DC vs. Vampires World War V: Darkness and Light #1 – Matthew Rosenberg, Writer; Nikola Cizmesija, Daniel Bayliss, Artists; Francesco Segala, Pierluigi Casolini, Colorists
Ray – 8/10
Ray: Before the main series resumes, we’re getting this double-sized special telling stories from the fringes of the ongoing war. Themed to darkness and light, the first one absolutely lives up to its name, focusing on Harper Row as her failed attempts to protect her brother from the vampires results in her being turned and essentially becoming the pet of the most sadistic Vampire General – Wonder Woman. I’m not sure why Diana winds up getting villainized so often in these AUs, but I guess it’s part of the theme here. While her brother becomes essentially food supply for the vampires, Harper is subject to Diana’s attempts to turn her into a true bloodsucker, all the while dealing with the intense desire to end this twisted second life of hers. It’s bleak, hopeless, and honestly a bit unsettling given the horrible fate that two queer kids meet in it. Definitely the darkest part of this series so far.
Daniel Bayliss takes over on art for the second part, which finds Alfred Pennyworth at his wits’ end and almost out of energy after escaping the vampires with his new GL ring. He’s saved by an extremely obscure character – Joshua Jackam, Weather Wizard’s son. It turns out Josh is working with Guy Gardner – who is literally half the man he used to be after an encounter with Wonder Woman and is using his ring to keep himself alive indefinitely. It’s a very unsettling image at times, but Guy (and his constantly shifting hologram bottom half) is able to teach Alfred some much-needed Lantern tricks before Wonder Woman shows up for a rematch. This is definitely the better of the two stories, albeit with a weird dark sense of humor that sometimes feels out of step with the rest of the series. Still, the idea of Alfred as a superhero is the best thing to come out of this series so far.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
