By: Scott Snyder (writer), Rafael Albuquerque (artist), Dave McCaig (colors), Jared Fletcher (letters), Gregory Lockard (assistant editor) & Mark Doyle (editor)
The Story: The Death Race arc gives us a little background on our new vampire hunter, Travis.
Four Things: [SPOILERS]
1. This is a background issue. - Last issue introduced a bunch of brand new characters, so the creators had some background work to do. They do a pretty nice job of showing us bits of that background in scenes that bounce back and forth with the titular “present day” death race between Travis and the vampire. Honestly, this is a hard issue to pull off. We readers DO need a little background on new characters, but getting that background can be like eating your vegetables. The creators make those vegetables about as tasty as possible and remind me of a cooking truism: If you cook something in bacon fat and garlic, just about anything tastes good. I’m not sure who of Snyder and Albuquerque is bacon fat and who is garlic, but the same truism applies. Not only does the background give us information about Travis and the other characters, but it also opens up interesting mysteries for the creators to play with in future issues.
2. Very nice art. - As some of you know, I bind my single issues into hardcovers. One really cool thing about that is you get to revisit early issues and appreciate how much an artist’s style changes over time. I’d observed this in AV as Albuquerque’s style had changed a little by the end of the Ghost War arc. But the art in this issue looks very much like what he was doing at the beginning of the series. I almost wonder if he went back to revisit those first few issues and found himself inspired. The characters in this issue go back to that smoother look that they had in the beginning and I like it. There’s so much to love about Albuquerque’s work. Just seeing the work he does with the brush on his backgrounds and the way he scatters ink and white-out (?) all over the place is kinda mesmerizing.
3. You didn’t really think he was dead, did you? - Did you really think we’d seen the last of Skinner Sweet? Ha! One of the best things about this series is that none of the common “vampire rules” apply. The American Vampires are brand new critters and I’m sure we’ll learn some interesting things about how Skinner managed to get away from that Pacific island.
4. Creepy sanitarium. - Wasn’t that weird? I thought orphans got stuck in group or foster homes, even back in the 1950′s. Surely there is something weird going on there and I can’t wait for Snyder and Albuquerque to show me what it is.
Conclusion: Lots of fun. We ease the pace of our story a little to give us some background, but it’s all good: well written and wonderfully illustrated. Not only is the “present day” story interesting, but finding out how we got to this point will be fun as well.
Grade: B+
-Dean Stell
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Filed under: Vertigo Tagged: | American Vampire, American Vampire #23, American Vampire #23 review, Dave McCaig, gergory lockard, Jared Fletcher, Mark Doyle, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott Snyder
