DC This Week – Black Label Double-Feature

Sweet Tooth: The Return #3 – Jeff Lemire, Writer/Artist; Jose Villarrubia, Colorist

Ray – 9/10

Ray: As we reach the halfway point of Jeff Lemire’s revival of his Vertigo classic, Gus and his new friend Penny are on the run. But as we saw last issue, Gus is not the last hybrid left after all. The addition of Earl, the terrifying and massive elephant hybrid, raises the stakes nicely. Earl isn’t necessarily dangerous—to the right people—but when he explodes with violence against his former captors it takes the issue in a stark new direction. The real danger, of course, comes from the deranged cult leader Father. Anyone who’s ever been around a religious extremist will recognize the tone of his speeches immediately, and it’s inspiring to see the townspeople whose life he rules start to resist for the first time. The story is essentially split between two main stories—Gus and Penny’s escape, and the desperate battle of the townspeople including Penny’s family to find her. While the first Sweet Tooth run was a leisurely exploration of the post-apocalypse, this is a high-stakes thriller that looks at just how easily things can get worse—with another phenomenal last-page cliffhanger.

American Vampire 1976 #4 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Rafael Albuquerque, Artist; Dave McCaig, Colorist

Ray – 9/10

Ray: Last issue threw the concept of this series for a loop with the introduction of a new kind of American vampire—a Native one, who seems to be older than any of the ones we already know. The introduction of Mimiteh, a woman who was turned in 1800 by colonizing Carpathian vampires, adds a new wrinkle and a much-needed balance to the smug alpha attitude of Skinner Sweet. We only know a little of her backstory so far, but I’m sure more is coming. This issue finds the entire cast united for the first time as they pursue some of the oldest vampire evils lurking in the country, including some beings that resemble eldritch entities from the Bible more than they do traditional vampires. The first half of the issue is almost entirely dialogue aboard a plane, but when the action picks up, it does in a big way—with an epic plane crash and a surprise monster attack that sets up even more mythological twists and turns for the issues to come.

To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.

GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.