A thousand lifetimes sounds good – at first.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jordie Bellaire
Art: Drew Moss
Colors: Rebecca Nalty
Letterer: Becca Carey
What They Say:
Just three more issues until the arc’s stunning conclusion! V and RS are on Drakulon, and face a humongous, unbeatable demon that is…well, unbeatable…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This series has been an absolute delight in general and there are just so many good things about it that it’s hard to really pinpoint singular things at times. While there are spots of Jordie Bellaire’s script that left me re-reading with a “huh?” expression, the overall flow is strong and the character dynamics are the draw, making this a particularly fun installment. Drew Moss has really shined with this work in the designs and creating the right kind of dramatic effect, which Rebecca Nalty has masterfully colored. There’s such a distinctiveness about it all that really clicks and delights me very much with bold colors and dark backgrounds as we get here. And so many little details that just make me grin, such as when they’re in bat-mode and there’s so much going on there.
The time spent on Drakulon is a lot of fun as we see how Sonja has adapted incredibly well to being a vampire like Vampirella and has even really mastered the transformation side of things. We see how Sonja is also doing her best to teach Vampirella how to fight with a sword and fight in general in new ways which means some delightfully creative sparring going on. There’s a really great bond that’s shown between them where they come across as tightly bound sisters that are facing off against the world together after all that has happened. It unfolds well and you really feel the camaraderie there and just how important it is to both of them. It’s not a light thing, especially after all that they’ve been through to this point. So when Sonja is gifted with a special gold bracelet, one that transports her back home to her time and place but years later apparently, it’s a real whiplash moment.
Going back to Hyrkania and having some of her men there greeting her but panicking because of how she hasn’t changed at all, it’s the start of Sonja’s breakdown of sorts. Vampirella’s arrival only makes it worse as she keeps talking of the bond they share but all Sonja sees is that she’s lost her people along with everything else as they want nothing to do with her. That it ends in a bit of a brawl isn’t a surprise, nor that it’s one that basically traps them here a bit. But I like the lashing out that Sonja does, accusing Vampirella of truly wanting this because she can’t handle being alone and that she’s basically trapped Sonja in this endless life that will go on for at least a thousand years together. While it does come together fairly smoothly overall, there’s some deep cuts in there that I hope get touched on a bit more.
In Summary:
I really love this series. We’ve had a lot of pairings of these two in other stories and they get along infamously, but Bellaire is able to deliver something more profound and meaningful here in the two of them being together for as long as they are. Their journey is entering a new and intriguing phase with this issue and I’m curious to see just how far they’ll go with it. Drew Moss and Rebecca Nalty put in some fantastic work here that breathes great life into the story and really brings it to life. I love pretty much every panel with how well it presents things and makes for a really engaging read each and every time.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 29th, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
