Writer: David Lapham

Artist: Mike Huddleston

Colors: Dan Jackson

The End is near

The Strain has lived up to its name, as vampires have taken over and made the denizens of New York into cattle. It’s been a dark road as our heroes have been through the ringer to put an end to the vampiric threat. The Master and his army of vampires have been at the top of the food chain for awhile. After finding the Black Site, Ephram and his team head to where it’s located, to put an end to The Master.

The beginning starts off with a bang, as the vampires begin their assault on the group as they splint into two. Gus and Nora, stumble into finding Ephraim’s son, Zack. Vasiliy, Ephraim, and Quinlan find a couple that helps with the Black Site’s location. This issue gives us time for us to catch our breaths and allows us to understand what’s going on. The Master has always seemed to find a way to get closer to Ephraim. Zack and Ephraim do reunite but is short lived. The story doesn’t get bogged down by too much drama but prepares us for the finale. David Lapham has done a great job of taking us through this dark and draining tale. Interactions between characters play out exactly how you would think at this point. As The Master closes in, a father breaks his son’s heart, and the bomb is on its way to the Black Site. We are getting close to the end of the series as next issue settles up everything.

The series wouldn’t be this dark without the art by Mike Huddleston. His art makes this series great and the imagery tells you that this is a dark tale. The vampires look menacing, pale, lifeless, relentless, and dangerous. Dan Jackson weaves in his colors into the story and adds more life to this tale.

I can’t believe that this series is coming to a close. This has been a great adaptation on the Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan novels. I’ll miss the team of Lapham and Huddleston for making this tale arise in a graphic format. Lapham storytelling, Huddleston’s artwork, and Jackson’s colors help reinforce the darkness of the story. Since this story is coming to a close, look at the bright side as The Strain has come back on the air on FX.

5 Masters out of 5