For this small community, the stories of vampires become a horrifying
reality for the residents as blood-thirsty creatures return and set their eyes

on the locals. Two men face changes in their lives after being infected by
vampirism thanks to a dangerous Vampiro named Romero. Lorena is
struggling with her husband’s recent infection that is slowly turning into
what she fears most and with life on the run as she works to protect her
son. Adding to her problems, she’s stolen a mysterious knife from Romero
who will do whatever it takes to track her down and get it back.
The story presents a different approach to the concept of vampires, treating
them as a predatory species with an introduction that sets up a comparison
to a shark eating a fish. This perspective is carried throughout the story and
is set against a modern background that brings life to the gritty tone. The
darker elements are drawn from uses of blood, murder, and the dark
touches of reality such as the cartel. The use of the tone and the modern
setting creates a new way to view vampires while consistently maintaining
blood imagery such as calling a severed hand ‘finger food’ and juggling a
head. Specific language choices describe drinking blood with an elegant
flair that almost waxes poetic such as partaking of thick liquid nutrients and
comparing slashing through a crowd of violent men to the imagery of a
choreographed dance.
The story revolves around four primary storylines, shifting between Lorena,
Blake, Miguel, and Romero. Each of them gives a different exploration of
vampirism through their experiences such as Blake who was an innocent
resident that happened to become infected. His journey is rooted in his
acceptance of his new reality as a vampire from his learning the rules, such
as the effects that come from drinking hard liquor to the joy he begins to
find in being this predatory species fighting and killing people. Miguel’s
journey treats vampirism as an illness with him receiving care under Dr.
Cloud with the perspective maintaining humanness within the story. Both of
these characters face the same enemy which is Romero who revels in the
violence and euphoria of what he is while serving as the catalyst for both
Blake and Miguel in their vampiric journeys. How he’s portrayed as having
a certain sophistication shows the way he harbors the power he has. These
storylines balance Lorena’s journey as a human mother running from these
dangerous characters with a journey that provides a human element which
grounds the story in reality and provides intensity as she tries to protect her
son.
The plot draws together several threads between the characters, one being
the obsidian knife which turns Lorena into a primary target for Romero

considered it sacred. The knife has an intriguing position within the story as
its evolution goes from the object Romero wishes to obtain and what draws
him after Lorena to it being used to attack him. Also included are
illustrations that have a hand-drawn aesthetic and are subtly featured at
various points in the story. Each illustration has unique elements that
capture everything from colorful cats to a line of rats. The style pairs well
with the tone of the story with darker hues and shading that creates a visual
that captures the grittiness of the tone. A unique perspective on vampires,
Vampiro Trilogy: Volume II: The Obsidian Knife delivers a story with
action, well-defined characters, a modern setting, dark humor, and themes
that feature murder, blood, and violence.