The Black Lamb
Encyclopedia
The Black Lamb is a six-issue comic book
limited series
that takes place in a science fantasy
setting. Published in late 1996
and early 1997
by DC Comics
as part of their now defunct Helix
imprint
, the series was written and drawn by Tim Truman.
Set in an unnamed near future city that has a cyberpunk
appearance and feel, The Black Lamb stars a character named Diarmaid Donn, a centuries old vampire
who is originally from medieval
Ireland
. Donn, known as the Black Lamb, is a figure authorized by the supernatural elements of the city, known collectively as the Tribes of the Night, as judge, jury and executioner in matters pertaining to the protection of the Tribes of the Night.
Told mostly from the point of view of the title character, a significant amount of time also finds the story told from the point of view of a supporting character named Commissioner Damn. Damn is a police officer who has the ability to sense supernatural beings.
Although some members of the Tribes of the Night live above ground, the majority reside, hidden in secret, in a huge maze of underground caverns beneath the city.
In the back of issue #1, Tim Truman wrote a column titled "Out for Blood" in which he noted the influences and inspirations for The Black Lamb. Among the named sources are James Whale
's 1931 motion picture version of Frankenstein
, the stories featuring Fu Manchu
and The Iron Dream
by science fiction
writer, Norman Spinrad
.
) is a stand alone story which introduces the Black Lamb and Commissioner Damn. Issues #2 (dated December 1996) and #3 (dated January 1997) tell a story in which the Black Lamb must deal with a war between two tribes of werewolves
. Issue #3 also tells the Black Lamb's origin. Issue #4 (dated February 1997) deals with the first meeting between the Black Lamb and Commissioner Damn as they deal with a group of hunters (known in this universe as specialists) who have come to the city. Issues #5 (dated March 1997) and #6 (dated April 1997) finish up the series as the Black Lamb recruits Commissioner Damn and a number of other supporting characters who appeared in the other issues to stop a plot launched by Dracula
.
Tim Turman was unsatisfied with a new printing process used on The Black Lamb that he felt hurt the series in its original printing.
In 2008
, he authorised the free online release of the series by Comicmix.com.
When their small farm is attacked by Viking
s Donn's wife and son are killed. Recognizing them as vampires the attackers take Donn and his daughter as prisoners. Donn's daughter is tortured to death, her last words being a request to her father to drink her blood to give him strength so that he may survive. It is an act that will make him immortal, but will also make him a social outcast among the Tribes of the Night. He does so, becomes an immortal and kills his jailers.
Seeking to kill the Black Lamb, drink his blood and become immortal, Lykaon captures the Black Lamb and places him in an iron maiden
. Thinking the Black lamb dead, Lykaon opens the iron maiden but is incorrect is this assumption. After hallucinating about the events leading to his immortality, the Black Lamb breaks free and kills Lykaon.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
that takes place in a science fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
setting. Published in late 1996
1996 in comics
-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...
and early 1997
1997 in comics
-January:*Avengers #3 - Marvel Comics*Captain America #3 - Marvel Comics*Fantastic Four #3 - Marvel Comics*Iron Man #3 - Marvel Comics-February:...
by DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
as part of their now defunct Helix
Helix (comics)
Helix was a short-lived, science fiction and science fantasy imprint of DC Comics, launched in 1996 and discontinued in 1998. Helix was a short-lived, science fiction and science fantasy imprint of DC Comics, launched in 1996 and discontinued in 1998. Helix was a short-lived, science fiction and...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
, the series was written and drawn by Tim Truman.
Set in an unnamed near future city that has a cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
appearance and feel, The Black Lamb stars a character named Diarmaid Donn, a centuries old vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
who is originally from medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Donn, known as the Black Lamb, is a figure authorized by the supernatural elements of the city, known collectively as the Tribes of the Night, as judge, jury and executioner in matters pertaining to the protection of the Tribes of the Night.
Told mostly from the point of view of the title character, a significant amount of time also finds the story told from the point of view of a supporting character named Commissioner Damn. Damn is a police officer who has the ability to sense supernatural beings.
Although some members of the Tribes of the Night live above ground, the majority reside, hidden in secret, in a huge maze of underground caverns beneath the city.
