American Vampire Second Cycle #10 Review

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American Vampire, American Vampire Second Cycle #10, David Mccaig, Pearl Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Skinner Sweet, The Grey Trader, Vampires, Vertigo Comics

American Vampire Second Cycle #10

Review by Paul Bowler

After evading a gruesome fate Pearl Jones and Felicia Brook must escape Area 51 in American Vampire Second Cycle #10, just as Skinner Sweet’s mission into space with Agent Poole to recover film from a Russian satellite before the Grey Trader’s agents hit’s a snag. The space walk to the satellite holds a nasty surprise for Skinner and Poole, when they open the hatch and they find vampires waiting inside for them! As the war with the beast reaches space, loyalties are tested, and the fate of the world hangs in the balance…

The smash-hit Vertigo comic book series American Vampire Second Cycle reaches a major turning point, as #1 New York Times best-selling writer Scott Snyder and acclaimed artist Rafael Albuquerque bring Pearl’s and Skinner’s mission in 1965 with Felicia Brook, the director of the Vassals of the Morning Star, to its penultimate stages as the conflict reaches the cold vacuum of space. Vampires in space, bloodletting, and dramatic events in Area 51 collide as the cold war, the space race, and the menace of the Grey Trader conspires to drain every last drop of blood from the century’s boldest decade for mankind.

American Vampire Second Cycle #10 is one giant leap for vampire-kind as Skinner’s mission with Pool unfolds 22,346 miles above Earth, as they battle infected Carpathian vampires the Russians put in space to protect the Okrahna. Skinner and Poole face a violent, no-holds-barred, struggle for survival, as the fight to get the film and the perils of zero gravity tests their strength and resolve to the limit. Back on Earth, the action continues at an equally break-neck pace inside Area 51 as Pearl and Felicia confront a chilling realization about their mission.

Scott Snyder pitches the action and drama in this issue of American Vampire perfectly. Its edge-of-the-seat stuff, the simultaneous pressing of two buttons at critical junctures is a masterstroke in tension, while the optimism of Pearl’s argument with Felicia dices with Armageddon as Skinner and Poole risk everything for one last shot at survival. Dark Moon Part 5 is one of Snyder’s finest issues of American Vampire, a number of key plot strands are skilfully brought together, the strong characterization really shines though, and the way elements from this American Vampire story arc begin to fall into place is handled brilliantly.

Rafael Albuquerque’s incredible artwork for this issue delivers some of the most striking visuals we’ve ever scene in the series. Most notable of course, are the scenes in space with Skinner and Poole fighting infected vampires. When Skinner cuts loose against his attackers, with the Earth and the Moon gleaming behind them in the icy void of space, it makes for a spectacular sight, and it’s not long before globules of blood are floating amongst the stars. Pearl doesn’t pull her punches either, as she fights her way though Area 51 alongside Felicia and the facility provides a fittingly grim setting for one of the issues most pivotal scenes. Dave McCaig’s colors are stunning, vividly bold while also impressively subtle, the shadowy blue-grey bleakness of space contrasts perfectly with the sombre, grimy palette for Area 51, and the fantastic sight of Skinner and Poole floating almost silhouetted in front of the moon is simply breathtaking.

American Vampire: Second Cycle #10 builds to a double-edged cliff-hanger, where a nerve jangling high-octane chase begins, and betrayal strikes as Skinner grows dangerously close to succumbing to his infection. Full of stand-out moments, with its exciting story by Scott Snyder and outstanding art by Rafael Albuquerque, American Vampire Second Cycle #10 is another brilliant issue of this acclaimed series!

Publisher: Vertigo Comics

Writer: Scott Snyder

Art: Rafael Albuquerque

Color: Dave McCaig

Letters: Steve Wands

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Aliens / Vampirella #1 Review

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Alien, Aliens, Aliens / Vampirella #1, comics, Corinna Bechko, Dark Horse, Dynamite Comics, Horror, In LIGHT Studios, Javier Garcia-Miranda, Mars, Sci-Fi, Vampirella, Vampires, Xenomorph

Aliens / Vampirella #1

Review by Paul Bowler

When it comes to attention grabbing comic book titles, Aliens / Vampirella #1 with its eye catching cover by Gabriel Hardman, instantly screams out to be read if you are a fan of either Vampirella or the Aliens franchise. Humans have set up a base on Mars, where they have discovered an ancient mystery underground. Vampirella has been sent to help the crew investigate, but it soon becomes apparent monstrous creatures await them in the shadows deep below the surface, horrors that should never have been disturbed…

Aliens / Vampirella #1, is a brand new six part series from Dynamite, by writer Corinna Bechko, featuring art by Javier Garcia-Miranda, and colors by In LIGHT Studios, certainly has a very interesting premise.

