Midnight's War is a weekly webcomic by Vox Day published on his comics website, Arkhaven.
In the year 8466 of the Cainite Calendar, in the wake of a massive global financial crisis, vampires emerge from the shadows to assume total control of society, through their subversion of the banks, national governments, the media, and many international institutions. Now ruling openly, they have no reason to hide their thirst for human blood, demanding a yearly tax to quench their desires.
However, resistance to their rule still exists in the form of the Knights of Saint Michael and of the Catacombs of Rome, or just the Knights of Saint Michael. Armed with their faith in God, and blood that is poisonous to their enemies, they wage a guerilla campaign against the various vampire lords.
Originally created as an entry for a short story contest on Webtoon, Vox decided to take it down and reupload it, feeling that it wasn't suited to Webtoon's primary demographic. The entire series can be read for free here.
This series provides examples of:
- An Arm and a Leg: Kelly loses his leg to a group of were-jaguars after they cause his helicopter to crash. Conveniently, he's offered a new one in exchange for joining the police's vampire homicide unit.
- Appendage Assimilation: Vampire Sarkaturges have the ability to graft new limbs onto amputees. Where they get the new limbs from is up in the air, but in a society where mortals pay taxes with their blood, it's safe to say the answer probably isn't very pleasant.
- Attack on the Heart: One of Lord Ruthven's associates is killed this way, as recompense for Liam and Noah's deaths.
- Badass Boast: "Twelve is all we have. Twelve is all we need." This is a direct reference to the number of Apostles Jesus had.
- Day of the Jackboot: From the beginning of the story, vampires have taken over the world and force mortals to render up their blood as taxes.
- Deadly Decadent Court: The vampire lords still hold ancient grudges and routinely clash with each other. However, they seem to have a highly formal system of seeking revenge, and ask permission to go to war with the utmost cordiality.
- Good Is Not Soft: Sir Andre forces two of Lord Varney's initiates to drop their weapons and surrender before they can assault Monica. He then brutally kills them, and hangs them upside down to collect their blood to give to Monica, who happens to be a blood runner.
- I Love the Dead: Strongly implied to be what Dr. Wilson is animating dead bodies for. Although he intends to be the pimp, and not the customer.
- Irony: One of Nord Hemaco's truck drivers begins to suspect that him and his partner are smuggling a bomb in their truck. His partner reassures him that their load isn't heavy enough. Sure enough, they make it to their getaway vehicle and hightail it out of the city, leaving the truck behind. And once they're far enough away, they get blown up by a car bomb.
- Just Like Robin Hood: Except Andre doesn't steal money, he steals blood. Which to be fair, is now what backs currency in this world. He then passes it on to blood runners like Monica West.
- Leave No Witnesses: Once the truck drivers deliver their quarry (whatever it is) to the stadium, their getaway vehicle gets blown up remotely.
- Let's You and Him Fight: By killing a couple of mooks, Andre starts a mini-war between two of the vampire lords at the beginning of the series.
- Nice Kitty...: Kelly says this to a group of angry were-jaguars about to finish him off after a helicopter crash costs him his leg. Seeing as the page cuts to black and resumes in a hospital bed, maybe it worked?
- Oh, Crap!: Noah, when he realizes just how close Andre is to putting a bullet through his skull.
- Oh, My Gods!: The vampires' "Judas Cain!"
- Shock Collar: How Dr. Wilson controls the army of ghouls he oversees.
- Silver Has Mystic Powers: Implied. When Noah goes through Monica's belongings, he seems highly interested in a silver dagger, especially when it's combined with a small fortune in blood.
- These Are Things Man Was Not Meant to Know: Dante feeds Dr. Wilson to his own ghouls, saying that there are some things humanity should never know, or even imagine. He still feels guilty about it though.
- We Have Reserves: Lord Varney is singularly unconcerned with how many civilian lives are lost in Sargon City, reminding his subordinates that the blood supply is their primary worry.
- Wicked Cultured: Lord Fitzalan tells his companion, Arika, that the opera is part of her education. When we first see him, he's relaxing with a book in his personal library.
