Running Red

Vampires and werewolves collide in Vault Comics’ World Of Darkness: Crimson Thaw

BASED ON THE POPULAR tabletop game, Vault Comics’ Vampire: The Masquerade is now spawning its own spin-off. Written by regular Masquerade scribes Tim Seeley, Tini Howard and Blake Howard along with Danny Lore and Jim Zub, and illustrated by Julius Ohta, three-issue event series Crimson Thaw pits the bloodsuckers against the lycanthropes of the World Of Darkness universe.

“In June last year, I reached out to Vault to see if they were looking at expanding their World Of Darkness comic offerings. My timing was good because they’d already been considering adding Werewolf: The Apocalypse into the mix,” explains Zub, referring to the game from which the furry beasts hail and confirming that the series will explore their long-standing rivalry with the vampires.

“It’s an age-old conflict, but we also make sure there’s a specific reason for this particular battle,” he continues. “The vampires have overstepped their ground in their hubris and need a reminder that they don’t run things as much as they think they did.”

“It’s a story about assets and territory,” adds Seeley. “In the World Of Darkness, vampires and werewolves have to hide from humanity, which means they often occupy the same, very limited ground. Any incursion causes tension, and in this story, we get a very big incursion.”

Each issue of Crimson Thaw also includes exclusive gaming material from Paradox Interactive’s upcoming fifth edition of Vampire: The Masquerade. SJ

World Of Darkness: Crimson Thaw #1 is out in September.