By: Scott Snyder (writer), Rafael Albuquerque & Mateus Santolouco (art), Dave McCaig (colors), Steve Wands (letters) & Mark Doyle (editor)
The Story: Events come to a head in Las Vegas and we have an inter-species vampire battle with the humans caught in the middle.
What’s Good: Everything about this comic was excellent. From a story standpoint it was both a strong issue and a good ending to a story arc. There was good action as we got to watch the vampires fighting (that’s always fun) and I’m really enjoying the Monster Manual type information that we’re learning about the various species of vampires. Some are older, some are stronger and apparently you need different ammo in your gun depending upon which type of vampire you’re planning to shoot. This arc and story have made good use of the characters that Snyder (and Stephen King) developed in the first story arc and added new characters to the mix. But, what is really separating this vampire tale from so many others is the setting. There is nothing Victorian about these vampires…..this is pre-Sin City Las Vegas and that came on the heels of the Old West and 20′s Hollywood first arc. It is just a very fresh and enjoyable take on vampires.
One way to state how good this comic book is: I would be really disappointed if an issue were delayed. My pull list is pretty long as I recently “pruned” it down to ~60 comics/month. And there are only a handful that I’d be bummed if they were delayed for any appreciable time. To be clear, there isn’t any indication that AV will be late, but the point is that most of my comics I really wouldn’t care too much, but I’d really miss AV.
What more can be said about Rafa Albuquerque’s art? The guy is just extremely talented and his art is a great fit for the subject matter and setting of AV. The panels from this issue showing the various types of vampires engaged in battle are really something: raw, visceral and violent. I just love the rough style that he uses because it conveys so much personality and emotion. And the first three pages done by Santolouco: Not too shabby at all.
What’s Not So Good: Nothing really. I loved this comic. It had big action, good character development, excellent pacing, great art…
Conclusion: If you aren’t reading this comic, you should be. I think it’s the best new comic of 2010 in a pretty crowded category. If you’re reading it with me, I challenge you to find something at fault with this issue. That’s what the comments section is for! If you’re not reading it, catch up now before you get too far behind.
Grade: A
- Dean Stell
Filed under: Vertigo Tagged: | American Vampire, American Vampire #9, American Vampire #9 review, Dave McCaig, Dean Stell, Mark Doyle, Mateus Santolouco, Rafael Albuquerque, review, Scott Snyder, Steve Wands, Vertigo
great issue