Vampiverse, Issue 3
Recap
With the monstrous Bloodwing in pursuit, Vampirella, Book, and the adorable-yet-deadly Baby Prague continue their search for the missing pages from the Book of Prophecy. Along the way, they’ll run into never-before-seen Vampirellas across the fabric of time and space who’re to aid them in thwarting Bloodwing’s plan of reshaping reality. Also: in this issue we meet The Vamp, a pulp-style crime fighter who could give the Shadow a run for his money (if he carried money)!
Review
I like the different worlds we see in this series and particularly this issue. From last issues “Mad Max” like apocalypse we move to a 50’s sitcom and finally to a “pulp like world”. The styles of the worlds are distinctly different in look and colors, or lack thereof and that creates the feeling of different worlds. I also like that the characters like Prague and now Lilith Van Helsing, the daughter of the 50’s housewife/fighter of Chaos Vampirella Van Helsing. It is great that the Van Helsing name is used as a callback to the great enemy of the vampire Dracula.
The colors are great in addition to the line art. With using the black and white color palette in the beginning sequences, it brings the reader into the 50’s world. We are immersed in it and the time until that is disrupted by the appearance of Bloodwing. For her part, Bloodwing is shown in full color as are the main Vampirella and her ragtag team she is gathering. This creates a great contrast, this is truly a situation that is out of this world, or any world for that matter.
When Lilith joins Vampirella’s team, she retains her black and white coloration. This makes the Black and White world real and her world stays with her in the next which is the pulp world.
The pulp world has the film noir look. This Vampirella is shown in a long red dress with the convenient leg slip and her signature knee high boots. It is unclear if she is a vampire as the other versions we have seen but she does have a unique ability to speak to the newly deceased and that proves convenient to move the plot along but it is an interesting talent for this new character.
The writing is not formulaic in this story. The first part shows Vampirella arriving after Bloodwing while Vampirella and company arrives at the second world before Bloodwing. This breaks the story up and helps create both variety as well as a great cliffhanger in the end.
Unfortunately the chief complaint I have is with the cover. What does this image have to do with the 50’s or pulp noir?
Final Thoughts
Vampiverse despite being a common tale in comics, see Sonjaversal and He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse, is an entertaining ride for the reader as well as the creators. The reader gets to see different realities and with them different types of characters and locales and that might create new interests in the readers.
Vampiverse #3: Welcome To The Party
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 7/107/10