There is a lot of potential here; the tantalizing idea of having a character like Vampirella squaring off against the acid-blooded Xenomorphs on Mars is certainly appealing. Corinna Bechko gets things off to a good start with a fittingly blood-drenched, acid-splattering, flashback that quickly established past events. From here, the pace slows somewhat as we flash-forward to Vamperilla’s arrival on Mars, where she meets the crew of Mars Base One, and learns that the base they’ve found beneath the surface could well be tens of thousands of years old.

The familiar themes of the Aliens franchise are all present and correct, there’s a group of humans on a distant world, lots of dark spooky corridors to wander down, and even a chamber full of rather gooey looking eggs. Yes, you know the drill. While it ticks all the boxes, this issue first doesn’t really do anything new with these tried-and-trusted themes. Sure, it sets the scene well enough, but even the crew seem indistinguishable from what we’ve seen many times before, and Vampirella gets no real chance to put her abilities to much use either.

Javier Garcia-Miranda’s art is really good, all the characters are well rendered, and Vampirella looks stunning. However, it’s the flashback at the beginning where Javier Garcia-Miranda’s art really stands out, as we witness the full savagery of the Xenomorph in action. The detail in these pages is phenomenal, and the raw power and brutality of Alien is captured perfectly. Once we flash-forward to the Mars base its all cool metallic corridors, with some wandering around, before Vampirella and the team descends into the underground base where dark shadows, long-dead corpses encased in the walls, and a slimy Alien egg chamber await them. Colorist In LIGHT Studios really shines here in these underground scenes, where the blackness is punctuated by flickering torch beams, and cool blue and green hues heighten the tension even further

Fortunately, after a rather mundane mid-section, this first issue gradually builds to a blood-splattered climax. Corinna Bechko uses some ingenious plot twists here, particularly an unsettling face hugger experience / vision that provides us with further clues about what happened, and the closing moments are both shockingly visceral and violent.

Vampirella fighting the Xenomorphs is an uncanny mash-up of themes and ideas. The Aliens franchise has always had strong female lead characters, so Vampirella is a perfect choice to battle the Xenomorphs. Although Aliens / Vampirella #1 gets a bit bogged down with too much exposition initially, it does begin to measure up to the potential of its premise towards the end of the issue. Corinna Bechko and Javier Garcia-Miranda have done a great job with issue #1, but future issues of this Dynamite mini-series will need to be a bit less formulaic where the Aliens are concerned and make a lot more use of Vampirella if it is to really impress.

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American Vampire Second Cycle #9 Review

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American Vampire, American Vampire Second Cycle, American Vampire Second Cycle #9, Area 51, comics, Horror, Pearl Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Skinner Sweet, The Grey Trader, Vampires, Vassals of the Morning Star, Vertigo Comics

American Vampire #9

Review by Paul Bowler

Having snuck into Area 51, Pearl Jones and Felicia Brook must now escape from the top secret facility in American Vampire Second Cycle #9, while Skinner Sweet takes a perilous journey into space with Agent Pool to stop the Grey Traders people acquiring film from a Russian satellite. As Pearl and Felicia confront the terrifying horrors lurking behind the walls of Area 51, they might become test subjects themselves, just as Skinner encounters a deadly new threat in space as his mission reaches a crucial moment…

The critically acclaimed smash hit Vertigo Comics series American Vampire Second Cycle blasts into space as #1 New York Times best-selling writer Scott Snyder and renowned artist Rafael Albuquerque take Pearl’s and Skinner’s missions with Felicia Brook, the director of the Vassals of the Morning Star, to new heights of unparalleled terror that are – quite literally – out of this world. The cold war and the space race are now inexorably entwined with the ancient threat posed by the Grey Trader, and the stakes have never been higher for Pearl and Skinner!

