Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
American Vampire #28
Vertigo (DC Comics)
Snyder, Albuquerque
American Vampire launches into a new arc with this issue and it continues to provide an entertaining and connected story. As usual, Snyder writes an intense issue that has a good balance of plot, action and drama. Albuquerque shines in two key areas to help punctuate the comic book. I'm not sure this is the ideal jump on point, but give it a shot if you are new. It's going to be tough to walk away with the last page cliffhanger I can guarantee you that.
Part of the joy of this series is how Snyder brings in characters from previous arcs that cover multiple decades and generations. He has a great command of what makes these characters tick and what tweaks could be made to them in order to surprise the reader. He does that to perfection in this issue and I don't plan on spoiling that aspect of this issue.
The basics of the story are that Pearl is trying to save her human husband from sure death, but not by turning him into a vampire like her. Instead, she turns to the organization that is hunting down vampires for help. Pearl is desperate and she gets help for her husband, but at a price.
Pearl is a great character because Snyder is good at displaying her internal struggles. She's a vampire, but that is really only a characteristic about her, like her hair color. However, she is entering a world where it's the other's life's work. There's such a conflict there that it makes for good drama and Snyder writes the hell out of it.
Albuquerque nails the cliffhanger. However, what occurs only a few pages prior is even better. He's got a knack to make the visuals so dramatic without flexing and posing. It's a stunning book. The other area where he gets to stretch his legs is the vampire attack that happens in the middle of the book. He puts forth some bloody images but they aren't too gruesome, shockingly. This is a great visual story.
American Vampire is one of the very best books out there today. You really don't have to be a fan of vampires to enjoy this story either. The book's strength is in the characters and how they react or interact with those that are vampires. It's a creative world that is written to exist in the regular world. It's a good book and as it dances towards the current times I can't help but wonder what Snyder has in store for these characters down the road. This is a very good start to this arc. I definitely recommend picking it up.
4 out of 5 Geek Goggles
