Life Sucks
Jessica Abel & Gabe Soria, writers; Warren Pleece, artist
Fantagraphics Books, 2024

Originally published by First Second in 2008, Life Sucks got its first digital publication from Fantagraphics Books in 2024, which put it back on my radar. For protagonist Dave Miller, the title is accurate in multiple ways. He is broke, girlfriendless, and stuck in a dead-end job. But it gets worse: he is also a vampire, and being the night manager of the Last Stop (LA’s vampire-owned and operated all-night convenience store) is his fate, as his crappy boss is also his Vampire Master. As a mortal, Dave was a vegetarian, and he still refuses to hunt humans for their blood, which leaves him weak among the other vampires. Then he finds himself competing with psychotic surfer-vamp Wes for the affections of Rosa, a goth who is flirting with the dark side. Dating Rosa while trying to conceal his true nature provides plenty of plot complications, as does the issue of needing to be inside during daylight. This is ultimately a YA romance story, so things work out…and in the end, Dave even gets past his live human blood aversion to recruit his replacement as the Last Stop’s night manager. Warren Pleece deserves special mention for his character designs, which go a long way towards selling the story.

The Department of Truth Vol. 5: What Your Country Can Do For You
James Tynion IV, writer; Martin Simmonds, artist; Aditya Bidikar, letterer; Alison Sampson, artist; Jordie Bellaire, colorist; Elsa Charretier, Tyler Boss, John J. Pearson, David Romero, Jorge Fornes, guest artists
Image Comics, 2025

This series has been on hiatus for a long time: the previous collection was published in 2022. In the previous volume the last scene found Lee Harvey Oswald telling Matty to publish the real story of the Department of Truth in the Washington Post, hopefully saving the world in the process. The story picks up from there, but first it flashes back to Lee’s recruitment into the Department of Truth, his time spent in the Soviet Union learning about the Department of Lies, and his role in the assassination of JFK. It turns out that his memory is fuzzy, but he does recall the mysterious demonic woman in red with crossed-out eyes picking up his rifle and taking the shot. The third issue in this arc features a fascinating array of guest artists taking over parts of the narrative from Simmonds. The two final issues are titled Deviation 7: they tell the story of Marilyn Monroe, whose story was entwined with Kennedy’s. Her life was stranger than fiction, so strange that she may have slipped completely out of reality. The Department sends Huck (who has served as an assassin to imaginary creatures like Bigfoot that somehow got imagined into reality) to check on her. He concludes that she is just as imaginary, but cannot bring himself to kill her…until she takes care of the problem by committing suicide with a drug overdose. Alison Sampson (who was also one of the guest artists in the previous arc) and colorist Jordie Bellaire provide surreal visuals that harmonize with Simmonds’ without being imitative.