It may be a crossover you never expected to see, but is it worth your time?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Two classic vampires meet for the first time! When the disappearance of a family friend brings Barnabas Collins to New York, he is ill-prepared for the seedy underworld of clubs that awaits him! And Vampirella’s quest to find the “Big Apple Butcher” sends her on a collision course with the vampire of Collinsport! Will Vampirella and Barnabas uncover the shocking identity of this madman before they kill each another?

The narrative follows a rather quick pace that rushes through the shared history of our two villains, while readers are given a brief recap on some details about our main characters.  It’s a creative first issue, that yields a surprisingly fresh tale while allowing enough room for these two very iconic vampires to establish their respective franchises.

Marc Andreyko does a good job writing a thin but fun script that will satisfy fans of both properties.  From the characterizations to the story itself, all the cogs in the proverbial machine are working just fine.  The dialogue flows well, and the overall story right up to the final page is a flawed but engaging.

Patrick Berkenkotter does an alright job with the art.  Employing some heavy line-work in order to accentuate a dark but moody world.  There were moments where faces looked a bit off and backgrounds were a bit light on their necessary details, but for the most part his visual style complemented the script well enough.

As crossovers tend to go, Dark Shadows / Vampirella seems to be off to a somewhat strong start.  It’s not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s entertaining enough to warrant a read by any Dark Shadows or Vampirella fans.  Recommended.

3/5