The clues start surfacing.
Creative Staff:
Story: Amy Chu
Art: Maria Sanapo, Ivan F. Silva, David Anton
Colors: Mohan
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
With the investigation at a dead end, Betty and Veronica split over what to do next. Red Sonja decides to take matters into her own hands. Meanwhile, the Pussycats decide to stage a benefit concert for the victims, with disastrous results…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Amy Chu has had a lot of fun playing with the four women leading this series here as they’ve been all over the place getting involved in lots of different things. They’re strong personalities across the board and each feels unique here so there’s little bleed between them as they deal with a really dangerous and unpredictable situation. Maria Sanapo continues to deliver a great looking book where she gives them all a great design. Sonja and Vampirella lean into their more mature designs more than what you get out of Betty and Veronica but the four fit into this world just right without feeling like they’re from different properties. It’s hard to pick a favorite with what Sanapo is doing here but I continue to love her costume design for Vampirella more than anything else. Sorry, Ronnie!
Vampi’s being caught in the last issue in the blood bank was awkward as hell but the hunger had gotten her enough that she had to do something before it got really bad. It’s no surprise she’s getting chided by the others when they do connect at the jail but with a Lodge in the mix it doesn’t take long to get her out on bail. It’s amusing seeing how both Betty and Veronica are acting like the parents here in setting what’s going on and how they both went too far, essentially grounding them at Lodge Mansion while they go to different places to figure out more of what may be going on. It fits completely for Betty and Veronica that they’d just move forward but sitting in the mansion in a kind of really nice house arrest is not what Vampi and Sonja are all about. But they both definitely fit in well in that environment, as we see clearly.
With the Pussycats putting on a benefit concert, we get a confluence of events happening that touch upon the same thing. Essentially, everyone separately discovers the connection in that O-negative blood is what the draw is here between the victims and that Betty is O-negative herself. That has Veronica trying to get in touch with her while Sonja and Vampi figure it out at the same time the detectives do as well. It’s fun watching everyone essentially racing to the concert since there’s a chance of an attack there and Betty is there as well, so it has all the right rush of drama and tension that you’d expect. It’s all comically timed but it plays out in a very fun way since Betty is sending everyone to voicemail while doing her own investigation. Though we still don’t know who is behind everything there are more clues coming in and even Dilton is waking up!
In Summary:
The series moves along well here as it nudges the story forward in expected ways. The O-negative reveal is important and it paints a target on Betty but that’s pretty much what would happen within the group to begin with. Amy Chu has a lot of fun with the main cast in general but I really love the dynamic between Vampi and Sonja as they deal with the various situations that they end up in. Of course, the big draw is also the artwork and Sanapo has been killing it since the first panel and going strong from there. I love the look of all the characters, how she brings the world to life here, and the details for our non-Riverdale residents. It’s a strong book all around that makes me stupidly happy.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 28th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
