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Patrik the Vampire, Book 1
Patrik’s a fun-loving guy who enjoys knitting and baking, visiting his friend Becky at the local coffee shop, and is a proud member of his neighborhood’s book club. He’s just a really nice guy trying to live a normal life.
Oh! And I almost forgot! He’s a vampire.
CONTENT WARNINGS: blood, violence, gore, emotional/physical abuse, torture, sexual harassment/assault, suicide, and death. Pages with triggers will be tagged accordingly with warnings on preceding pages.
Oh! And I almost forgot! He’s a vampire.
CONTENT WARNINGS: blood, violence, gore, emotional/physical abuse, torture, sexual harassment/assault, suicide, and death. Pages with triggers will be tagged accordingly with warnings on preceding pages.
230 pages, Paperback
1 person is currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Bree Paulsen
8 books437 followersBree Paulsen is a native of Southern California in love with all things autumnal. After graduating from the Laguna College of Art and Design with a BFA in animation, she freelanced on a few independent animation and illustration projects before turning her focus toward comics. She started her webcomic for adults, Patrik the Vampire, in 2013 and self-publishes its printed volumes. Garlic and the Vampire is her first traditionally published book.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 3, 2024
In a Nutshell: A loveable webcomic about a (now) friendly vampire and his attempts at fitting in the human world. Gruesome and/or sad at times, but mostly heartwarming. Free for all to read on the author’s site, but it is incomplete and there’s not much hope of its getting an ending anytime soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
I am not one for vampire stories, whether horror or comic. But I have wanted to try this webcomic ever since I read this author’s ‘Garlic and the Vampire’ graphic novel series, which also features an amazing vampire.
In many ways, this is a typical vampire story. There are scenes of murder, vampire bites, fear, humans being “turned” into vampires… But the story goes much beyond the typical tropes, and even avoids the sillier ones such as vampires turning into bats or sleeping in coffins. As we see Patrik’s life story in multiple centuries, we see various aspects to his “ordinary life” that wouldn’t be present in a typical Nosferatu tale.
The multiple timelines are a masterstroke. Seeing Patrik in 1929 as well as 2012 means we get to see similarities and differences in his behaviour after the gap of a century. The contemporary timeline was especially fun because it felt so odd to see a vampire visiting a cafe so casually. There are also other timelines, but these are far and few between, and serve only to provide a further background to Patrik’s past life when needed.
Don’t let the tomfoolery let you forget that you are reading a vampire story. The content gets very dark on a few pages. There are also many scenes that could be emotionally upsetting. But all this is to be expected if a vampire story has to feel realistic. (“Vampire story - feel realistic” – Hah!)
Patrik is one heck of a character. He is funny, caring, and helpful, but he also suffers from nightmares and guilt because of his past. You can actually feel his loneliness in the initial pages. I found it very interesting that he was fairly open about being a vampire, and most of those who knew about it were accepting of his identity… well… to whatever extent it was possible to be accepting without being 100% trusting.
The other characters are also amazing. Becky from the 2012 was my favourite. Just a teenage/young adult, she is still the coolest of Patrik’s acquaintances, and probably the only one who accepts his friendship without any hesitation, doubt, or selfish requirement. I simply loved her, though I did want to shake her at times for her naivete. Patrik’s neighbours from the 1929 timeline, Lara and her grandmother, are sketched more realistically, with grandma being the typical loveable granny and Lara being sceptical of Patrik’s every word and action. Other than these key characters, we have Cyril the demon (who is so unlike a demon in appearance that his identity came as a shock to me!) and Fifi the Persian cat (loved her equation – or lack thereof – with Patrik.)
The graphics are adorable and enjoyable, if you are used to the author’s quirky illustrative style. The various timelines are sketches in a subtly different colour tone. The 1929 timeline is somewhat dullish in colour, like an old Eastman colour movie, where the 2012 storyline comes in hues as bright and peppy as Becky. The speech bubbles come with varied background colours that give a cue of who is speaking. There’s also an interesting way of depicting the conversations that are in Romanian. The whole graphic experience is very reader-friendly.
