VAN HELSING: FLESH OF MY BLOOD, from Zenescope Entertainment on September 21st, 2022, pits Liesel Van Helsing against one of her father’s hybrid monsters with a talent for hiding in plain sight.
The Details
- Written by: Pat Shand
- Art by: Haka Aydin
- Colors by: Grostieta
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Jeff Spokes (cover A)
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: September 21, 2022
Is It Good?
Just in time for the advent of the Halloween season, Pat Shand, courtesy of Zenescope, delivers a fine tale of body-snatched clones sure to crank up your paranoia meter. Lookalikes are not new to Liesel Van Helsing’s adventures, but Shand puts a new spin on evil behind a friendly face, and the results are thoroughly entertaining.
The highlight of Shand’s story is the pitch-perfect way Liesel grows as a character by examining how her relationships have progressed or fallen apart in recent years. Yes, there’s a monster at the heart of this issue, but if all the energy was spent slaying the next in a laundry list of monsters, the substance would be lacking. Change is good, and Shand delivers change for Liesel as well as hints at the existence of a bigger enemy in the shadows.
The minor down point is the lack of clarity surrounding the monster’s purpose other than “it’s following orders” from a greater villain yet to be revealed. While the monster is formidable, its lack of motivation makes for a slightly two-dimensional antagonist.
Aydin’s art is great in this issue. The lines are clean, the panel composition is solid, and Grostieta’s coloring elevates the textures exponentially. The visuals are rock solid.
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 a late-night research session with Dr. Julie Jekyll. Liesel Van Helsing enters the lab with an offer to get food. Before Jekyll knows what’s happening, Van Helsing shoots her in the back with a poison dart containing an unknown venom. However, the Hyde persona inside Jekyll is strong enough to hold the venom in check… for now.
Later, Liesel Van Helsing meets her former love interest, Rick, to catch up and seemingly rekindle their romance. Liesel bids Rick follow her to a secluded spot with a romantic view. Suddenly, Liesel transforms into a bug-like creature and attacks Rick.
Later, the real Van Helsing reviews the lab surveillance footage and concludes a shapeshifter is on the loose and attacking her friends. When Rick arrives after their recent separation, he explains he was attacked and asks for her help by returning to the monster’s lair. We conclude the issue with a bait-and-switch, a hand-to-hand fight, and a planted seed.
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: FLESH OF MY BLOOD is an entertaining creature feature starring Zenescope’s resident monster hunter. Liesel undergoes an appreciable amount of emotional growth, the monster is formidable, and the ending drops enough breadcrumbs to hint at bigger things down the road.
Related Information
Is Van Helsing a true story?
No, Van Helsing is a completely fictional story based on the character from Bram Stoker’s book, Dracula.
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