Normally when vampires show up in superhero comics, they're treated as villains and cannon fodder for supernatural heroes like Blade. But what happens when vampires become the superheroes? That's what The All-Nighter sets out to answer.
The All-Nighter is the latest addition to the comiXology Originals library. It reunites the full creative team of Afterlift, including writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Jason Loo, colorist Paris Alleyne, letterer Aditya Bidikar, and editor Allison O’Toole. Check out the slideshow gallery below for an exclusive look at the first issue:
The All-Nighter revolves around Alex, a vampire who reluctantly lives a quiet life among humanity. When flipping burgers in an all-night diner grows too dull, Alex finds a new outlet by capitalizing on his love of superhero movies and becoming the costumed vigilante his city needs. Naturally, that creates a whole new set of problems for Alex and his fellow undead.
“With ALL-NIGHTER we follow a family of vampires as they toil away at their all-night diner. It’s a quiet life, but one of the vampires wants more, so he taps into his love of superheroes and begins fighting crime as one," Zdarsky tells IGN. "But he doesn’t realize that he’s re-writing the rules of all of monsterdom. Is 'monsterdom' a word? It sounds like a dominatrix in a werewolf mask. Happy Halloween, perverts!”
Zdarsky continues, “Our cast all have different things the want in life, or, more accurately, the afterlife. Alex is a young man, yearning for adventure. Joy is the woman trapped in a child's body who wants to be seen for what she is. Cynthia was a former high-powered executive who just wants the respect that she used to command. And then there’s the leader of the group, Ian, who wants a simple life without all these complications. Jason and I wanted this to check all of our boxes. To have it be a fun workplace comedy, to be a superhero epic, an exploration of supernatural mythology. Piecing it together was a ton of fun.”
"I'm having a lot of fun reimagining with Chip some of these iconic monsters in a world that's close to ours where there aren't any superheroes," says Loo. "So, what if geeky vampires like Alex and Joy decide to get inspired by the caped avengers they see on the screen? How imaginative and creative can these characters be with their costumes and superhero identity? Not as cool as they would think. There's just lots of layers of identity in these characters."
The first two issues of The All-Nighter are available now. The series is free to read for subscribers of comiXology Unlimited and Amazon Kindle Unlimited, or each issue can be purchased for $2.99. For those who prefer print comics, an All-Nighter trade paperback collection will be published through Dark Horse Comics in February 2022.
Zdarsky fans should also keep an eye out for Devil's Reign, an upcoming Marvel crossover that pits the Avengers against a triumphant Wilson Fisk. You can also check out our picks for 25 essential graphic novels to read on comiXology Unlimited.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.