VAN HELSING ANNUAL: SINS OF THE FATHER, from Zenescope Entertainment on March 15th, 2023, brings Liesel Van Helsing’s hunt for Taylor Shelley and the hybrids to a climactic conclusion.
The Details
- Written by: Pat Shand
- Art by: Renato Rei, Sergio Ariño, Hakan Aydin, Daniel Maine
- Colors by: Grostieta, Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $7.99
- Release date: March 15, 2023
Is It Good?
Well, now. VAN HELSING ANNUAL: SINS OF THE FATHER takes an unexpected turn you won’t see coming, and that turn converts an otherwise standard Van Helsing issue into a monster mash of epic proportions. (Top) hats off to Pat Shand for pushing the monster madness for a memorable ending to the hybrid hunt.
When last we left Liesel Van Helsing, she completed another in a series of big battles against her father’s hybrid monsters roaming free. Now, Liesel tracks down Taylor Shelley as the person responsible for setting the hybrids free and stealing Liesel’s father’s notes to crate more dangerous experiments.
The big twist is that another player is involved in this blood feud between Taylor and Liesel – a player you’ll instantly recognize but won’t suspect. Again, (top) hats off to Pat Shand for crafting a killer script with excellent pacing, strong dialog, plenty of action to keep readers engaged, and a surprising twist that elevates Leisel’s hybrid arc significantly.
A quick word about pacing. We mention pacing in nearly every review because proper pacing often makes the difference between a reader getting excited and tuning out. When an oversized issue, double-sized in this case, keeps the pacing up to hold your interest (i.e. not bored), the writer deserves a little extra credit. So, extra kudos to Pat Shand for excellent pacing.
The art is good but not great. As you can see from the credits, a small team of artists worked on this annual, which is typically a red flag for jarring style shifts and inconsistent art quality. The jarring shifts and inconsistent styles are noticeable in this annual, but admittedly, not as bad as they could be. The editor hides the art changes in flashbacks and scene transitions, but it’s hard not to notice when you have an inker with sharp details handing off to another inker who is not so detailed. Again, good but not great.
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]
We begin with Liesel about to confront Taylor Shelley and Frankenstein’s monster with the help of a well-placed tracking device and Julie Jekyll for some extra muscle. Foolishly, Liesel confronts Taylor alone. The meeting doesn’t go as planned, and Taylor escapes with Frankenstein’s monster.
Later, Julie finds Liesel to help with a stray hybrid and lectures Liesel for going alone. Liesel swallows some of her pride, and the two head off to find Taylor using a second tracker. The signal leads them to a town not on any map, where the residents seem oddly determined to act normal.
We conclude the issue with a secret and older lab, a more powerful and older villain, and a trip that takes Liesel to the second star to the right, and straight on till morning.
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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VAN HELSING ANNUAL: SINS OF THE FATHER brings Liesel’s hybrid hunt to an end with a villain reveal that elevates that entire arc significantly. Shand’s pacing, dialog, narration, and plotting are excellent, and the art team turns in a serviceable issue.
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