American Vampire Second Cycle #9 is a veritable roller coaster ride of non-stop action. Scott Snyder continues to build the creeping sense of dread and tension that has permeated every corner of this new arc, over the course of this issue the individual strands of Skinner’s and Pearl’s separate missions gradually begin to converge as the pieces start falling into place, and the nail-biting action doesn’t let up for a moment.

A 24 caret blood transfusion may have stemmed Skinner’s infection for now, temporarily holding off his inevitable transformation, but we are soon made all too aware of just how tenuous a reprieve this really is for Skinner. While the mission in space approaches its objective, the bond between Skinner and Agent Pool continues to develop, and Pool’s story about his brother reinforces this arcs social and political backdrop in the most tragic of circumstances. Back on Earth, Pearl and Felicia are now captives inside Area 51, were they face the disquieting horror of a secret chamber that can erase anything; an area which also has far reaching links to the search for The Beast that leave a decidedly aquatic subtext swirling in the historic eddies of its wake…

Scott Snyder crafts some excellent character building moments during this issue of American Vampire, striking key emotional beats, melding humour, and stark, outright terror, which sublimely evolve into the issues most dynamic scenes. Skinner’s and Pool’s mission thoughtfully blends melancholy memories with the awe-inspiring majesty of space, while Pearl’s and Felicia’s experiences in Area 51 see them witnessing grotesque torture as they face a desperate struggle to find a way out and escape in one piece. This is American Vampire at its very best, thought provoking, dark, and unflinchingly graphic, this issue has it all!

Needles to say, Rafael Albuquerque’s phenomenal artwork on this series remains as outstanding as ever. From an apocalyptic Las Vegas lost between somewhere and forever, Albuquerque infuses Skinner’s nightmarish vision into our imagination with some deeply unsettling, and disturbing scenes as the Grey Trader’s influence bubbles away under the surface, festering, and worming its way into Skinner’s consciousness. Likewise, the scenes in space are stunning, and the dawn of a new day is simply breathtaking. Area 51’s interior is chillingly dark and ominous, which serves to heighten the even tension further. The colors by Dave McCaig accentuates the feel of the different environments perfectly: the way the burnt orange glow inside the capsule dissolves into the beautiful golden hues of the dawn is beautiful, cold blue and vivid green tones make Area 51 feel more like a high-tech slaughterhouse of horror, and the inky void of space is a beautifully silent sight accentuated by the faint shimmering glow of the Earth’s atmosphere.

American Vampire Second Cycle #9 rockets towards a thrilling climax when the grim reality of a death trap begins to sink in for Pearl and Felicia just as Skinner and Pool make a shocking discovery in space. Enthralling from cover to cover, with its excellent story by Scott Snyder and terrific art by Rafael Albuquerque, American Vampire Second Cycle #9 excels on every level and is another stand out issue in this remarkable series.

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Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4 Review

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Blood Queen, Blood Queen Vs Dracula, Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4, comics, Dracula, Dynamite Entertainment, Elizabeth Bathory, Kewber Baal, Kirsty Swan, Marshall Dillon, Troy Brownfield, Vampires

Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4

Review by Paul Bowler

The showdown between the notorious Elizabeth Bathory and the Lord of the Vampires reaches its blood-drenched conclusion in Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4, as this new four-part Dynamite mini-series written by Troy Brownfield and illustrated by Kewber Baal, with colors by Kirsty Swan, and lettered by Marshall Dillon, sees these iconic horror characters locked in mortal combat as their enemies close in to attack them.

We’ve seen the opening gambits between the Blood Queen and Dracula, tensions and passions have run high, there’s been treachery on both sides, assassins have been vanquished, and now we have the final battle between the Blood Queen and Dracula! Surrounded by foes on all sides in her own castle, Elizabeth’s dark powers will be put to the greatest test of all, for even if she can defeat her peoples enemies, the Blood Queen must still find the strength to resist Dracula’s will if she is to avoid becoming the Lord of Vampires dutiful servant…

The final issue of this four-part mini-series enables writer Troy Brownfield to bring all the plot threads involving the Blood Queen, Dracula, and their common enemies in the Otterman Empire, together for one last brutal fight to the end. The world is indeed painted blood in this action-packed finale! Until now we have only seen the minor skirmishes. Here we finally see the Blood Queen and Dracula really cut loose, no quarter is given between them, and their battle becomes a whirlwind of magic, transformation, stone, bloodshed, and even steel!

Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4 is lavishly illustrated by Kewber Baal. Indeed, Baal’s exemplary work on this mini-series has brought this stunning world to life in exquisite detail. Castle Nadasdy in the Blood Queen’s kingdom of Varanno is the setting for this final confrontation, it provides a perfect battle ground for Elizabeth and Dracula to uses their powers to the full, and Baal ensures every moment is captured in vivid detail. The rich colors by Kirsty Swan also imbue every scene with added textures, providing subtle flourishes and tones, as blood, twirling mist, and crimson magical energies tear across the pages between these two powerful combatants.

When the Ottoman forces led by General Serhan’s brother, Burak, a magic wielding Sihirbaz, launch a surprise attack on castle Nadasdy at the height of Elizabeth’s battle with Dracula, the Blood Queen and the Prince of Darkness must set aside their differences and unite against their enemies. Troy Brownfield ensures the action doesn’t let up for a moment. The cutting banter the Blood Queen and Dracula shared throughout their combat quickly spills over into this stand-off against the Otterman’s and the vengeful sorcerer, making for a deliciously witty, violent, and decisively blood-soaked finale. But once the dust has settled an unexpected proposal is made, a new alliance is forged, and we are left with a tantalising coda that could well spark a rematch between the Blood Queen and Dracula at some point in the not too distant future…

Blood Queen Vs Dracula #4 brings this Dynamite mini-series to an exciting and immensely satisfying conclusion. Troy Brownfield’s dramatic storyline has built into a sweeping blood-splattered epic, its been great to see two horror icons like the Blood Queen and Dracula clash while their Ottoman enemies rise against them, and the excellent art by Kewber Baal has immersed us in every glorious moment of visceral bloodshed while the power struggle between Elizabeth and the Lord of Vampires thundered towards its climax. This new Dynamite mini-series has been a firm favourite of mine over the last few months, it delivered on every level, and I certainly hope we get to see the Blood Queen and Dracula cross swords again one day.

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American Vampire Second Cycle #7 Review

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American Vampire, American Vampire Second Cycle, American Vampire Second Cycle #7, Area 51, comics, Dave McCaig, Pearl Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Skinner Sweet, The Grey Trader, Vampires, Vassals of the Morning Star, Vertigo

American Vampire Second Cycle #7

Review by Paul Bowler

The Cold War starts to heat up in American Vampire Second Cycle #7, its all nuclear silos, civil rights movements, and space programmes as the Grey Trader’s influence grows ever stronger. The smash hit Vertigo series American Vampire Second Cycle continues the new arc as #1 New York Times best-selling writer Scott Snyder and acclaimed artist Rafael Albuquerque send Pearl and Skinner on a blood soaked countdown to terror. While Pearl Jones and Felicia Book set out to reach Area 51 to acquire a powerful weapon, Skinner Sweet and Calvin Pool’s team gets ready to embark on a voyage to the deadliest frontier of all: space!

After the horrifying encounter with the Grey Trader, events take a startling new turn in in this issue, as Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones find themselves embarking on two very different missions. This issue grabs you by the throat right from the start and goes straight in for the jugular with its terrifying prologue in West Florida. From there its action and drama all the way as Dark Moon Part 2 begins in earnest outside a grim looking gas station in Arizona.

There’s a great dynamic here between Pearl and Felicia Brook, the director of the Vassals of the Morning Star, they work well together, and they both share no illusions about how dangerous their plan to break into Area 51 to steal the weapon for the VMS will be. Optimism may be a bitch, especially when it comes to the USA’s top secret facility of weirdness, but compared to the thought of lunch at the Gobble and Gas it’s definitely a chance worth taking.

Scott Snyder keeps the plot racing along, each scene and shift of location melding into the other seamlessly, and even when the flashback to Detroit (1960) comes crashing through the roof the pace and suspense never congeals for a moment. When we catch up with Skinner and Calvin’s team at launch complex 19 in Florida, preparations are already underway for their mission into space to prevent information from a Russian satellite falling into the hands of the Grey Trader’s people – an incident that could well spark nuclear conflict. However, the mission is far from straightforward, the module will be cramped, and Skinner’s opinion of their ride to get them into space and the “something” called a computer is absolutely priceless!

