VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: UNHOLY #4, from Dynamite Comics on March 30th, 2022, brings the Prince of Darkness into his full form when Lilith’s kidnapping of Matt’s mother takes an unexpected turn.
The Details
- Written By: Christopher Priest
- Art By: Donny Hadiwidjaja
- Colors By: Mohan
- Letters By: Willie Schubert
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: March 30, 2022
Was It Good?
Okay, now we’re starting to see the kernels of greatness (goodness?) in this series, and I’m on board. This issue isn’t perfect, but it’s a cut above Priest’s work on all Vampirella titles so far.
One of the key areas where we’ve been critical of Priest in the past is in the erratic scene transitions and lack of sequential flow. This issue is, by far, the smoothest issue Priest has put together in terms of readability and scene transitions and a significant improvement over the first issue. The pacing is solid, the events progress the story toward a clear goal, and it’s a generally enjoyable read.
That said, there are a few twists and turns toward the end of the issue where you have to piece the puzzle together on your own, and it’s a little easy to get lost in what’s happening. Priest’s version of Dracula has the ability to inhabit bodies as well as control people remotely, so it’s sometimes not clear when the voice of Dracula was remote through a “drone” or if he happened to be inhabiting a body at that moment or if he inhabits multiple bodies as a collective consciousness. Here, Dracula seems to be in everyone everywhere, and it was tough to keep it all straight.
Beyond the writing technicalities, this issue’s story hits you with some “wow” reveals (some spoilers in the next section). Lilith is more resourceful than even Vampirella gave her credit for. Dracula is more calculating and devious than anyone gave him credit for, and as a bonus, Priest adds in snippets of original Dracula text from Stoker’s book in a clever string of captions to join the original work with this new story. And, the big reveal at the end is a true surprise.
Again, it’s not a perfect issue but it’s the best we’ve seen from Priest in a very long time.
What helps move the issue along so well is the excellent art by Hadiwidjaja, Mohn, and Schubert. Hadiwidjaja flip-flops between rough sketchy lines and smooth, clean lines with intention, and it adds a positive visual contrast to the panels. The coloring is excellent, and Schubert’s creative choices to portray disembodied voices look fantastic. Vampirella comics tend to get a bad wrap for straddling the line between sci-fi and horror but not leaning hard enough in either direction to be potent. Here, the art leans into the horror perfectly.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you don’t recall how Lilith wound up kidnapping Matt’s mother, first read our VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: UNHOLY #3 review.
We begin with a late-night scene in Brooklyn Heights when a man knocks on his front door. When his wife answers, he strangely asks to be invited in. After some minor bickering, the husband is invited into his own home for the last time.
Elsewhere, Vampirella alights on the dock beside an abandoned ship to find Matt’s mother tied up and Lilith’s disembodied voice greeting her. Lilith believes Dracula’s attempt to take over Matt’s body hasn’t been avoided and she kidnapped his mother to lure him out. The scene concludes with mayhem, death, and more than one body swap.
Matt now realizes that all lives in his circle are in danger and he races off to find his love interest/partner, Eriq. We conclude the issue with Vampirella and Matt realizing how far back Dracula’s plans go.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: UNHOLY #4 is some of the creative team’s best work. The story, while not perfect, has plenty of surprises and shocking (in a good way) developments. The art is excellent, and this is an entertaining read overall.
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