When you go against a God-Queen … make sure you’re well prepared!
Creative Staff:
Writer: Pat Shand
Artwork: Marc Rosete & Roberta Ingranata
Colors: Walter Pereyra, Fran Gamboa & J.C. Ruiz
Letters: Jim Campbell
What They Say:
Captured by the crime families of New York, Liesel Van Helsing must escape before the Mummy of Amun-Ra is able to rise to ultimate power. But even if she escapes the mobsters, the mummy’s cult of fascist supporters, all of whom are heavily armed, mystically empowered, and prepared to die for their God Queen.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Ever since she lost Hades, Liesel has had to go on her monster slaying ventures alone, but this time the Amun-Ra Hatshepsut is even more than she can handle. Of course Van Helsing could always call on her friends, but this time the mission is personal … and who ever said she didn’t have any backup? A passive vampire informant named Carmilla is willing to help, as long as she is compensated; but of course, if there is some fun in it for her, so much the better. All she and her friends have to do is storm the compound to cause a distraction, leaving the rear unguarded for a hunter to make an easy entrance. However, even with their superior numbers and cowardliness of the God-Queen’s guards, this feral pack still cannot put up much of a challenge for this walking corpse. She easily swats them aside, leaving her British foe in an advantageous position, but can she subdue her foe as easily as in the past?
Liesel still remembers the stench of blood and foul taste of iron as she observed the mob surrounding that foul beast, watching helplessly as she rejuvenated in pools of crimson. From her surveying post, she could see Valencia still enthralled by the creature, but Van Helsing knew the odds were against her at this time. Following the horde to a rather non-descript hut, she took note of the location and retreated back to her own home for reinforcements; however since this was supposed to be a normal expedition, Liesel was lacking her more powerful arsenal, but made due with what she had – all in order to save her friend. On this trip the brave woman had lost Gertrude and Kostas, and even if she was outnumbered, she was not going to lose another. With guile and stealth Van Helsing advanced to the main chamber, and watched as the abomination luxuriated in a warm pool of nutrients. However this time, will she survive a new encounter with this determined and explosive avenger?
In Summary:
Ever since Liesel lost Hades, she has become more of a risk taker, and now writer Pat Shand shows us the eventuality of those choices. I am amazed how he was able to spread her feelings of survivor’s guilt along the entirety of the series – both of losing a supposed immortal being and then also being haunted by a ghost from the past in which she watched her friends die for this monster to live. In both of these examples, whether it be from sheer luck or a tenacity of wanting to honor their memories, Van Helsing has endured. Over the centuries she may have watched other people die, but it was these deaths which seem to impact her the most. However, the best part of this issue was the equivalence in the story: showing us how she challenged Hatshepsut almost two hundred years ago and then learning from those lessons in how to defeat her once again. But of course, when the God-Queen reminded our favorite Brit of her lover’s passing, it ignited that passion of not allowing anyone to defame his sacrifice and to mount a counter offensive. Nevertheless, it this determination which makes Liesel such an indelible character, someone who will fight with her last dying breath to protect the innocent, no matter what the personal cost.
Although the narrative may be gripping in its own right, it is the artwork which brings everything into focus by giving the reader a parallelism of the past and present. It is fascinating as we watch Marc Rosete give us the opening salvo of Liesel assaulting the God-Queen’s compound, with the same vibrance of any woman with a grudge to settle. You can feel her calculated calmness in deliberate actions, and yet he is able to give the reader a character who is sly enough to use resources available to the utmost. His illustrations portray someone who is determined to settle an age long score but she is still stunned by her quarry’s persistence to overcome anything which is thrown at her person. It is here where Walter Pereyra’s colors show the dominance of experience, allowing for the strength of Rosete’s drawings to speak for themselves and then using his palette to emphasize that boldness through selective choices; the boldness of black is used to the utmost to bring things to the forefront, framing story elements for the most impact. Then the use of midnight and electric blues accent those areas even more as colorful explosions of tones from the other side of the spectrum draw the eye with spectacular grace as we harken back to the past.
It is within this area by which Roberta Ingranata shows off her talent of allowing simplicity to speak for elegance. Her opening panel of the God-Queen dancing through a pool of blood is so straightforward, with nothing complicating the scene to draw the reader’s attention away from that central figure, until we see the beauty of our true heroine, watching in disbelief. And yet this refined illustrative structure would not work without something to give it a foundation, and it is through the manipulative coloring of Fran Gamboa and J.C. Ruiz through which the entirety works as a whole. That premiere sequence is much more effective via a discerning choice of primary tones to make the crimson stand out, giving it definition as to being the most important element of the illustration. This coordination between artist and colorists works to well within the limited palette, sandy backgrounds to remind us of the desert surroundings against greys and dull whites, until we arrive within the epic battle. I am delighted how Ingranata portrays Liesel so genuinely, with looks of concern and lack of malice towards the followers, but then lets the page explode once we enter the regeneration chamber; to be quite honest, it almost felt like Van Helsing had become Dirty Harry, staring down a gang boss as she is relaxing within a hot tub. Gamboa and Ruiz held back on the colors until this selection, letting them combust within this area. The blood and flames take on a life of their own consuming all within its grasp and allowing for justice to take hold.
With only one issue left, Van Helsing vs. The Mummy of Amun-Ra has become at title which shows vengeance consuming all who allow it to take hold. Liesel versus Hatshepsut the God-Queen, their battle has waited for almost two centuries and now it will finally come to an end. While the build up to this moment has had its moments of calm requiescence, the reminders of thing past has developed into a series which allows for the reader to become absorbed by the serenity of memories and friends. I for one cannot wait to see how this tale will end.
Grade: A
Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: May 24, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
