VAN HELSING: HELL TO PAY, from Zenescope Entertainment on 7/19/23, brings Liesel Van Helsing and Julie Jekyll back to Earth, only to wind up in the middle of a nest of vampire mutants.
The Details
- Written by: Pat Shand
- Art by: Hakan Aydin
- Colors by: Grostieta, Walter Pereyra
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: July 19, 2023
Is It Good?
VAN HELSING: HELL TO PAY is the second Zenescope title this week and the second comic that takes a break from the line-wide “Year of Lovecraft” for a capsule episode that sets Liesel van Helsing to do what she does best – kill vampires. Pat Shand’s latest adventure for the master of science and monsters brims with monster fights, weird creatures, stakes, urgency, and the foreshadowing of challenges on the horizon.
Shand’s script picks up where Liesel Van Helsing’s last adventure left off, with Van Helsing and Julie Kekyll returning from Neverland. They find themselves in a decimated village in Colombia with their half-demigod/half-vampire ally, Hellchild, fighting off mutant vampires. Mayhem ensues.
What’s great about this issue? Shand ticks all the technical boxes with an intriguing villain enacting an evil plan, a genuine sense of stakes as the trio of heroines is hamstrung for believable reasons, and the pacing conveys a true sense of urgency. The narration/dialog feels natural, the action tells part of the story, and the ending teases more problems to come.
What’s not so great about this issue? Again, taking a break for a side mission when Cthulhu is about to return seems odd. That’s more of an oddity surrounding the creative choice than a flaw, but the creative direction seems out of place.
How’s the art? It’s above average for the typical Zenescope house style thanks to Hakan Aydin’s crisp line work. There are a few spots where the characters’ poses and facial expressions read as stiff, but the overall comic looks very good, and the coloring is excellent.
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 Van Helsing and Julie Jekyll arriving back on Earth through a Neverland portal. Their re-entry point is unclear, but they soon find a deserted village. The quiet doesn’t last long when they encounter Hellchild battling mutated vampires.
Hellchild explains she came to Colombia on a tip about a vampire using locals to create mutated monsters to build an army. When the trio heads to investigate further, they’re met by Fernanda, a vampire queen, and her army of blood-sucking mutants.
Julie is still injured from her fight in Neverland, and Liesel is out of ammo, so the three have no choice but to surrender. Fernanda forces the three to fight for their lives in an arena. We conclude the issue with improvisation, revelations, and the worst mutant around.
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: HELL TO PAY brings Liesel and Julie back to Earth to a waiting army of vampire mutants. Pat Shand dreams up a powerful threat that puts the heroes back on their heels and delivers the goods with urgent pacing and solid dialog.
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