DIE!namite #4, available from Dynamite comics on January 27th, 2021, follows Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, and Red Sonja fighting through the zombie waves on Drakulon to get back to Earth. Meanwhile, Miss Fury, Peter Cannon aka Thunderbolt, and Green Lama have equally bad problems to deal with back at the Project ship in orbit.
The Details
- Written By: Fred Van Lente
- Art By: Vincenzo Carratù, Pasquale Qualano
- Colors By: Kike J. Diaz
- Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo
- Cover Price: $3.99
Was It Good?
It’s a very high-speed entry in the DIE!namite line. For some readers, it will feel rushed with no time to feel the impact from heroes that perish in this issue (there are a few). Other readers will feel that frantic pace is kinetic and tense. I fall into the “it was a little rushed” category.
The art team does a great job using interesting camera angles for the panels and putting energy on every page. Everyone is in constant motion, and you can practically feel the slipstream from characters running here, there, and everywhere.
Short Story Long
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
We begin with Vampirella (I’m still getting used to her new look), Dejah Thoris, and Red Sonja hack slashing their way through Drakulon’s zombie vampires on their way to the “arterial transport” (teleporter for the uninitiated). With a little witty banter exchange between our heroes, Sonja gets acquainted with Drakulon/Vampire physiology (“you can change form?!?”) while Vampirella uses one of Dejah’s gadgets to help power up the device.
Vampirella gets the device online, and the trio gets ready to step in to teleport to Earth. Before they do, Dejah sees John Carter approaching, not realizing he’s turned, and she gets a nasty nibble when she moves to greet him. Vampirella and Sonja are forced to leave zombie Dejah behind.
Meanwhile, Peter Cannon aka Thunderbolt, Miss Fury, Green Lama, and Death-Defying Devil are slugging it out through the zombie hoards back on Earth. They call for an immediate retreat back to the Project ship in orbit only to find when they arrive that Devil’s been bit and turned. Devil is attacking everyone on the ship, but Cannon manages to beat him.
It’s too late to stop the infection from spreading throughout the ship, so Cannon, Miss Fury, and Tabu guide the ship down into Earth’s atmosphere, headed for the Red Lamas citadel. The trio parachute down before the ship crashes into a mountain as they see Vampirella and Sonja arrive via teleporter almost on the same spot where they touch down.
All heroes gather to meet with the Red Lamas monks only to learn that the monks are actually vampires descended from Drakulon; with one important refugee present. Evil Ernie has been “living” in the citadel among the monks, and everyone realizes the dead have risen to take Ernie back where he belongs.
Final Thoughts
DIE!namite #4, available from Dynamite comics on January 27th, 2021, runs readers here, there, and everywhere with nary a moment to catch a breath. While the issue is full of non-stop energy, the rapid pace breezes right by deaths and impactful moments that need a little time to be felt. Still, it’s good art and plenty of forward progress, so it’s a solid recommendation.