The series debuted in 1998 and ran for twenty-four issues. The first seven issues were published as part of the Image Comics' Cliffhangerimprint of creator-owned comics and then the final seventeen at DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint. Also published were a Crimson Sourcebook special issue as well as a one-shot starring Scarlet X. Scarlet X - Blood on the Moon was set in Mexico and featured the origin of Joe the Indian.
Plot
Crimson revolves around a young man named Alex Elder who is attacked by a gang of vampires while out late with his friends. Bitten, Alex is saved by Ekimus, the last of an ancient race pre-dating humanity, who claims Alex is "The Chosen One." Alex becomes the first and last of his kind, gaining powers beyond that of a normal vampire, who is destined to bring the end to vampirekind. The series follows Alex as he adjusts to life as a vampire and shoulders the responsibilities of being a hero. The comic features not only vampires, but werewolves and other supernatural beings and elements, as well as Biblical themes and deities.
Main characters
Alex Elder - the protagonist. A sixteen-year-old teenager who on a night out with friends is ambushed by a savage vampire gang. He is saved by Ekimus, who feeds Alex his blood and turns him into "The Chosen One": a vampire endowed with magical powers so as to destroy all other vampires, and who is chronicled to save the world from the coming apocalypse.
Ekimus - a wise, repentant and ancient being known as a "Grigori", who guides Alex in his new life as a vampire. He is known as the source of all vampirism throughout the world.
Scarlet Thinbault X - a female operative and daughter of "The Order of the Red Hood"; a family-led organisation dedicated to hunting and destroying demonic creatures. She befriends Alex and later becomes his love interest.
Lisseth - the main antagonist, and Ekimus' former lover. She is coined "The Mother of All Vampires", bent on bringing about the apocalypse and ruling all of creation.
Victor Van Fleet - a U.S. senator and powerful vampire lord with aspirations for the presidency. He is allied with Lisseth.
Collected editions
The series has been collected by DC Comics into four trade paperbacks:
Crimson:
*Loyalty and Loss
*Heaven & Earth
*Earth Angel
*Redemption
The whole series has also been collected in hardcover:
