Vampirella Halloween Special 2013 Review


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Is this one-shot really worth your money and time?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Vampirella once again joins forces with Dracula and Eva in order to confront a Doomsday Cult intent on releasing one of the Ancient Ones back upon the Earth. The trio, empowered from their previous successes, will confront these evil forces head on! These three warriors race from threat to threat in order to stop the apocalypse but will learn that even their immense power may not be enough. Whether they accept it or not, some battles cannot be won…

Vampirella Halloween Special 2013_CI’m going to be a hundred percent honest, when it comes to tales like this I’ve been burned before.  You take a popular character and you add a story that doesn’t contribute to the ongoing arcs as you milk the fans for some extra money.  On occasion that turns out to be an expense worth having, this is one of those times.

The script written by Shanon Eric Denton is fluid from the first page to the final panel.  The author understands these characters and I’m not going to lie, there were more than a few times where an overly wordy narrative felt bogged down but there comes a point where the story itself enters an interesting realm as stakes change.  The end result is a piece of fiction that takes what’s been done and pushes it further.  What we get is a comic that’s worthy of the protagonist and her allies as a capable scribe succeeds then impresses me.

Dietrich Smith handles the art and his clean style evokes the right level of terror and sensuality attributed to these players.  He works well with the arc as this saga unfolds with some very grisly sequences.  His renditions of both Eva and Vampirella fit with what fans have come to expect, but there were a few minor instances where features seemed to be a tad bit off.  That said I still found myself immensly enjoying the work on display.

Vampirella Halloween Special 2013 is a welcome entry to the storied franchise. Highly recommended.

4.5/5

fourhalfstar

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