VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #12, from Dynamite Comics on 4/26/23, brings the mystery behind a serial killer stalking the Menagerie into focus when an ancient evil enlists an acolyte to reap a deadly harvest.
The Details
- Written by: Thomas Sniegoski
- Art by: Jonathan Lau
- Colors by: Omi Remalante, Jr.
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: April 26, 2023
Is It Good?
Color us impressed with VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #12. Thomas Sniegoski is crafting possibly his most mature, intense comic arc yet with a Vampirella story that looks, acts, and sounds like a David Fincher film. If you’re looking for classic camp, look elsewhere, but if you’ve got a hankering for gritty, dramatic storytelling, you’re in for a treat.
When last we left Vampirella, her “juice box” was brutally slaughtered, and all signs pointed to a serial killer menacing the Menagerie for months. Shocked that the Danse left reports of killings unchecked, Vampirella launched a personal investigation into the killings out of mixed feelings of remorse for her loss and guilt over being part of an organization that left lower classes to fend for themselves.
If you strip away all the layers, Sniegoski’s story is fairly straightforward. A serial killer, possibly under the influence of an evil force, is killing the “unwashed masses” of the city slums. However, it’s the complex layers of emotions and dramatic themes that elevate this comic well above its station. The problem is simple, but Sniegoski makes the answers believable and difficult.
Why did the killings go unchecked for so long? Danse leadership could easily explain away the lack of attention with overwork and shorthandedness, but is there more to it? Why didn’t Vampirella hear about the killings sooner? Is it a lapse in internal Danse communication due to bureaucracy and red tape, or is something nefarious happening? You can see multiple valid answers to every question, but it all adds up to a hard life in a dangerous world where a choice that’s best for one person is not the best for another.
In our increasingly complicated world, Sniegoski’s script reads as believable enough to be uncomfortable, which is exactly why it works as a horror story and an intense drama.
Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge Jonathan Lau’s fantastically moody art. Lau is the king of effective shadows, only showing you eyes or a smile to hit with maximum impact. Lau’s creature designs are excellent, and Lau’s skill with tilted camera angles is exquisite.
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]
Check out our VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #11 review to get your first look at the serial killer stalking the Menagerie.
We begin with Vampirella paying a visit to one of the Menagerie’s crime bosses to find out more about the killings. She gets the information she seeks and a reluctant shadow in the form of Dagwood the werewolf. Suddenly, she receives word about a fresh killing.
The unlikely partners search the fresh murder scene, and Vampirella finds a strange symbol painted in blood on the floor. With the help of the Danse’s extensive database and old stories from a much older werewolf, Vampirella and Dagwood learn the symbol represents an ancient devil with a mission to collect souls by force before the coming Apocalypse.
We conclude the issue with hiding in plain sight, a harbinger of things to come, and a lure.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #12 elevates the traditionally campy horror of Vampirella comics into a tense, psychological thriller that would work well as a David Fincher film. The serial killer plot is enhanced by complex emotions and situations that are uncomfortably relatable in a real-world context.
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