Review: DC Vs. Vampires #2
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV
Colors: Otto Schmidt
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
I tried Barry to argue for you Barry. But my Lord said the way your powers work, your metabolism, your speed…you’d drink the planet to death.
– Green Lantern
Summary
DC Vs. Vampires #2– The Justice League has long protected Earth from all manner of foreign and alien invaders over the years, always keeping a vigilant eye to the skies for the next threat. But what if the threat was already walking the Earth…hiding in plain sight…watching…waiting for their moment to strike…
The war for the very survival of the human race has begun! A mysterious new vampire lord has already put a plan in motion to conquer the Earth, and the first step is-destroy the Justice League! But the World’s Greatest Detective might be Earth’s last hope, and it’s time for the Bat-Family to hunt!
In the tradition of DCeased comes a terrifying new series from the twisted minds of James Tynion IV (Nice House on the Lake; Something is Killing the Children), Matthew Rosenberg (The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox; 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank; Hawkeye), and Otto Schmidt that will tear the Justice League apart in their war with the undead!
Positives
Just in time for Halloween, and with the success of the series that saw the heroes of the DC Universe battling against the threat of zombies in DCeased, comes DC vs Vampires, a series that looks to pit the Justice League and company against legions of the undead.
This second installment builds on the villain that Green Lantern/Hal Jordan has inside of him. Ever since his stint as Parallax, Hal really has been wreaking havoc in the DC universe. In fact, in this series we would welcome Guy Gardner to come and knock his ring off!
Positives 2.0
Tynion and Rosenberg have mapped this out ala Tom Taylor’s Dceased. I love the fact that Green Lantern is knocking off fellow JLAers in a subtle yet meaningful way. However, we know now that something is pulling Hal’s strings. He’s not the main vampire in this coven.
No Andrew Bennett in this installment…no problem. Oliver Queen/Green Arrow does a great job in his part of contacting the villains to warn them, but to also flush out a vampire.
Batman’s investigative skills is what Tynion writes for the best. His all hands on deck with the Bat Family, the intense daylight and the holy water tea….here…hold this cross! This is great stuff! Weeding everyone out to see whom he can trust and who has been bitten.
Negatives
Otto Schmidt draws sharp character images, but he is not one to work with backgrounds. In fact, there are some pages that have a water color vibe going on. This is not a major flaw, but I crave the depictions that one would see in a Spawn or Venom comic where blood and carnage flow.
Again, if DC wanted to have a horror book, then this should have been published under the Black Label banner.
Verdict
The premise is great and it’s going to be a strong 12 issue run. However, the apocalyptic cover art is not what you’ll find inside the book. Don’t let it dampen your appetite for a good vampire story, though, as it is Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV are writing after all. These guys always provide a great Batman tale… so give this one a try!
