After the pants-wetting freakiness and horror of the last issue, where the heck will this comic go now? Can it keep the momentum going and continue to chill our very souls? Is it good?
American Vampire: Second Cycle #3 (Vertigo Comics)
The infection on May has caused her to transform into a hideous red monster that is hell bent on killing Pearl and the rest of the vampire children. Pearl tries to talk May down, but she takes off and they are now all in grave danger. Meanwhile Calvin is pushed up against the wall as several other vampires try to kill him to satisfy their great leader…
Looks like an alien that stepped out of the Star Wars universe.
Okay, this wasn’t quite as scary as the last issue, let’s get that out of the way. It would have been honestly surprising if they managed to keep that level of horror going. Of course, that’s not to say this issue wasn’t freaky. Oh no, this issue had some very creepy and unsettling moments to it, especially with the May monster and the ending.
Besides that, the issue itself was still very good. Snyder’s writing here is still top notch, being very intense and thrilling, but also still taking its time to slow down for a moment to let the audience breath and take everything in. We get some more exposition and explanation about what exactly is going on, adding to the threat level and mysterious nature of the Gray Trader and whatever the other forces at work are. The characters are still very strong and well developed, making it easy to sympathize with them and feel their pain during pivotal moments. The dialogue and pacing of the book are just as good, even if it dips into an exposition drop in the middle. I will say the issue felt like it didn’t nearly get as much done as usual, but that’s a minor problem in the grand scheme of things.
Damn the breath on this thing!
The artwork is up the usual level of quality that come to expect from American Vampire at this point. While the backgrounds leave a bit to be desired, the imagery more than makes up for them. The action is thrilling and detailed, wonderfully capturing the utter intensity and creepiness. Speaking of which, the horror is well drawn as usual and helps build on the tone and feel of the book very well, with a lot of points going towards two of the last pages in the book.
Is It Good?
American Vampire: Second Cycle #3 is another great issue of an already amazing and creepy book. It had the horrors, the fantastic characters, solid writing, and gorgeous looking artwork that it usually has. Like always, this is highly recommended and is not a book you should miss out on.
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