The only hurdle in a greater enjoyment of this book is that it is incomplete. The author had invested more than eight years in the making of this weekly webcomic, and towards the last couple of years, she began losing the joy of adding to Patrik’s story. As of today, this book remains on an “indefinite hiatus”. It must be very tough to give up on a character because of whom her art became well-known, but I do understand how eight years of drawing the same characters can become tedious. To be frank, the extensive duration shows in the plot development, as it can be quite random at times. This isn't strictly a negative as it gives the webcomic a more episodic feel, but it indicates that the comic was started without an endpoint in mind.
Fingers crossed that the author will complete Patrik’s story someday, but either way, I am grateful that she invested so many years into creating this memorable, one-of-a-kind comic.
4.25 stars.
If you are interested in reading this atypical vampire story and don’t mind an incomplete experience, you can read this webcomic for free on the author’s site using the below link:
https://www.patrikthevampire.com/comi...
Don’t be unnerved by the 473 pages count. It goes by quite quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
The fact that Patrik is a vampire often comes in the way of his making friends. But he hasn't stopped trying. While he does have his demons (mostly figurative, but one actual), he is still an amiable fellow who enjoys helping others. If only they could see beyond his fangs and his compulsive need for blood!
The story comes to us mostly from Patrik's third-person perspective from various timelines, one of which is contemporary.
I am not one for vampire stories, whether horror or comic. But I have wanted to try this webcomic ever since I read this author’s ‘Garlic and the Vampire’ graphic novel series, which also features an amazing vampire.
In many ways, this is a typical vampire story. There are scenes of murder, vampire bites, fear, humans being “turned” into vampires… But the story goes much beyond the typical tropes, and even avoids the sillier ones such as vampires turning into bats or sleeping in coffins. As we see Patrik’s life story in multiple centuries, we see various aspects to his “ordinary life” that wouldn’t be present in a typical Nosferatu tale.
The multiple timelines are a masterstroke. Seeing Patrik in 1929 as well as 2012 means we get to see similarities and differences in his behaviour after the gap of a century. The contemporary timeline was especially fun because it felt so odd to see a vampire visiting a cafe so casually. There are also other timelines, but these are far and few between, and serve only to provide a further background to Patrik’s past life when needed.
Don’t let the tomfoolery let you forget that you are reading a vampire story. The content gets very dark on a few pages. There are also many scenes that could be emotionally upsetting. But all this is to be expected if a vampire story has to feel realistic. (“Vampire story - feel realistic” – Hah!)
Patrik is one heck of a character. He is funny, caring, and helpful, but he also suffers from nightmares and guilt because of his past. You can actually feel his loneliness in the initial pages. I found it very interesting that he was fairly open about being a vampire, and most of those who knew about it were accepting of his identity… well… to whatever extent it was possible to be accepting without being 100% trusting.
The other characters are also amazing. Becky from the 2012 was my favourite. Just a teenage/young adult, she is still the coolest of Patrik’s acquaintances, and probably the only one who accepts his friendship without any hesitation, doubt, or selfish requirement. I simply loved her, though I did want to shake her at times for her naivete. Patrik’s neighbours from the 1929 timeline, Lara and her grandmother, are sketched more realistically, with grandma being the typical loveable granny and Lara being sceptical of Patrik’s every word and action. Other than these key characters, we have Cyril the demon (who is so unlike a demon in appearance that his identity came as a shock to me!) and Fifi the Persian cat (loved her equation – or lack thereof – with Patrik.)
The graphics are adorable and enjoyable, if you are used to the author’s quirky illustrative style. The various timelines are sketches in a subtly different colour tone. The 1929 timeline is somewhat dullish in colour, like an old Eastman colour movie, where the 2012 storyline comes in hues as bright and peppy as Becky. The speech bubbles come with varied background colours that give a cue of who is speaking. There’s also an interesting way of depicting the conversations that are in Romanian. The whole graphic experience is very reader-friendly.
The only hurdle in a greater enjoyment of this book is that it is incomplete. The author had invested more than eight years in the making of this weekly webcomic, and towards the last couple of years, she began losing the joy of adding to Patrik’s story. As of today, this book remains on an “indefinite hiatus”. It must be very tough to give up on a character because of whom her art became well-known, but I do understand how eight years of drawing the same characters can become tedious. To be frank, the extensive duration shows in the plot development, as it can be quite random at times. This isn't strictly a negative as it gives the webcomic a more episodic feel, but it indicates that the comic was started without an endpoint in mind.
