‘DC vs. Vampires’ Debuts in Time for Halloween
In 2019, DC Comics released a six-issue mini-series titled DCEASED, which was, if nothing else, one of the most gripping storylines the publisher has released to date. If it was described to you simply as DC’s most famous super heroes fight zombies, you might immediately revert to the thought of Marvel Zombies. However, this couldn’t be further from the reality of DCEASED in which many DC characters transformed into the undead. Building on that age old notion of the animated post-living, DC now brings us its latest mini-series, DC vs. Vampires.
The new title is co-written by the tandem of Matthew Rosenberg (The Amazing Spider-Man) and James Tynion IV (Batman) with the artwork done in a watercolor style by Otto Schmidt (Heavy Metal). Without giving too much away, the scene is set with a rogue vampire seeking refuge at the Hall of Justice as he flees an enemy that, while not unknown, is certainly wrapped in mystery. There is an undeniable feel of impending doom that bleeds from panel to panel, ever increasing with the turn of each page, to an extent.
At the same time, that doom is hampered by the art style. The lines and the aforementioned watercolor imagery delivers a vibe that tones down the seriousness of the content. The look feels more reminiscent of something that should be tongue-in-cheek in tone, even comedic if you will. As a result, there’s a level of difficulty encountered when buying into the book’s reality. The impending doom begins to wane and any sympathy for the characters transforms into a case of “oh well” for them. Another artist’s work, such as Tom Taylor’s on DCEASED: Unkillables, would serve DC vs. Vampires so much more appropriately.
To be fair, Comixology currently holds 99 ratings for the premier book in the series with an average rank of five out of five stars. To be even more fair, I gave it three so it does lead one to question how the average score is still perfect after that. Nevertheless, DC vs. Vampires is a 12-issue run that has content fitting the mood of the Halloween season and will continue to draw blood with issue two arriving in late November. It has obviously struck a positive cord with many readers so this may be one for you to look into.
