After following Joshua Fialkov’s I, Vampire since its initial inception with the New 52, it has easily been one of the most daring (not to mention most rewarding) series that DC has had to offer. From its gorgeously gritty artwork, to its original story, I, Vampire had set itself far apart from the rest of the vampire stories you hear in today’s day and age, and this month Fialkov just put the icing on the cake. Not only does issue 6 lead to a crossover with Justice League Dark, it is also delivers the catalyst that will lead the series into a whole new direction with one of the biggest twists I have read as of late.
So far in the story, Andrew Bennett and his crew (including this one guy named Batman) are in a subway, battling hordes of vampires in hopes to kill Bennett’s ex-lover, Mary—Queen of Blood. While in the process of battling the horde, however, a class occurs. Bennett is ready to kill the hordes of vampires that cannot be turned back to human, but Batman won’t allow it. The Bat wants to give the horde a fair trial.
I really enjoyed this issue because we were finally given the opportunity to see how Bennett and Batman interact with one another, including their crashing ideologies. This is what I had been waiting for since issue one, and Fialkov delivered flawlessly. Along with this, the story paced itself really well, and the dialogue was very well-scripted. In the first few issues, I had a bit of trouble defining who was speaking at each moment, and had to reread lines to figure it out, but Fialkov has finally found each character’s voice and has found his stride.I won’t send out any spoilers here, but while this clash of opinions is occurring, something happens that truly changes the course of I, Vampire. To put it simply, there is a new enemy in the midst… Cain –The sire of all vampires. Enter Justice League Dark.
As always, the artwork for this comic is simply stunning. Andrea Sorrentino’s drawings truly complement the dark story set before us, and always give the audience something to look at. Each panel is done with such intricacy and style that it begs for the reader to take their time with each panel to see what is happening in each sequence. I, Vampire was as satisfying to look at as it was to read, and I have found myself skimming through the pages just to view the artwork once again.
On a small side-note as well, the cover artist is now Sorrentino as well, which is a fantastic decision. Before, each issue looked as if the series was geared towards the Twilight fans and tweens of the comic realm, but with Sorrentino manning the helm on the cover art, we now have a cover that truly shows what kind of comic I, Vampire is. Smart move.
If you haven’t started to read this series yet, I highly recommend you start from issue one to get the gist of what is going on in this story, but once you make it to this issue, you won’t regret it. To anyone else that has been following the series, this one is a must have. Not only did it continue to wow me with how solid and consistent this series has been as a whole, but it also gave me one of the biggest “WTF” moments I have witnessed as a comic book fan. Pick this one up today.
