The Strain - Sketch Feature 4

For our final sketch preview of The Strain, let's take a look at how Mike Huddleston worked out some of the final details for transitioning these horrifying vampires from the prose page to the comic panel.

Here's what Huddleston had to say about numerous aspects of the vampires' bodies:

Vamp attributes
The identifying features of these creatures are:
A) Solid black eyes.

B) No hair (although new vamps will have residual hair for a while).

C) White skin, except for the skin around mouth/neck and the large arteries that branch out from that area.

D) Arthritic hands/fingers with one dominant claw and large forearms.

E) Shriveled genitalia, perhaps appearing blackened as if burnt.

Huddleston elaborated on the vampire head and stinger with these sketches and commentary:

"The muscles of the face and neck are all exagerrated. I think it makes sense 'realistically' ase jaws on these creatures dislocate and the muscles pull the internal organs out with force to be used as a weapon. Also, the color and distortions will give a distinctive identifying visual look to our vamps.

"On the front view, I am trying to indicate 'some' asymmetry. It will make for more interesting creatures, plus I like the idea that if this is a disease and these creatures are infected, that they are left a little twisted in the transition.

"The description of the stinger specifically mentions the lungs as still-visible sacks. I'm not sure how large they should be. Also, how much of the mouth should stretch from side to side to allow the stinger out? My instinct is to always push it to the extreme and have the stretching be grotesque."