Fingers crossed that the author will complete Patrik’s story someday, but either way, I am grateful that she invested so many years into creating this memorable, one-of-a-kind comic.
4.25 stars.
If you are interested in reading this atypical vampire story and don’t mind an incomplete experience, you can read this webcomic for free on the author’s site using the below link:
https://www.patrikthevampire.com/comi...
Don’t be unnerved by the 473 pages count. It goes by quite quickly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
May 9, 2022
OKAY. I have a very very particular niche when it comes to media that’s all about dark comedies (however, more emphasis on ‘comedy’ than dark) with supernatural elements but also. Emotionally devastating at times. Ie: What We Do in the Shadows (film & TV), BBC Ghosts. I had yet to encounter anything like it in the literary/comic world despite constantly keeping my eye on it.
Then I found Garlic & the Vampire and fell in love with Bree Paulson’s writing, art, and characterization.
And then I found THIS.
And this BLEW my mind away. It has exactly everything I could have ever wanted. The humor is absolutely perfect in this. The characters are lovable and— WOW! This was everything to me. This IS everything to me. I would do anything and everything for these characters. Utterly fantastic!
Then I found Garlic & the Vampire and fell in love with Bree Paulson’s writing, art, and characterization.
And then I found THIS.
And this BLEW my mind away. It has exactly everything I could have ever wanted. The humor is absolutely perfect in this. The characters are lovable and— WOW! This was everything to me. This IS everything to me. I would do anything and everything for these characters. Utterly fantastic!
November 3, 2023
I'm sad that we may never get a second book or see how the story resolves for everyone, as I've grown really attached to all of them, and I'm becoming more and more curious of what happened between Patrik and Lara.
This is thee story from the point of view of Patrik, he's an unusual vampire, and the cast of friends and people who wrround him: humans, cats, demons, other vampires. It can be really funny and really emotional and also a little bit gorey at times.
This is thee story from the point of view of Patrik, he's an unusual vampire, and the cast of friends and people who wrround him: humans, cats, demons, other vampires. It can be really funny and really emotional and also a little bit gorey at times.
November 5, 2025
I liked this.
It was kinda cute, kinda funny, kinda gorey.
And our main character is a VAMPIRE. One of those slightly awkward, wholesome (with sometimes aggressive tendencies and a harsh past) vampires. Say less.
So of course I think this is enjoyable.
This is a webcomic that can be read for free on the authors website.
There is a lot more content after the end of book 1! but sadly, it has been decided that book 2 isn’t going to be finished.
Sooo… honestly i probably won’t keep going. Just because I don’t feel like starting a book and never getting to know what happens in the end.
But this one was good.
It was kinda cute, kinda funny, kinda gorey.
And our main character is a VAMPIRE. One of those slightly awkward, wholesome (with sometimes aggressive tendencies and a harsh past) vampires. Say less.
So of course I think this is enjoyable.
This is a webcomic that can be read for free on the authors website.
There is a lot more content after the end of book 1! but sadly, it has been decided that book 2 isn’t going to be finished.
Sooo… honestly i probably won’t keep going. Just because I don’t feel like starting a book and never getting to know what happens in the end.
But this one was good.
August 8, 2023
very cute but also a rollercoaster of emotions
also currently reading book 2 which isnt completed sadly (its been on hiatus since 2021 :( )
also currently reading book 2 which isnt completed sadly (its been on hiatus since 2021 :( )
January 1, 2023
I'm not sure what I was expecting but however high the bar was set has been surpassed! This is amazing! The art is fantastic, I seriously love the character designs. Paulsen's story has a lot of internal structure and I'm very excited to see where she will be taking her readers next. Patrik the Vampire is still available to read online. You can also pick off where book one ends here.
Readers be aware, while the story is still available online the author has put Patrik on an indefinite hiatus. It looks like she did complete book 2 in September 2021 but has not continued with the story since. This seems to be in part because her other projects (Garlic and the Vampire, Garlic and the Witch), and The Firelight Apprentice need her attention. Unfortunately, she also seems to be burned out on this project. As a newcomer to the fanbase let me say that I wish Paulsen good health and luck with her current project, The Firelight Apprentice, which I'm looking forward to reading a year from now. I sincerely hope she finds it in her to complete Patrik one day as I'm curious to know what happens next.
