For anyone picking up American Vampire 1976 #1 blind tomorrow, I tried to make it an easy jumping on point.

But even so HERE'S A PRIMER on AV...No spoilers, but reading it WILL make a couple moments in AV 1976 #1 hit harder.

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AV imagines that vampirism as we know it - the classic bloodsucking stake through the heart Dracula kind - is just one species of vampire among many.

The series follows a new strain of vampire born in the American West, when outlaw Skinner Sweet is infected with vamp blood.

Skinner grew up on a mint farm in the years after the Civil War, adopted by the Book family after the Sweet farm was burned

Skinner and his adopted brother Jim Book grew up close, but eventually parted ways, with Skinner becoming an outlaw, and Jim Book joining the Pinkertons

During their final showdown, Skinner was infected by vampires, and emerged as a new kind of vamp, the American Vampire. He could walk in sunlight, had different fangs, claws, different weaknesses.

The series follows this new bloodline through the 20th century.

It begins (in terms of the original issue 1), in the 1920's with a young woman struggling to be an actress in Hollywood - Pearl Jones.

When she's attacked and thrown away for dead by vampires, Skinner intervenes and turns her into the 2nd American Vamp.

AV tracks Skinner and Pearl and their conflicts and partnerships through the years as they encounter other species of vampires and monsters and interact with moments in American History. They learn about the Vassals of the Morning Star, the group that hunts all species of monster

they learn about the Beast, the original monster and the Tongue, the group of humans that worships it...

We've done around 60 issues in total (including miniseries and anthologies) And all of this is brought to bear in this new arc, AV 1976.

Anyway, we're so glad to be back with the original team @rafaalbuquerque @DaveMcCaig @swands @markedoyle and now @mehowell - and grateful to you all for checking it out!