In the back of issue #1, Tim Truman wrote a column titled "Out for Blood" in which he noted the influences and inspirations for The Black Lamb. Among the named sources are James Whale
James Whale
James Whale was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his work in the horror film genre, having directed such classics as Frankenstein , The Old Dark House , The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein...
's 1931 motion picture version of Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features...
, the stories featuring Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
and The Iron Dream
The Iron Dream
The Iron Dream is a metafictional 1972 alternate history novel by Norman Spinrad.The book has a nested narrative that tells a story within a story. On the surface, the novel presents an unexceptional pulp, post-apocalypse science fiction action tale entitled Lord of the Swastika...
by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
writer, Norman Spinrad
Norman Spinrad
Norman Richard Spinrad is an American science fiction author.Born in New York City, Spinrad is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. In 1957 he entered City College of New York and graduated in 1961 with a Bachelor of Science degree as a pre-law major. In 1966 he moved to San Francisco,...
.
Publication history
The six issues of The Black Lamb are broken up into four semi-related stories. Issue #1 (dated November 19961996 in comics
-Year overall:* Malcolm Jones III commits suicide at circa age 37.* Boody Rogers, creator of Sparky Watts, dies at c. age 92-January:* January 19: Bernard Baily, co-creator of The Spectre and Hourman, dies at age 79.* January 28:...
) is a stand alone story which introduces the Black Lamb and Commissioner Damn. Issues #2 (dated December 1996) and #3 (dated January 1997) tell a story in which the Black Lamb must deal with a war between two tribes of werewolves
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
. Issue #3 also tells the Black Lamb's origin. Issue #4 (dated February 1997) deals with the first meeting between the Black Lamb and Commissioner Damn as they deal with a group of hunters (known in this universe as specialists) who have come to the city. Issues #5 (dated March 1997) and #6 (dated April 1997) finish up the series as the Black Lamb recruits Commissioner Damn and a number of other supporting characters who appeared in the other issues to stop a plot launched by Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
.
Tim Turman was unsatisfied with a new printing process used on The Black Lamb that he felt hurt the series in its original printing.
In 2008
2008 in comics
-January:*January 9: Teen Titans: The Lost Annual, delayed since 2003, is published.*January 23: Hellblazer #240, marking the 20th anniversary of the series, is released.-February:...
, he authorised the free online release of the series by Comicmix.com.
Back story
In medieval Ireland, Diarmaid Donn lives with his wife (a normal human) and children. Like other vampires of his world, he was born a vampire with a mortal lifespan just slightly longer than a human. His son was born a human, but his daughter was born a vampire like him.When their small farm is attacked by Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s Donn's wife and son are killed. Recognizing them as vampires the attackers take Donn and his daughter as prisoners. Donn's daughter is tortured to death, her last words being a request to her father to drink her blood to give him strength so that he may survive. It is an act that will make him immortal, but will also make him a social outcast among the Tribes of the Night. He does so, becomes an immortal and kills his jailers.
Issue #1
The Black Lamb deals with a group of three specialists who have come to the city to hunt. He kills two, but brings the leader to stand trial before the Court of Monsters. The two deaths attract the attention of Commissioner Damn who begins to investigate the activities of the Tribes of the Night.Issues #2-3
The Black Lamb learns of a war that has developed between two Werewolf clans. On one side, the family of Niceros, an old friend of the Black Lamb's. On the other side, the forces led by Lykaon, an ancient werewolf who disguises himself as human and owns and runs his own corporation. Seeking to end the hostilities which are attracting the sort of attention which can be dangerous to the Tribes of the Night, the Black Lamb breaks into Lykaon Towers in an attempt to kill Lykaon. Once inside, he learns that the whole war was a plot by Lykaon to lour him into a trap.Seeking to kill the Black Lamb, drink his blood and become immortal, Lykaon captures the Black Lamb and places him in an iron maiden
Iron maiden (torture device)
An iron maiden is a torture device, consisting of an iron cabinet, with a hinged front, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. It usually has a small closeable opening so that the torturer can interrogate the victim and torture or kill a person by piercing the body with sharp objects , while...
. Thinking the Black lamb dead, Lykaon opens the iron maiden but is incorrect is this assumption. After hallucinating about the events leading to his immortality, the Black Lamb breaks free and kills Lykaon.