Review – DC vs. Vampires #7: Girl of Steel, Under Shadow

DC vs. Vampires #7 – James Tynion IV/Matthew /Rosenberg, Writers; Otto Schmidt, Artist

Ray – 9/10

Ray: We’ve seen some hints of the new vampire-ruled world before in one-shots and spin-offs, but as the main series returns, we’re plunged into a terrifying new world. The vampires have conquered the world in rapid fashion, using the turned superheroes to overwhelm and transform any opposition. A brilliant double-page spread of Otto Schmidt shows an incredibly brutal battle, and now Earth is under a permanent ash cloud that keeps the vampires in control—and many heroes neutralized. A small group of surviving heroes and anti-heroes including Director Bones, Peacemaker, Negative Man, and Polka-Dot Man try to make an escape—but are ambushed and mostly killed. The only survivor winds up pairing up with a gritty, damaged, and ruthless Jayna who is avenging her brother by killing as many vampires as she can, and they make a desperate run for the secret that might be Earth’s last hope.

The cover largely gives away what the secret weapon the heroes are holding onto is—it’s Supergirl, albeit weakened and mostly depowered due to the endless night. If the vampires get ahold of her, they’d be able to take the survivors’ heaviest hitter off the board. Instead, Jayna manages to get her to a secret location—in the Bottled City of Kandor, the refuge many top heroes are using. From there, several different plot points emerge as the survivors plan to take the fight back to the vampires, bring back the sun, and cut off the head of the vampire empire—literally. The flash-forward is a little disorienting, but well-explained, and this issue takes the series up a notch by introducing several major new players. It’s particularly great to see Kara take a leading role again, and one that puts her in the underdog role without the use of her powers at first. The tie-ins have been hit and miss, but the main series is still top-notch.

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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.