DC Vs. Vampires: World War V #8 – Matthew Rosenberg, Shane McCarthy, Writers; Otto Schmidt, Fabio Veras, Artists; Pierluigi Casolini, Francesco Segala, Colorists
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: This series returns with an oversized issue that turns the two-front war into a three-front one – as Apokalips invades and brings an army of Parademons with him that tear apart humans and vampires alike. This leads to some unlikely bedfellows, as Constantine finds himself a permanent guest of the House of Mystery in his afterlife, while Alfred and Ra’s Al Ghul (in costume as Batman) struggle to get along just long enough for the New Gods to enter the fray and possibly turn the tide. A fun, chaotic installment.
However, it might be overshadowed a bit by the backup, a stark and compelling tale following Wildcat as he sets out on a quest to find his missing son, who disappeared early in the vampire invasion. This makes him a lonely warrior on a lonely quest, trying to save who he can as he makes his way towards the only family he has left. This has a much more Walking Dead-esque flair than other stories so far.
DC Horror Presents Creature Commandos #6 – David Dastmalchain, Writer; Jesus Hervas, Artist; Alex Guimaraes, Colorist
Ray – 7.5/10
Ray: It’s the conclusion of this intense miniseries, which sees the just-formed Creature Commandos team pitted against Brainiac and their own handlers in General Eiling’s military. Given those stakes, it’s not a big surprise that this issue is almost entirety chaotic action. However, there are a few compelling moments in the issue, particularly dealing with the troubled Frankenstein’s Monster Lucky. But this series has tried to balance a lot of plots, a lot of characters, and a lot of action over its run, and it feels like it never quite found its footing as a result. The ending actually intrigues me more than the rest of the series, as it sets up a new status quo for the heroes with a partnership with one of the DCU’s top heroes. I’d be interested in seeing this play out further, because the characters in this story were pretty intriguing – even if the story never quite let them develop to their full potential.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
