My first thought, when Dark Horse asked me if I wanted to write the comic-book version of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s novel The Strain, was “You had me at Guillermo.” Actually, my first thought was “Does this require reading?” but that’s not very writerlike of me, so forget I said that. I’d even delete it, but I have a word count to reach.

I first encountered Guillermo’s work back in the mid-1990s through Miramax’s Dimension label. They had given me a poorly dubbed, blurry videotape of a film from this great young director, Guillermo del Toro. The film was Cronos (which bears a few thematic similarities to our new comic book), and I’ve been a fan ever since.

Based on that you might say that I am like a father to Guillermo, proudly watching as he has built his amazing career. You might say that, but that would make you a crazy person.

Let’s go back to this reading thing. I feel I must explain this, or you’ll all think less of me. I am what you would call a sleepy reader, meaning I am one who falls asleep when I read. I enjoy reading immensely, and every night before bed, I pick up my book and start reading . . . Then BAM the book hits me in the face. My wife rolls her eyes and tells me to put the book down and shut off the lights, and we both try to forget she’s married to a slightly silly man. So I was a little paranoid that reading this book, The Strain, would take me months and Dark Horse and Guillermo would fire me, and I would be asleep the whole time and not even know I was fired and end up spending all this time writing the series and not get paid for it because my checks would be going to another writer whom I would bear a secret resentment toward forever.

However, I took the leap because of Guillermo and because the amazing Mike Huddleston was signed on to draw it, and what I discovered is that if you read when you’re not tired, you can stay awake! And . . . we have The Strain, a vampire tale like no other. A vampire tale for those who like their vampires full of blood instead of angst, and their themes hurtling toward global doomsday.

What I would like to leave you with, dear readers (I’ve always wanted to write that: “dear readers”), is the reason why, even though you’ve read the book, you should read the comic book. (And it’s not the threatening chain letter I sent you.) It’s because this is the comic book The Strain, not the novel, not the illustrated CliffsNotes of the novel. This is David Lapham and Mike Huddleston’s version of The Strain. Guillermo and Chuck Hogan wanted to get creators they liked on the book and then see what we could do. You’re going to love the bejesus out of it or my name’s not David Lapham, which it is, so you know I’m right.

David Lapham