For those fan of the Vampi Valentine special, this book sees the (un)welcome return of a certain Vampi who may have had her worlds best interest at heart before, at least to her mind, being let down by the world she stied to save. Now with the Vampi of all Vampirella’s in her sight, she is tearing across universe to sink her teeth into the biggest prize of all!
Tom Sniegoski and Jeannine Acheson again collaborate on this series, where things gets little strange. A load of Vampi’s is one thing, but a talking book? Of course the pair write in such a way that you accept these foibles as standard without much questioning. After the set ups of the first issue is a more action oriented instalment for sure. After a slight recap, you are thrown pretty much straight into the action. Sniegoski and Acheson do a great job at keeping the dialogue both expositional as well as moving the story forward; no mean feat as they have to recap last issue and the aforementioned Valentine special. There is still a lot of new information and story to read, so you need to keep your head on a swivel or you will something important.
Daniel Maine is the lucky chap who gets to draw a number of different Vampi’s. I guess some guys have all the luck! Maine’s art is spectacular in the opening gambit which goes some way to showing the danger the Vampi’s are in. When things become a a tad more peaceful, I did find the poses of the characters a little odd or out of perspective. I guess that can happen when you have such a busy book. The chaos factor is ramped up in the final third; Maine keeps a firm hand though ensuring that reader doesn’t get lost. I would like to see stronger poses and better facials though. Colorist Francesca Cittarelli does a fantastic job working in the different environments, be it the darkness of Bloodwing’s castle or the desert of Mad Max Vampi. Taylor Esposito, one the best letterers in the business, is on hand with a more formal font than you might expect. Of course there are variant covers; buyers choice!
For all the Vampi content thats out there; with another to start later this year with Vampirella / Dracula, you may assume that the market is flooded blood red. In fact, this book could Dynamite’s plan in microcosm; each Vampi in here is different, just like the books that are on the shelf.
Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 4.5 Stars
Written by; Tom Sniegoski & Jeannine Acheson
Art by; Daniel Maine
Colors by; Francesca Cittarelli
Letters by; Taylor Esposito
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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