With the Cold War, the space race, and the civil rights movement, providing a heady social and political backdrop for this story arc to unfold across, Scott Snyder sublimely weaves these themes into the issue, heightening the tension as the action unfolds, the sense of upheaval and resistance to change boils away in the background, and the constant threat of nuclear devastation is ever present during this juncture in history. Add the vast legacy of American Vampire into the mix, along with the ancient threat of the Grey Trader, and you have an issue that encapsulates everything that makes American Vampire Second Cycle so utterly compelling from cover to cover.

Talking of covers, wow oh wow! Rafael Albuquerque’s crazy Vampire monkey cover is awesome, and it gives you a tantalising glimpse of the fabulous artwork from Albuquerque that awaits you inside this issue. The hauntingly bleak scenes at the gas station in Arizona really set the mood, before we join Skinner and the rest of the team for our first look at the Titan II rocket. There are some particularly nightmarish moments for Pearl as well, there’s also Skinner’s ongoing struggle with the infection, and Rafael Albuquerque masterfully splices these hellish visions and grotesque monstrosities to form a violently dark and twisted shock twist. The colors by Dave McCaig are also excellent throughout, and bring a rich clarity to every scene.

The issue closes with a stunning confrontation, the revulsion of the sixth breed, and a sweetly horrific cliff-hanger that will have you on the edge of your seat. Strap yourself in for one hell of a ride because American Vampire Second Cycle #7 is a terrific issue, and Snyder, Albuquerque, and McCaig have really excelled themselves with this one!

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American Vampire Second Cycle #5 Review

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American Vampire, American Vampire Second Cycle #5, David Mccaig, Matias Bergara, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, the Vassalas of the Morningstar, Vampires, Vertigo Comics

American Vampire Second Cycle #5

Review by Paul Bowler

The California Gold Rush saw thousands migrate west in hope of striking it rich. One poor unfortunate miner’s quest to make his fortune uncovers a horror unbound in Nevada, at a mining operation, where something ancient and evil has awakened. The miner’s journal survived, passing through many hands over the generations until it finally came into the possession of a Mr Gene Bunting, the west coast bookkeeper of the Vassalas of the Morningstar, the ancient clandestine organisation dedicated to the destruction of all manner of dark abominations. Now in 1954 Gene Bunting’s desire to uncover the truth behind the story held within those dusty linen pages of the journal has brought him to the Nevada desert, where untold horrors await at the Royal Forkes drift claim…

American Vampire #5 is a one-shot story in this critically acclaimed Vertigo series written by #1 New York Times best-selling writer Scott Snyder, featuring brilliant artwork from rising star Matias Bergara, that brings us ever closer to the mystery of the ancient evil that reunited Pearl Jones and Skinner Sweet to face the menace of the mysterious Grey Trader. Ever since Skinner recalled his terrifying experience about what happened to him and the bus of vampire refugees to Pearl in American Vampire Second Cycle #3, where Skinner described how he managed to escape from the hellish depths of an old mine shaft, the mystery and lurking dread of this moment has lingered unexplained, until now in American Vampire Second Cycle #5, as the sinister legacy of the event that chilled even Skinner Sweet to the bone is finally revealed.

The Miner’s Journal is a wonderfully dark and macabre story by Scott Snyder. Even though it’s classed as a one-shot story, this untold tale offers a new insight into the events we’ve already seen in Second Cycle, and the way Snyder weaves this issues story into the ongoing narrative of the series and its characters is fiendishly clever. Gene Bunting’s trek into the Nevada desert in search of the old mining project, the Royal Forkes drift claim mentioned in the pages on the journal he has acquired, takes him to a lonely gas station, where an old woman gives him directions, until Bunting finally arrives at the site to begin his search. I really like how we also learn how the journal has taken its own journey, heightening the brooding air of menace even further, while Snyder keeps us hanging on every word as the pages turn and history divulges its dark secrets.

Indeed, the story within the journal itself is exquisitely macabre, beginning with the blind optimism of youth and friendship, before hope gradually melts away, and the creeping horror of the situation begins to sink in. Dodger and Seb are beautiful written characters, even though we glean only scant knowledge about them, Scott Synder makes them seem totally real and believable, so as the final pages of the journal unfold you not only feel that you know them, you’ve completely invested every ounce of your imagination to their horrendous fate.

