American Vampire: Second Cycle #4 Review

Will Pearl survive an encounter with the Grey Trader? Read on to find out.

The official description from Vertigo:

The fangs are longer, the claws are sharper and the mythos grows as Scott Snyder brings Pearl and Skinner head to head with their most vicious opponent yet. Is it possible to finally destroy a breed of vamps who can walk in the sun?

American Vampire is one of the best series out the now with this Second Cycle being an amazing continuation. Ever since the Grey Trader was introducing in American Vampire #34 I’ve questioned just how big a threat he is. I finally get my answer and he proves to be the most destructive force I’ve seen in comics with these events appearing to be only a taster.

Scott Snyder has been doing a fabulous job on Batman but in all fairness it is nothing compared to American Vampire. The originality that he’s brought to the vampire genre along with the mixture of brutal action and emotion really make it something special with the characters charm being an added bonus. He continues to show that here with the Grey Trader’s unmatchable force and Skinner’s fear and passion making for very intriguing factors.

Rafael Albuquerque always amazes me with his art on this series as though the likes of Sean Murphy and Dustin Nguyen did outstanding work on the two mini-series Albuquerque’s art has always felt more suited to the concept and characters. Much like Snyder he has definitely improved his game for Second Cycle with the immense layouts and sheer detail being marvellous. In addition to this Dave McCaig‘s washed out colours give a phenomenal overtone to the story.

American Vampire: Second Cycle remains a must have for fans of vampires and dramatic stories with the developments in this issue being truly astonishing. Highly recommended.