In the world of True Blood, vampires are able to live off a synthetic blood substitute, something that becomes central to the plot of this graphic novel.
The vampire Jessica might not still be under the thumb of her fanatically religious father, but the former homeschooler is depressed to see ads for the local prom. As someone who was homeschooled and now as a vampire, prom is not part of her life, and she’s sad to miss it.
In response, her friends decide to put together their own little prom for her. The television news is detailing strange vampire attacks where previously harmless vampires turn bad, but no one seems to be paying much attention. At her makeshift prom, Jessica drinks some synthetic blood and morphs into a demonic, crazed vampire out for the kill.
She rushes out into the night, attacking people and then finding her treasure: the real high school prom, where she can enact her revenge on the boy who was a creep to her and invariably turned her into a vampire. It’ll be the bloodiest prom since Carrie. Meantime, the other characters are trying to stop Jessica’s rampage and find an antidote before her new identity causes her to die. Besides saving Jessica, the antidote will also stop the other vampire attacks across the country and save countless lives. Sookie, who takes something of a backseat in this story, uses her ability to read minds to track down the man behind the synthetic blood tampering.
Throughout the book are sepia-colored flashbacks of Jessica’s human life with her fanatical father, and these bring a nice touch to the character. These flashbacks are short, but they do a good job of showing Jessica’s frustration and her need to break free. Other than these sepia pages, everything is in full color. The inside isn’t quite as lush and dark as the cover, but it’s still nicely illustrated and good with details.
The story is pretty straightforward and is entertaining with its action and unique characters. While the whole of it is serious in nature, there are a number of times that characters deliver dry humor that’s especially biting when the overall situation is considered. There’s a real Southern Gothic feel to the whole story, a whole atmosphere unto itself. As to be expected with the type of story this is, the True Blood graphic novel is recommended for mature readers.