DC vs. Vampires #4 [of 12]
Scheduled to arrive in stores: January 25, 2022
Cover date: March 2022
“DC vs. Vampires”
Writer: James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Cover: Otto Schmidt
Variant Covers: Francesco Mattina
Reviewed by: Craig Boehmer
Zatanna tries to turn Constantine, but he is aware she is a Vampire and subdues her. He keeps her imprisoned in his magic to force her to be his friend, which given their history in the main DCU, is just… so Constantine. It then shifts to Bruce in the Batcave, he gets a suspicion and triggers a failsafe. Green Arrow attacks a dummy Bruce, which leads to then fighting before they realize neither are infected. Meanwhile Dick and Barbara playfully banter while she investigates dirt in a hotel room that could be linked to the queen of the Vampires.
Dr. Fate then appears to Constantine and Zatanna, quickly beheading her and coercing John to join him in saving the world. Bruce reveals to Ollie that Hal is a vampire and killed Barry, while across town Jason Todd and Cassandra fight off an infected Grodd. They discover a joker card insinuating that the Joker is a king of the vampires. At the end the Justice League arrives to apprehend Bruce and Ollie leading to a fight.
Story – 3: This is an interesting chapter in the story. A lot of exposition happens. My biggest gripe with the issue, and the event as a whole, is the usage of Superman. A character of that power needs to be used more in these types of events. It makes zero sense that Batman would rally his Bat family together before he tried to learn if he could trust Clark. A great strategist would learn as quickly as possible if his most powerful friend was still an ally. On the flip side, Superman would be the first hero the vampires would try to either destroy or turn. Instead he is relegated to being a short background character with no sense of what’s going on.Art – 3: The art in this issue looks sloppy to me. I am not a fan. The colors look great though, and the fight choreography is well paved and fun.
Cover Art – 4: I like this issue a little bit better then the art in the book. Superman and Wonder Woman teaming up to incapacitate Batman makes for a cool image.
Variant Cover Art – 5: Such a dark and creepy cover. I really like it. Wonder Woman looks so scary as a vampire in this issue.
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