like this graphic novel could work as a series, as I still see it as little pieces of a bigger picture, not fully connected. I have many unanswered questions... Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed reading it!

The Vain is a cool vampire story that spans a century, but unfortunately I found the plot very underdeveloped since the format limits the depth the narrative can reach especially with so much time to cover. I wish this story had been split into maybe three volumes and expanded a bit so the characters could really be developed because honestly I feel like I barely know anything about the main four vampires and they're the coolest ones in the story.

I do like the vampire lore that The Vain established, and as a concept I am very into it.

A group of vampires with their teeth in a bunch of recent historical events, from the Nazis of the 40s to the Nazis of the 2020s? Yes! This follows a group of vampires called The Vain--Lost, Marquis, North, and Fanny--as they rob blood banks, get recruited by the FBI to infiltrate and kill Nazis, end up in Cuba in the 50s, Vegas in the 60s, and more. Also intertwined with the story is Franklin, the FBI agent working the blood bank robberies, convinced that they're being done by...vampires! He doesn't know how right he is, and it destroys his career and lands him in a psychiatric hosptial.

This was a really neat read, watching vampires wreck havoc upon actual historical events like WWII and Cuba in the 50s. J. Edgar Hoover is in the thick of everything, as well. I enjoyed it. I could have used more about the downfall of Agent Franklin, but the comic format sometimes requires things be left unsaid due to the short nature of each comic. Still really well done, and enjoyable.

Lost, with her sinful and slick vampire gang, is out on a rampage to rob the most famous blood banks across the world and across time. This gruesome graphic novel leaves no stones upturned when it comes to panache and vogue. Though the beginning was sort of rocky for me to decipher I was soon drawn into the plot, the stylish graphics, and the main protagonist Lost. The trope was pretty much the chase of the bad guy by the good guy, but the imagery, colors and action kept me hooked. I loved how they portrayed the lesbian relationship in the story as well. It was cool to see women in negative roles and be bad-ass.

This was my first vampire graphic novel (I am very new to graphic novels too), but I was amazed at how invested I was while reading The Vain. Loved loved the graphics and really enjoyed how the style and clothing changed with time, while staying true to the original character.

Hoping to read some cool and fun graphic novels here!

Interesting story and plot, great illustrations and engaging graphic novel. I’m not a big fan of horror but this kept me interested and reading.

I LOVED this comic! I've had so much fun reading it! The art is perfect, 100% up my street in terms of style, and I love the character design for our vampire protagonists. I would have liked for it to be a little longer and more in depth, there are definitely areas where I wanted the story to delve deeper and provide more information. Overall, a really great read.

Spinning history in a new way, adding a little more vampire.

This graphic novel follows a band of vampires living life and adapting to the changing times and how going against the flow can have a butterfly effect and not in a good way. They take on nazis and rob blood banks while unfortunately becoming obsessed with a man who has a brief encounter with them while in the FBI.

It had LGBTQ vampires, a lovely W|W couple, and this story did have a potentially good twist to history, but I couldn't get into it. I think the fats flashes through time through me off and my dislike of North.