The calm before the next storm.
Creative Staff:
Story: Thomas Sniegoski
Art: Michael Sta. Maria
Colors: Omi Remalante Jr.
Letterer: Troy Peteri
What They Say:
Writer Tom Sniegoski continues to weave a post-apocalyptic tale featuring a literal hell on earth as a reborn Vampirella fights against the literal forces of chaos to save humanity from its ultimate destruction!
Mistress Nyx is no more, but the evil she was responsible still infects the world. Vampirella wanders a wasteland on the verge of rebirth while searching for her own, lost humanity. Will she find it, or will she succumb to the darkness that still grips the world once ruled by Chaos?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I’ve definitely been enjoying Thomas Sniegoski’s run on this book and have been really curious as to how he’s going to handle things moving forward after bringing events largely to a close previously. Though one doesn’t imagine that Nyx is dead and done for all time, it’s expected to be a bit before she returns and that means new storylines to explore and that’s exciting. This installment gives us a bit more of Michael Sta. Maria on the artwork and as it’s a mostly dialogue-oriented one, it definitely is captured well to set the mood with all that’s happening. This is a solid installment in showing how the world is recovering but also what darkness still exists.
The main thing happening here is that we get a mild narrative shift in that Jeannine is now traveling with Vampirella and taking note so that she can relate these tales better someday, just as her grandmother told her stories. It’s a decent setup and it puts the two on the road with Vampirella definitely bring protective of Jeannine and trying to find someplace where she can thrive. That almost seems to come up quickly as while out on the road they come across an older couple from the nearby town of Surette. The couple, on their way back in their pickup, are being assaulted by a mix of Nyx’s former goons for what they have in the truck . It’s something where they start beating up the folks but it goes against what Vampirella asked of Nyx’s followers after her demise, which means unhappy and violent Vampirella.
Naturally, we end up back in Surette and nothing is what it seems under the surface, but it’s not drawn out to get there. While Vampirella gets checked out, Jeannine gets to change and be more of a kid and play with kids. But the townsfolk see them as a real opportunity to feed the beast in the outskirts that actually protects them from the darker things of the world out there. You can see the path easily in that Vampirella will get taken advantage of and succumb to this while Jannine is the real goal because of how she could be a plus for their benefactor. But what makes it work is that the dialogue is solid throughout and it moves with some competence even while playing to the familiar, which really does give it some style.
In Summary:
The series moves into a new phase here and it’s a pretty interesting one overall. Though there’s clearly a lot of familiar material in the grand sense for anyone who has read books like this or other media of the genre, it’s done well and it has a good flow to it. The dialogue is spot-on in capturing the situation and how people are surviving and the artwork gives it a good feeling, especially in highlighting the difference between how much of the world is and how Surette is. Vampirella’s a lot of fun here but Jeannine comes across pretty well too, and that has me interested in seeing if she has a real career as a storyteller of Vampirella’s life.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: September 1st, 2021
MSRP: $3.99