In VAMPIRELLA VS. PURGATORI #4, available from Dynamite Comics on June 9th, 2021, Vampirella must help a Tzadikim turned into a vampire while Purgatori tries to resist divulging the identity of her informer to Hel.
The Details
- Written By: Ray Fawkes
- Art By: Álvaro Sarresca
- Colors By: Salvatore Aiala
- Letters By: Tom Napolitano
- Cover Art By: Derrick Chew (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: June 9, 2021
Was It Good?
It was better than good. It was excellent for one, simple reason. This comic is a pristine example of how a writer can build anticipation.
Each issue in the series is written with a different style, making each read a unique experience. Issue #1 is a world-building issue with a mysterious event. Issue #2 turns into a race across the world. Issue #3 takes a big swerve and shows the readers what they thought they knew was wrong. And now, issue #4 is an “oh, wow” reveal.
Fawkes’ writing is remarkable in the modern age of comics for staying completely away from boilerplate storytelling and trite repetition. Every issue feels like a full chapter that gives you a complete event but still sets the reader up for something bigger to come.
The art is good. Not great but good. There’s a trend in modern comics (especially Dynamite) of layering drawn characters on top of photoshopped backgrounds. It’s a design choice that appeals to some, but it’s definitely an acquired taste.
Take a peek for yourself in our VAMPIRELLA VS. PURGATORI #4 preview.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We pick up in the middle of the cliffhanger from the last issue. Lilith’s plan to corrupt one of the Tzadikim is to turn one into a vampire and let their bloodlust do the rest.
Find out how that happened in our VAMPIRELLA VS. PURGATORI #3 review.
Vampirella flies the Tzadikim away to deal with his turning. Meanwhile, Hel is in Purgatori’s mind to find out who is feeding Purgatori information that interferes with Hel’s manipulations. Hel can see that every life Purgatori takes adds power and knowledge to the vampiric demon, and she believes Purgatori must have picked up some magic power or divination knowledge.
With every bit of struggle between Hel and Purgatori, you can feel the tension building as the reveal gets closer and closer. The more Hel digs, the more curiosity the reader feels.
Back to Vampirella. She’s taken the Tzadikim to a rooftop in the city to explain what’s happened to him. She won’t let him kill anyone for blood, but she lets him know the bloodlust will be unbearable. Without saying the words out loud, the Tzadikim agrees to watch the sunrise for the last time.
Here, we get a rare scene of Vampirella showing some stoic compassion for an innocent person. The Tzadikim doesn’t know anything about his importance in the universe or why this happened to him. He’s innocent in every sense of the word, and Vampirella stays to hold his hand through the very end of his life as the sun rises.
Lilith goes back to her penthouse where Undine is still trying to find out on her own about Purgatori’s informer. She learns through her magic that Hel is in Purgatori’s mind and Lilith makes Undine secretly link their mind with Purgatori’s so they all learn the secret together.
We conclude the issue with all parties learning the real mastermind, and it’s not clear anyone can do anything about it.
Sorry, folks. That spoiler is just too big to give away here. Buy the issue. You won’t regret it.
How Does It End?
The Tzadkim’s death lights a bigger fire under Vampirella’s butt to stop Lilith. The mastermind is revealed. Hel may be truly outmatched.
Final Thoughts
VAMPIRELLA VS. PURGATORI #4 is an exceptional example of building curiosity, tension, and anticipation. The writing is tight and dramatic, and the art serves the story well enough.
Score: 8.5/10
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