An original live-action series, webcast in periodic three-to-five minute episodes, Dark Commandos (www.darkcommandos.com) chronicles the adventures of the Undead Brigade, a team of vampires who undertake secret missions for the government. They take on the assignments that no one else can handle, and during the course of Empires Fall they must fight for the future of humanity, attempting to preserve a way of life they had long ago forgotten.

Dark Commandos stars, in alphabetical order, Christopher Boicelli, Amber Phillips, Justin Neal Thompson, and Bradley Upton.

"What’s cool about Dark Commandos," offers Thomas Sanders, co-creator of the series with Edward Gross, "is that although on the surface it is very much a comic book concept, with larger than life heroes and villains and lots of fantastic elements, within that there are fully-realized characters dealing with all kinds of very human dramatic themes. You have to remember that every one of our vampire characters was, at one time, a mortal human being. And that part of them is still there, lurking inside, hungering for the life they’ve left behind. Each character deals with that basic conflict in a different way."

Adds Gross, "If this was a balls-to-the-walls big-budget Hollywood film, there would be non-stop action, explosions and state of the art special effects, but because of the medium that we’re working in, we’ve been forced — thankfully — into downplaying the pyrotechnics and taking more time to explore character. There’s a reason that television shows like The West Wing, Now and Again and the one-two punch of Buffy and Angel are capturing the imagination of the audience and the critics: at their soul, these shows feature their characters dealing with difficult situations rather than cardboard heroes merely pretending that they have a life outside of killing the bad guy."

Dark Commandos owes its genesis to Gross’ life-long fascination with vampires. "As a kid," he reflects, "I absolutely lived for the horror soap opera Dark Shadows and its lead character, Barnabas Collins. The subject has always compelled me."

Dark Commandos: Empires Fall is different from the majority of original content on the Internet. Many sites feature short films — ranging from independent efforts made on a shoestring to those costing millions of dollars — or limited animation. DC, on the other hand, is one of the few ongoing live-action series to be mounted.

"The Internet," Sanders says, "lets us make and play by our own rules. We don’t have to win anyone else’s approval, we don’t have to rewrite for anyone or wait for anyone. Dark Commandos is our vision and if people respond to it, great. If not, at least we don’t have to wonder what would have happened if only our script hadn’t gotten lost in some agent’s slush pile."

"The series is a hybrid result of our individual sensibilities," adds Gross. "Tom is the one always trying to dig deeper, to find the soul of the characters and the scenes, while I’m saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if....’ Together, we try to find the right balance."

"I love popcorn movies," Sanders emphasizes. "I also happen to love a lot of more serious films. I think Dark Commandos speaks to both aesthetics."

Dark Commandos: Empires Fall is now playing at www.darkcommandos.com. The site debuted this month with the show’s "trailer" and a variety of behind-the-scenes features. New episodes will premiere in the near future.