VAN HELSING: RETURN OF THE LEAGUE OF MONSTERS #1 – Review

In VAN HELSING: RETURN OF THE LEAGUE OF MONSTERS #1, available from Zenescope Entertainment on November 10th, 2021, Dracula’s daughter teams up with monstrous villains from Van Helsing’s past to make Liesel suffer.

The Details

• Written By: Pat Shand
• Art By: Alessandro Uezu
• Colors By: Walter Pereyra
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Igor Vitorino
• Cover Price: $5.99
• Release Date: November 10, 2021

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Was It Good?

Yes. More of this, please.

Zenescope continues to impress in 2021 by publishing one-shots of key characters fighting against specific villains and then bringing them together in an interconnected crossover. The larger issues, like this one, reference the past encounters while creating a new conflict that weaves them together in a thoughtful way. Zenescope is really setting the standard for how you do an interconnected comic universe the right way.

This is a two-parter, so it remains to be seen how well the story plays out but I like how the setup is presented in this first issue. The villains form a tenuous alliance with the goal of putting Liesel Van Helsing through the wringer, and they pull it off in spectacular fashion. Heroes earn their respect by getting back up after a beatdown, but they have to endure a proper beating first, and Liesel takes her licks without a moment to breathe.

The key to the enjoyment of this story is Liesel’s endurance in fighting through the loss. So many publishers of late opt for deconstructing their heroes by tearing them down, sometimes neglecting to build them back up. But changing a hero doesn’t make them better. Heroes grow and get better by putting them in new situations and increasingly greater challenges, giving them a chance to rise above their circumstances. We’re getting a proper hero story in this issue, and it’s worth the cover price.

What makes this issue doubly entertaining are the near-constant twists, turns, double-crosses, and alliance switching. This new League of Monsters is held together with a common goal but with the thinnest amount of self-restraint. They are villains after all, and it’s a refreshing change of pace to see villains acting like villains, which means crossing enemies and allies alike when it serves their own self-interest.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the art is typical Zenescope house style, which means it’s very good. The monster designs are cool, the pencils and inks look great, the coloring is outstanding, and the lettering is perfect. You’re not going to find a better creature-feature horror/action comic on the market today.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with Dracula’s Daughter (she’s never named in the issue), casting a blood ritual to raise a demonic specter. She wants to strike a bargain to bring her father back from damnation, and the offer is accepted once her part of the bargain is fulfilled.

Cut to London where Liesel Van Helsing and her cannon fodder boyfriend, Rick, are enjoying a romantic evening stroll. Suddenly, Rick is struck with an arrow near his clavicle. It’s enough to hurt him badly but not enough to kill. When Liesel can’t see the attacker, she figures out it’s Dr. Jekyll aka the Invisible Woman from an alternate dimension. Liesel manages to get herself and Rick down a side alley where they’re confronted by the Beast of Exmoor.

You get the idea. Liesel has to fight her way through an Invisible maniac, a Were-beast, Frankenstein’s monster, and his Bride in rapid succession. Without a plan, time to think, or backup, Liesel is quickly separated from Rick. Badly wounded and left alone on the street above the battle, Dracula’s Daughter approaches Rick with a weapon developed by the Bride that has a very unique purpose. When Dracula’s daughter fires the weapon, it seemingly snatches the life from Rick.

We conclude the issue with Liesel grieving, Dracula’s Daughter completing her end of the bargain and ultimately wishing she hadn’t, and the arrival of an old friend who may no longer be a friend.

Final Thoughts

VAN HELSING: RETURN OF THE LEAGUE OF MONSTERS #1 is everything you could want in a monster team-up creature feature that puts our hero in the toughest of tough spots. The storytelling hits the sweet spot for action-adventure, and the art is top-notch Zenescope quality.

Score: 9/10

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