VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3, by Dynamite Comics on 11/8/23, sets Vampirella on a revenge quest to kill the cult members who murdered her baby.
The Details
- Written by: Christopher Priest
- Art by: Christian Rosado
- Colors by: Christian Rosado
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: November 8, 2023
Is VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3 Good?
Christopher Priest finds his footing in VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3 as Vampirella embarks on a rampage to kill every Dracula cult member responsible for the death of her newborn child. Filled with strong emotional beats and (thankfully) a coherent narrative flow, this may be the strongest issue yet.
When last we left Vampirella, she desperately tracked down the secret meeting place of the Dracula cult to put an end to their ritualistic activities. Her hunt also confirmed her baby didn’t die in childbirth but was snatched away by the cult. Unfortunately, Vampirella arrived too late to save her newborn son. Now, Vampirella gears up and uses travel records to find every cult member who had a hand in her baby’s kidnapping and death, leading to a cult cell in the small, poverty-stricken town of Summerville, S. Carolina.
To be clear, you do get a taste of Christopher Priest’s chaotic storytelling style as scenes start and stop in seemingly random ways, but the overall gist is there. It helps to have Dracula narrating some of the goings-on through his expositional dialog with Victory.
What’s great about VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3? Vampirella’s character growth takes a big step forward when she grapples with a new feeling as a grieving mother. Priest has an opportunity to shake up the Drakulonian’s status quo in new ways, so the outcome of this mini-series is of keen interest.
What’s not so great about VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3? Dracula’s exposition is helpful as an invested narrator, but too many events happen off-panel, which violates the “show don’t tell” rule. Where did Vampirella get the hunting armor? How did Vampirella track down so many cult members? Etc., etc. Some off-panel developments are minor, but there are too many not to notice.
How’s the art? Solid. Christian Rosado has a keen eye for dramatic panel compositions and powerful shadows. That said, Rosado sometimes struggles to keep up with Preist’s random scene jumps, so the transitions aren’t as smooth as they could be.
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What’s VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #2 review to find out how Vampirella’s search came to a tragic end.
We begin with Vampirella mourning the loss of her son by braiding her hair and donning rugged armor to hunt down the cult members. Dracula explains Vampirella acquired a travel manifest for every non-native who traveled in and out of the area where her son was killed, and now she’s working her way through a kill list.
Soon, the hunt takes Vampirella to Summerville, S. Carolina where the sleepy town grapples with the closure of the town’s main retail store, throwing the town’s survivability in question. Most townsfolk don’t realize Summerville is also the home of one of the larger Dracula cult cells. When the out-of-work store employees gather to protest and make their case to the press, Vampirella arrives to spill blood.
We conclude the issue with cultists unmasked, death, and explosions.
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Final Thoughts
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VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #3 delivers a gritty, desperate revenge tale wherein Vampirella hunts down everyone responsible for her baby’s death. Christopher Priest’s plot is uncharacteristically clear, and Rosado’s grim art brims with drama and suspense.
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