io9: trublood

No Condoms? No Problem For True Blood's Vamps

Meredith Woerner — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 07:30:00 PDT

HBO's new vampire/techno-blood show True Blood has released a fake TV investigation on the assimilation of vampires into the human lifestyle. From announcing the vamp presence to interviewing the anti-vampire leagues, this fake talking head reporter covers it all. But my favorite part is the in-depth interview with the fang-banger Alexa and her obviously gay vampire boyfriend David. Click through to find out more than you ever wanted about vampire lovers, or "fangofiles" as they prefer to be called.

First off: Whoa, somebody needs to tell Alexa that David is a gay vampire, he's so disinterested in her and eye sexin' the interviewer like I've never seen. Second, I loved the TMI look on the reporters face when she talked about birth control.

But besides all that ridiculous vamp sex stuff I find it interesting that True Blood isn't playing by the Anne Rice rules. I've always thought that if you drink vampire blood and they drink your blood, you become a vampire. But this all makes sense because in True Blood actual blood from the undead (or V juice) is a new drug and humans drink it to get high. So I like this angle to the vampire story.

True Blood debuts September 7th on HBO.

The Full Glossy News Story

In Focus: Shedding The Light on Vampires in America (HBO)
Uploaded by HBOclips

The Great Revelation Of True Blood's Comic Origins

Graeme McMillan — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:00:51 PDT

New HBO vampire series True Blood isn't limited its online presence to ads for fake products and the by-now-traditional ARG; they're also taking a page out've Heroes' book and getting the story started early courtesy of an online comic, The Great Revelation. Find out more and see preview images under the jump.

Serializing a print comic that will also include backstory on the series as well as an interview with the show's creator, Six Feet Under's Alan Ball, Top Cow Productions' True Blood: The Great Revelation aims to fill in some of the history of TruBlood, the show's synthetic blood substitute, as California's "vampire king" visits Japan to meet with its creators.

Following it's San Diego Comic-Con debut, True Blood: The Great Revelation launches on HBO's website July 24th.

Exclusive: "True Blood: The Great Revelation" Preview [Comic Book Resources]

Our "Tru Blood" Taste Test

Meredith Woerner — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:30:35 PDT

I was lucky enough to be sent a test tube of the new vampire drink of choice, Tru Blood. The Japanese-manufactured drink, which curbs the vampiric tendencies to drink human blood, is all the rage on the new HBO series True Blood. This beverage has allowed vampires to come "out of the coffin" and join the rest of the human race. Much to the dismay of humanity. So what do we humans taste like to vampires? Click through to find out and see some Tru Blood television ads.

Apparently humans taste like very, very sweet candy. To be more specific we taste like incredibly super tart candy, like someone melted down the red Sour Patch Kids into a gooey syrup. I'm struggling to finish the whole test tube, but find it's easier when mixed with booze. It also packs a mean sugar rush about two minutes after drinking a little. If this is what vampires drink all day, sign me up. I love the idea of candy-flavored blood.

So in the end I recommend Tru Blood for people whose vampiric fang is also a sweet tooth. It's best served chilled and tastes better with vodka.

"This Bloods For You"

French Tru Blood Commercial

White House Briefs Us On Vampire Situation

Meredith Woerner — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:55:00 PDT

The White House press secretary dodges questions about a string of vampire-related murders, as humans struggle to play nice with our new vampire friends, in this new viral clip promoting HBO series True Blood. Thanks to the Japanese synthetic blood drink Tru Blood, vampires have come "out of the coffin" — and now the hard part begins. And this is just one of the bizarre pieces of viral marketing for True Blood — there are also some very weird synthetic blood ads.

The synthetic blood nourishment beverage Tru Blood is marketed like a beer with catch phrases like, "Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Friends." The company offers many different "brands": Type O is strong to the point of ruthlessness, Type A is for the creative and has calming abilities, B (seems like the most standard) is strong and wild and Type AB is a smooth blend that promises to be very refreshing. More vampire virals at Blood Copy, an HBO True Blood site.