A new hunter rises in this one-shot to the ‘DC vs. Vampires’ Elseworld story!
Written by Matthew RosenbergCover by Jonboy Meyers
Illustrated by Neil Googe
Colored by Antonio Fabela
Lettered by Troy PeteriA blood-soaked one-shot tale of vampire violence!
The Son of Batman, after years of training to be an assassin, is on a path toward utter destruction of the vampire race…
Enter Damian Wayne: vampire hunter!
“DC vs. Vampires” is already a horror-based story with elements of action scattered throughout. However, “DC vs. Vampires – Hunters” #1 shows what happens when the series has only one writer, rather than two. Without a co-writer, Matthew Rosenberg turns the horror in a new direction, with some mixed results.
Yes, there is a body count through Rosenberg’s writing on “DC vs. Vampires – Hunters” #1, but that is far from the primary focus. Instead, readers are drawn into a far more personal tale than the fall of society to an undying horde. Rather than being an ensemble piece, the focus in on Damian Wayne’s actions in the wake of the terrifying events of “DC vs. Vampires” #6 makes for a far more personal tale of betrayal and sadness. This idea of tragedy is especially prominent in the latter half of the one-shot, where the costs of being a lone defender of humanity against a concentrated, monstrous thread become readily apparent, especially when the threat is led by a familiar face.
Rosenberg utilizes both the one-shot structure and the extra-canonical nature of Elseworld stories to his advantage. While “DC vs. Vampires – Hunters” #1 has little to no bearing on primary comic continuity, the stakes (pun not intended) are still relatively high. While the first half of the “DC vs. Vampires” twelve-part main miniseries has been more or less a faithful facsimile of normal continuity (rising vampire threat notwithstanding), Rosenberg uses this story to showcase how with the revelation of the true identity of the new Vampire King, things have become very different, effectively making “DC vs. Vampires – Hunters” #1 into a tale that could theoretically be a standalone story for new readers with very little background information necessary. Certain characters are admittedly used as little more than fodder, but the focus remains primarily on the Batman family above all else.
Unfortunately, there is a definite trade-off with the change in direction indicated by this one-shot. Rosenberg’s focus on vampires as not even bothering to hide themselves makes them out to be little more than bloodsucking monsters with one or two thinking individuals among them, barely any different from a zombie story. Yes, there is more for a new reader, but older ones may not enjoy the sharp change in tone, even if it is apparently where the story was headed in the first place.
Helping lean into the new feeling of the world of ‘DC vs. Vampires,’ Neil Googe takes up the reins of illustration from Otto Schmidt. Googe makes for not the unsettling paranoia of the main series, but rather a far more forward, action-oriented approach, complete with a much more animated art style. The monstrous faces of partially-transformed vampires seem almost cartoonish, their wide, bloodshot eyes and sharp teeth a bit harder to take seriously, especially when they are, with rare exception, barely sapient. This exaggeration lends itself to high-flying action scenes with the apparent protagonist Damian Wayne, and still does not detract too much from emotional moments with Alfred Pennyworth either, nor with the revealed King.
Much like with Rosenberg’s writing, Googe’s decisions with the illustrations take a significant amount of the fear out of fighting vampires, making them appear to be barely different from fighting zombies who just happen to also suck blood. In some cases, such as Black Mask, the changes to the art and the characters it depicts border on parody, with a new mask featuring fangs for no apparent reason other than to identify him as a vampire. Meanwhile, the focus on the monstrous appearances makes the vampires less scary rather than more, especially when, in the context of this one-shot, there is little if anything to see as a comparison.
Googe makes use of some interesting scene organization. As a primary example, we have Damian on a one-boy charge through a squad of vampires as he descends an entire building, with the scene taking a far-off viewpoint that seems similar to an entire elevator shaft in order to clarify the sheer speed of his heroic rush. These organizational decisions help make Googe’s artwork further emphasize Robin’s emotional turmoil where the script has him attempting at denying it.
Much like Googe, Antonio Fabela takes up a role from Otto Schmidt, in his case the colors. The hues and tones give an overall sense of monsters on the rise, the deeper use of darker shades and less brightness to compare against drawing much attention to the way in which the world, especially Gotham City, has become one that belongs to the night (well, as far as Gotham did not already). The red of blood is prominent, as are the dark colors of the outfits. Meanwhile, rare moments of brighter hues, such as a flash of green on a certain hero, demonstrate the last gasps of a world out in the sun.
Final Verdict: 7.0– Lacking scares but intriguing in its own way, this one-shot is a good way to bring in new readers to an ongoing Elseworld saga.
