Vampirella: Southern Gothic #5 Review

The mini-series comes to a close. But does it have a decent or disappointing wrap up? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Love, blood, rage and death. The heartbreaking conclusion to Vampirella’s misadventures in Mississippi. Her former lover wants to murder her, and her own body is shutting down from a mystical wound. For the first time, all Vampirella has to rely on…is faith.

As someone who’s been an avid comic collector over half his life (counting the years where I did not bag and board) we’ve all experienced the on-and-off again relationship with both mini-series and one-shots. More often than not they are likely to be unnecessary releases that do nothing but exploit a fanbase but every so often something pops up that deserves attention. This release may be one of the latter but it had issues.

The most appealing aspect of these festivities is the honest but slightly corny script. Nate Cosby does a great job delivering on both presence and persistance, while maintaining the forward momentum of an arc that sees an ex-lover betray our scarlet clad heroine in the name of another. And yet somehow we’ve reached a point where Vampirella can honestly tell us why she hates it here, and that right there is what’s special. We have an honest voice that pierces the veil and gives us someone worth rooting for.

José Luís turns in another fantastic display that makes use of all the flavors currently at his disposal. For the most part the renditions are lavishly detailed, and save for a few inconsistent moments we’re treated with something that should keep fans happy from start to finish. The talent does a fine job but in the end its the inks applied by Nelson Pereira and the colors supplied by Inlight Studio that ultimately uplift the visual component to a point where it can stand out.

Vampirella: Southern Gothic #5 is as solid as it comes, with a fitting sense of humor that rounds out this adventure without robbing our heroine of the things that make her who she is. Recommended.

3.5/5