Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Mateo SantoloucoA night on the town goes horribly wrong when Pearl and Henry have a run-in with some vicious bootleggers who aren’t what they appear to be. Plus, a figure from the past comes back to haunt our heroes in the conclusion of this 2-part tale of booze, bullets and blood.
Part 2 of American Vampire’s third major storyline wraps up with this issue. Do Scott Snyder and guest artist Mateus Santolouco continue the upward trend the book has maintained thus far? Click below to find out!
The story picks off where the last issue cliff-hung with Pearl and Henry mid-ambush by some traditional vamps after being sold out by Henry’s old friend. The juxtaposition of the scene that followed is impressive, as Pearl muses on the health of her and Henry’s marriage while eviscerating the attacking vamps. Intense personal reflection amidst extreme violence is not something that is seen very often, and says more than is apparent on the surface about Pearl’s mental state, and just how quick her trigger finger is, even with all the years that have passed since her last massacre. The scene then shifts to Henry while he chases down his betrayer. Once he manages to run him and his compatriots off the road, we learn a great deal about how humans and vampires deal with each other in some parts of the country before Pearl saves her beau and the day in one swift slice. You can’t forget the story running parallel to our dynamic duo though, as Pearl’s former friend Hattie inches ever closer to her ultimate revenge, leaving some classic and well formulated horror moments in her wake. As if I didn’t think make-up saleswomen were creepy enough…
On the art end, its hard to really respond to Santolouco’s work without mentioning Rafael Albuquerque. American Vampire is as much Albuquerque’s baby as it is Snyder’s, and Santolouco doesn’t bring much of himself to his work as much as he attempts to mimic Albuquerque’s style. He does such a good job doing so that a fellow writer on this very site had no idea there was a different artist on the book. The proportions were correct, the violence was bloody and the line work was just the right amount of scratchy.
On the whole, I love the vibe this book has created for itself. I’m not the world’s biggest vampire fan, but I am a HUGE fan of smartly written period pieces featuring high concept mystery, persecuted minorities, violence and a healthy dose of romance and interpersonal drama. Ever since I found myself enthralled with the world of funny books, I’ve always had to catch up on all the late, great Vertigo series because I came onto the scene 60 issues too late. American Vampire may very well end up being the next truly great Vertigo book, and being in on the ground floor to see it take shape is a real treat for me.
Final Verdict: 9.2 – Buy
