VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #3 – Review

VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #3, from Dynamite Comics on July 13th, 2022, Vampirella and Passion/Jeannine tackle a hostage situation created by citizens possessed by weapons from Hell. Meanwhile, the mastermind behind the attacks is on the verge of spawning more destructive weapons.

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)
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: July 13, 2021

Was It Good?

VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #3 is a solid issue in the series as Vampirella puts her detective skills to the test to stop the Drujh weapons from decimating the city while she looks for the weapons’ source. Sniegoski goes all out in deftly converting an epic Vampirella story that pits good against evil for the fate of the world, into a better-than-average police procedural set in a supernatural world.

The strength of this issue is Sniegoski’s diligence in crafting a believable police story set in a world that’s anything but grounded. You get the supernatural equivalent of hostage situations, police shootouts, arrests, interrogations, and a terrorist mastermind bent on sowing destruction for an as-yet unrevealed purpose. You could just as easily imagine this story converted into a Dirty Harry or James Bond film… with fangs.

However, the minor down point in the story is the lack of clarity or motivation surrounding the villain. You see how he’s spreading chaos, you see how he’s planning to escalate the destruction, but you don’t know his motivations or goals. After three issues, the lack of clarity is leaning toward frustration because the motivation sets the stakes. If you don’t know what’s at stake for the villain, all you have to focus on are Vampirella’s reactions, and that’s not very compelling.

The art by Lau, Remalante Jr, and Ecklebery is excellent. Lau makes use of asymmetric closeups and silhouette shots to amp up the drama as much as possible. Remalante Jr. maximizes every inch of space with feathering and color highlights to give the heavily-shadowed panels more depth. And Eckleberry’s lettering is outstanding when you consider the need to invent a sound for demonic bug bullets setting sliced in half.

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]

Catch up on the last issue’s cliffhanger in our VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #2 review.

We begin with a sunny scene in the park where a happy family enjoys a picnic. The young mother couldn’t imagine a better tie of happiness. Unfortunately, the scene is a dream, and the young mother is now an old woman turned into a breeding host for Drujh eggs. When the eggs hatch, more powerful Drujh weapons will be unleashed on the city.

Elsewhere, Vampireall and Jeannine/Passion intervene in a standoff inside a church where more unwitting Drujh weapon wielders have arrived to wipe out all monsters. One of the weapon wielders, Vijaya, is having second thoughts about killing innocents, but her partner has fully given in to the voices. A battle commences that end in bloodshed and death.

Later, Danse Macabre examines the body of the dead weapon wielder and sees the demonic bullets bursting from the host, intent on getting out and killing anyone in range. Meanwhile, Vijaya fights to resist the demonic urges in her mind to use her weapon to kill.

We conclude the issue with a sneak attack, a word of encouragement, and another sneak attack.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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