Happy Reading!
Readers be aware, while the story is still available online the author has put Patrik on an indefinite hiatus. It looks like she did complete book 2 in September 2021 but has not continued with the story since. This seems to be in part because her other projects (Garlic and the Vampire, Garlic and the Witch), and The Firelight Apprentice need her attention. Unfortunately, she also seems to be burned out on this project. As a newcomer to the fanbase let me say that I wish Paulsen good health and luck with her current project, The Firelight Apprentice, which I'm looking forward to reading a year from now. I sincerely hope she finds it in her to complete Patrik one day as I'm curious to know what happens next.
Happy Reading!
April 7, 2024
I read the full (to-date) Patrik the Vampire webcomic on the author's website here.
I just finished Garlic and the Vampire and Garlic and the Witch by the same author and figured I'd check out their previous works--and I'm happy I did!
Patrik the Vampire is so wholesome, humorous, and poignant; the work explores themes of friendship, family, trust, identity, monstrosity, growth & change, trauma & grief, sexual violence, emotional abuse, power dynamics, hope, forgiveness, and more (like knitting, baking, cats ofc). The story flows from some very light to some very dark moments, and it all works very well together.
I also enjoyed the representation and queerness within the story.
The only note I have is about the pacing early on, but this may be because I read the entire webcomic all at once--although it was, of course, published over the course of years. I think it was around the the beginning/middle of Book 1 : I started to feel like the pacing maybe dragged a bit/some of the pages or scenes could have been trimmed down. BUT this could have been just my own reading mood at the time + by the time I started to feel this way, it picked up again and wasn't really an issue anymore.
I just finished Garlic and the Vampire and Garlic and the Witch by the same author and figured I'd check out their previous works--and I'm happy I did!
Patrik the Vampire is so wholesome, humorous, and poignant; the work explores themes of friendship, family, trust, identity, monstrosity, growth & change, trauma & grief, sexual violence, emotional abuse, power dynamics, hope, forgiveness, and more (like knitting, baking, cats ofc). The story flows from some very light to some very dark moments, and it all works very well together.
I also enjoyed the representation and queerness within the story.
The only note I have is about the pacing early on, but this may be because I read the entire webcomic all at once--although it was, of course, published over the course of years. I think it was around the the beginning/middle of Book 1 : I started to feel like the pacing maybe dragged a bit/some of the pages or scenes could have been trimmed down. BUT this could have been just my own reading mood at the time + by the time I started to feel this way, it picked up again and wasn't really an issue anymore.
January 19, 2024
Fantastic. There are alot of light and humorous moments as well as some darker moments. Couldn't help but feel for the vampire. Will read the continued story on the website. It is sad that the webcomic is unfinished and has been on an long term hiatus. I am hoping someday the autor finishes the story and that this one will get printed again along with other books in this series.
Update: I did go on to read up to date for The Patrik the Vampire webcomic on the website. So good! Sad that there is no news on when, if ever, there will be a continuation for the series. I can understand the author's feelings and respect their decision. I have come to love their works and will immediately order anything they author in the future. Looking forward to picking up their next book Firelight Apprentice.
Update: I did go on to read up to date for The Patrik the Vampire webcomic on the website. So good! Sad that there is no news on when, if ever, there will be a continuation for the series. I can understand the author's feelings and respect their decision. I have come to love their works and will immediately order anything they author in the future. Looking forward to picking up their next book Firelight Apprentice.
March 10, 2025
This was so cute, guess I'll have to finish it on the webcomic (well, up thru the author's hiatus). I have got to stop buying physical copies of published webcomics without checking if a) the comic is finished or b) if the author/artist is ever planning on printing the rest of them. One day I will finally learn this lesson. Le sigh.
November 22, 2018
Equally adorable and heartbreaking. Highly recommended.
September 24, 2019
Lovely! It reminded me of a comic I used to follow on Deviantart in junior high, so it got some strange nostalgia from me.
January 16, 2020
I've been reading this online while on break at work, and it's adorable and heartbreaking and funny!
Read
December 31, 2025This is unfinished so I won’t be rating it but it is fun along the journey even if it didn’t have a clear ending
April 1, 2024
So cute
October 12, 2023
First read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Second read: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews