DC vs. Vampires #2 [of 12]
Scheduled to arrive in stores: November 24, 2021
Cover date: January 2022
“Blood and Sand”
Writer: James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Cover: Otto Schmidt
Variant Covers: Francesco Mattina
Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
Green Lantern kills Anton Arcane and has a brief meeting with the head vampire who chastises him for allowing a warning about the vampires to get out. The scene then changes to the Bat family gathering in Bruce’s home in costume, in the sunlight, where Batman reviews with them the seriousness of the vampire uprising. He then recruits them and gives them weapons specific for fighting vampires. He reveals that the tea was made with holy water as a test to see if any of them were infected. Interspersed with these scenes a group of villains are meeting in a park. They are discussing the disappearances of many lower-level villains. Green Arrow approaches them to talk about the vampire uprising. At first, they don’t believe him, but he reveals that one of their numbers (Everyman) is a vampire, and swiftly kills him. The final scene shows Barry and Hal meeting on a beach. Hal warns Barry of an impending war and tells him that he would have preferred to change him, but it would have led to the death of everyone. So instead, Hal kills Barry.
Story – 5: These alternate world stories are incredibly fun. Tynion IV and Rosenberg nail the Bat family interactions, balancing each of the characters personalities off each other. Dick and Barbara come across as lighthearted veterans, while Jason provides a nice counterpoint with his more violent vigilante tendencies. A great group moment. Hal is written well in this story, he maintains some of his more traditional characterization, and even when killing Barry, you can still see the remnants of their relationship together.Art – 5: The art is much crisper in this issue, the colors really pop and bring these characters to life. The crispness and color allow the narrative to flow better.
Cover Art – 3: This cover is adequate. The colors are muted in the background. Batman is dark, strong and brooding. But there just isn’t any pizzazz to it that screams “pick me up and read me!”Variant Cover Art – 5: This cover is fantastic. The green energy rippling around Hal gives him a very demonic and rageful look. The thin red line streaming from his eye is a nice touch as well. This is a great cover.
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All I can say is Oh My God. I will not talk Any Negativity. I really hope that by Issue #12, our heroes will Servive This Onslaught. Superman and The Justice League will Pull Through.