American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #3

Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Sean Murphy

Here's something that popped into my mind as I read this issue of American Vampire's spin-off mini-series (which really only has a partial American vampire in it; the rest are European):  the Nazis have joined forces with a large contingent of Carpathian vampires, who feel that their position in the order of things is similar to that of the Aryans.  Master race, and all that.  What's interesting is that the vampires aren't really a race in the traditional sense; they breed through turning humans, and in the mythology that Snyder and Stephen King set up, the type of vampire they become is dependent on where they turned.

Now, since most people that would be turned in the Carpathian region would likely be 'Carpathian', it is not a requirement.  Were that the case, then 'American' vampires like Skinner Sweet wouldn't exist; instead, there would just be some very old school indigenous vamps running around the States (actually, that's now something I want Snyder to explore in this book).

Why am I talking about this?  I think it's because I don't know that the Nazis would view their new vampire allies as 'racially pure', following their own definitions.  Of course, the Nazis are being more opportunistic than doctrinally consistent, so it's all good.  But this is what I thought about throughout this comic, which is odd, because this is an exciting story.  I've really enjoyed the James Bond feel to this one, as our two heroes learn about sunlight death ray weapons, and try to free the defecting German scientist.  Great writing, and terrific artwork - this mini is as good as the mother book.