Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artwork: Luca Pizzari
Colours: Adam Guzowski
Lettering: Jodie Troutman
Release Date: 8th July 2026

On sale today from BOOM! Studios, Vampyrates! takes two of the coolest possible subjects for a comic book – vampires and pirates – and smashes them together into a gloriously pulpy, swashbuckling adventure brimming with romance, violence, and betrayal. Series writer Fred Van Lente’s worldbuilding is absolutely top‑tier here, weaving an intriguing, multi‑layered political landscape across twenty‑six  pages without ever slipping into clunky exposition.

At the heart of the story is Empress Nira Lydia De Winter I, poised on the eve of a politically motivated wedding meant to unify the Night Isles under the banner of the one true Vampirium. Nira understands her duty – even accepts it, in a grim sort of way – but she has no affection whatsoever for her betrothed. Her heart lies elsewhere, with Davin, a “warmblood” whose forbidden presence alone is enough to spark scandal. Davin offers her a tantalising escape: abandon her obligations, flee across the seas aboard his ship, and uncover the mysteries of the world together.

Van Lente crafts Nira as a genuinely compelling protagonist – wilful, capable, and effortlessly cool even as the walls close in around her. Her visual design only reinforces that – red‑streaked hair, striking crimson eyes, and a lithe, angular frame that Luca Pizzari brings to the page with confidence. Pizzari’s art shifts seamlessly between tense emotional beats and fluid, kinetic action, while colourist Adam Gruzowski drenches the pages in moody reds,  pinks, and blues, giving the entire issue a lush, vampiric sheen.

When Nira’s blood‑soaked wedding inevitably erupts into chaos, the fragile stability of the Vampirium shatters. Forced to flee, she takes to the seas, only to collide, in a dramatic final‑page reveal, with a notorious former privateer turned pirate. It’s a cliffhanger that promises plenty of high‑stakes conflict and dangerous alliances, which is exactly what we all want from a book like this, right?

At the end of the day, Vampyrates! #1 is a confident, stylish opening chapter – a dark fantasy romp with bite and swagger, set in a world you immediately want to discover more of. A series well worth sinking your teeth into.

Rating: 4/5.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
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