Living in the Bangor, Maine area I see fans of Stephen King visiting his house on West Broadway on the regular. Over the years it has been more and more popular to visit shooting locations or famous landmarks from pop culture, some going to far, while others getting rare opportunities to visit inside this locales. Fixation by writer Amy Chase and artist Savanna Mayer takes fandom, blends it with true crime to create an eerie whodunnit.
When superfan Taylor Van Owens wins a contest to stay in the legendary Mallard house—the most iconic filming location for the hit vampire book turned movie Blood Mountain—she and her best friend Karrah arrive in Vail expecting to sink their fangs into a weekend straight from a fangirl’s dream. The cast has reunited for a tenth-anniversary celebration, devotees have descended on the small town, and nostalgia hangs thick in the air.
But shortly before their arrival, a young woman is found dead inside the Mallard house. The death is quickly brushed off as an unstable fan taking her fantasies too far, but rumors swirl as the police quietly open a murder investigation. With cameras rolling and ravenous Blood Mountain buffs to appease, production works overtime to keep the story from leaking, insisting the fandom is “one big family,” but unease spreads through the town. Resentful locals, jealous superfans, sensitive actors, and desperate producers overwhelm Taylor as she moves in a haze through meet-and-greets, vigils, and book signings. Every interaction feels loaded. Every corner holds a potential threat. Every vampire has a taste for blood.
And the killer isn’t finished. They’ll stain the town red to ensure they go down in Blood Mountain history. This isn’t just a random act of violence—it’s a crime of passion a decade in the making.
As someone who runs a website dealing with pop culture and in turn fandom, as well as helping out with local conventions, I have seen first-hand the passion fans have for the things they love. I have seen people, both online and in-person, cross the line of what is appropriate as well as seen those celebrities they gush over end up being a bit sleazy or rude. Its a path that goes both ways, but lets be honest sometimes fandom can get toxic and addicting to a point where its becomes a problem. Chase crafts a story with Fixation that features this toxic addiction while also giving us a mystery where everyone could be the killer, allowing us to keep guessing throughout.
Chase takes a few familiar concepts and mashes them together to create a unique story with a fresh take on the tropes. I have read stories about staying overnight in a creepy house, celebrities creepily fighting back, reunions of a horror television show or movies going wrong, but to use a bit of everything to create a fresh story is something Chase does with ease. Not to mention taking winning fans along as the center of the story, winning fans or potentially losing fans in the end…
Fixation is a thrilling crime story at heart, but also is an exploration of toxic fan culture and the effects of said issues. Fandom overreach and the interactions between fans and celebrities can get complex and creepy, but when bodies start piling up what can be more creepy than that? The story is eerie and has a sense of unease throughout as if someone is watching, not only the characters in the book, but in my house as I read. It’s this feeling that made the book all the more special.
The artwork by Mayer just added to the uneasy feeling I felt as I read this double-sized premiere issue of Fixation. Mayer uses a grittier, edgy style of illustration that pushed the book into the unsettling nature it was going for. There are moments that feature this cool purple, blue, and pops of red along with a darker and ominous palette that made the colors by James Fenner shine in this debut as well. Not to mention excellent design and lettering by Sandy Tanaka. I am always glad when story and artwork work so well together and this creative team nailed it.
Fixation takes a bit of familiar pieces and twists them into something that ultimately feels fresh and unsettling. Amy Chase brings a tense mystery, while Savanna Mayer illustrates the eerie vibes in this oversized thought-provoking premiere issue that had me guessing. Fixation is a gripping and unnerving story that proves fandom can be just as terrifying as anything else, making for crime story worth diving into.
Fixation #1 hits local comic shops on September 9, 2026 (FOC: August 3) from the IDW Crime imprint at IDW Publishing.
Fixation #1 Preview
