In VAMPIRELLA (VOL. 5) #18, available from Dynamite Comics on March 10, 2021, Vampirella is finally home on Drakulon after 50 years to help her mother escape execution. As she reconnects with old friends and family, she finds much has changed since she left, including those she thought she could trust.
The Details
- Written By: Christopher Priest
- Art By: Ergün Gündüz
- Letters By: Willie Schubert
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: March 10, 2021
Was It Good?
It was adequate. As we noted in the previous issue (see our VAMPIRELLA (VOL. 5) #17 Review), Priest’s writing style has settled down and become much less erratic, making for a more enjoyable reading experience. That said, this issue lacks any strong emotional impact or action. There’s plenty of character introductions and setup but not much else.
On the art, there’s a plastic, photoshop style to it that works on some panels but not others. The big down since the beginning of the volume has been Priest’s chaotic writing, but now that the writing has calmed down, the art’s flaws have become more noticeable. It’s not bad art, but it’s so flat, it does nothing to add to the appeal of the book.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
Vampirella wakes up on Drakulon after returning via an interstellar pod. She immediately seeks out the underground cities acting as a refuge for the well-off citizens since the great global famine began.
In the first few pages, we get a mini world tour of Drakulon, and it’s an interesting trivia piece. Drakulon has several Earth analogs with large cities and resort towns, but all surface civilization has fallen into ruin. These first few pages nicely show how the far Drakulonian civilization has fallen and how it likely creates a sense of desperation on the dregs that remain on the surface and fear of time running out for the elites living below.
Vampirella sneaks past the city defenses and we get a bats-eye view of New Asema, the underground city that was once Lilith’s home. Vampirella finally flies down to the home of Senator Hilal, an old friend who she believes can help locate Lilith. The Senator is surprised to see her after a 50-year absence but not surprised, and the two discuss the validity of Lilith’s pending trial. They spend quite a bit of time debating the zealotry of Lilith’s followers and what type of insurrection could take place during a public trial.
The scene is helpful to give the reader plenty of exposition about Drakulonian politics and criminal proceedings. Some may find this part of the issue drags the pace to a crawl, but that may be up to personal preference.
Cut to an interrogation scene where Lilith is being questioned by Elder Bryce to determine her fate. Here we get a very pointed pronouncement that she believes she’s been acting to save Drakulon and her millions of supporters will come to her aid. This isn’t delusional boasting since Lilith is hooked up to a truth detector. She truly believes she’s the hero of her own story, and that makes Lilith a compelling villain.
Through all these lengthy discussions, Vampirella comes to another horrifying conclusion. The Drakulonian special police came through the portal under Ashthorne to arrest Lilith, so the planet’s scientists have perfected the means to travel to Earth. That realization can only mean the blood-starved population of Drakulon has found a way to a fresh blood supply, raising the stakes for the next few issues.
Not receiving much help from Senator Hilal, Vampirella makes her way to the tunnels under the city towards her mother’s detention facility. Before she can make it too far, she’s intercepted by Cauldryn, a group of young vampires trained as Council pages.
The name’s cool (Cauldryn) and the maglev armor they wear is visually interesting in a space-age way, but the art in the introductory panel is weird. Cauldryn effectively tackles Vampirella before she can trip any alarms, but the characters have smiling, cheery faces like they’re kids playing in a schoolyard. The facial expressions don’t match the seriousness of the situation.
Some of the Cauldryn team are old friends of Vampirella and they join her in her mission. However, they know going for a direct assault is too risky, so they convince Vampirella to lay low until they can meet up with a contact that will help her address Lilith’s followers and avoid an all-out civil war.
In the meantime, she agrees to go with Cauldryn on a farm raid to get fresh blood. “Farms” have taken on a very different and horrifying meaning in Vampirella’s absence, and we end with her realization of just how desperate Drakulon has become.
Final Thoughts
VAMPIRELLA (VOL. 5) #18, available from Dynamite Comics on March 10, 2021, is filled with informative exposition about Drakulonian culture and politics but the net effect is plodding and occasionally dull. The art gets the job done but it lacks energy or appeal. Put together, the overall issue is flat.
Score: 6/10
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