The art by Matias Bergara for this one-shot issue of American Vampire Second Cycle is excellent, which together with David McCaig intricate colors and letters by Steve Wands, ensures this issue is one that you will want to read and enjoy many times over simply to savour the intricacies of the story that Snyder has so masterfully constructed. From its bleak opening moments in the desert, where you’d swear you can almost hear the dusty wind billowing around the creaky rundown gas station, to the beautifully crafted pages of the ancient journal, and right through to Bunting’s descent to the cavernous depths of Royal Forkes, Matias Bergara’s art is stunning and he captures the tone and style of Snyder’s and Albuquerque’s vampire series perfectly.

With its gorgeous cover by Rafael Albuquerque, spellbinding half prose story and art from Snyder and Bergara, American Vampire Second Cycle #5 is a master class in horror, frightening, intense, and utterly compelling from beginning to end, brilliant!

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American Vampire Second Cycle #3 Review

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American Vampire, American Vampire Second Cycle #3, DC Comics, Pearl Jones, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder, Skinner Sweet, The Grey Trader, Vampires, Vertigo

 

American Vampire Second Cycle #3

Review by Paul Bowler

The threat of the Grey Trader grows ever nearer in American Vampire Second Cycle #3 as evil forces begin to rise. Having enlisted Calvin’s help to investigate the mystery surrounding the Grey Trader, Pearl Jones learns some horrifying truths about this ancient evil. When Pearl receives a dire warning from Calvin before he is attacked, Pearl is shocked when the newest arrival at her sanctuary for Vampires, a young girl called May, undergoes a horrific transformation. After his experience on a rain swept night near the Texas / Mexico border, Skinner Sweet must now confront his demons, figuratively and literally, a horror unlike anything he has ever faced before.

The smash hit Vertigo series American Vampire Second Cycle continues as Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque heighten the mystery surrounding the Grey Trader. Ancient, powerful, and steeped in the history of the world itself, the Trader has his own nefarious agenda, one that will encompass this blood soaked Vampire sagas move into the 1960’s, as fate conspires to bring Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones together again.

These are dark times for the Vassals, the Signal Man has issued his warning, even the merest mention of the Grey Trader was enough to strike Calvin with fear last issue, and his subsequent investigation saw him attacked in his hotel room as he called Pearl to warn her. If you thought the blood curdling terror of that brief telephone call was nerve jangling, with its tantalising mention of the original infection, then what follows that conversation in the pages of American Vampire #3 will enhance the brooding atmosphere further still as it hacks and slashes its way into the darkest recesses of your imagination.

Now dark forces are coming that threaten them all, and Pearl must do everything in her power to protect her young charges after young May succumbs to her infected bite and metamorphoses into a hulking abomination. Scott Snyder masterfully builds the tension from scene to scene, as the creatures devastating strength proves too much for even Pearl to handle. Her flight from the farmhouse with the children is nail biting stuff, leading to a frenetic chase to the fields that culminates with brutal violence and heartbreaking tragedy.

American Vampire Second Cycle #3 is a fantastic looking book, the art by Rafael Albuquerque is absolutely stunning, and instantly transports you into the nightmarish situations that Calvin and Pearl have to face. Albuquerque delivers one of his most terrifying creations yet; a lumbering monstrosity with gaping maws of teeth, and the sheer power and ferocity of the creature Pearl is confronted with in her own home genuinely unnerving. Dave McCaig’s colors are a perfect complement to Albuquerque’s art, with moody shadowy tones to accentuate the suspense and vivid splashes of crimson and orange to punctuate the horror and violence.

Skinner Sweet’s return is fittingly blood soaked, however, it is the fantastic splash pages which reveals the events that transpired after Skinner stumbled upon the bus full of Vampire refugees, and the terrible things he witnessed, that will stay with you long after you’ve finished this issue. Rafael Albuquerque’s art in these scenes will simply blow you away, as we follow Skinner’s journey , plummeting into the screaming depths of a place so unimaginable it will claw against the inside of your skull like gnarled fingers down a blackboard.

American Vampire Second Cycle #3 is a master class in horror and suspense from Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, this issue is packed with standout moments, it delivers the long awaited, if brief, reunion we’ve been waiting for, and the closing moments will send a chill down you spine with its sublime twist of terror.

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