Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
American Vampire #33
Vertigo Comics (DC)
Snyder & Albuquerque
American Vampire is about to go on a hiatus and this issue serves as the finale to the Blacklist arc. Snyder is also providing a punctuation on the book that will help close out one of the longer running stories throughout the comic. This is a good book, but does fall short of the greatness that this book typically provides. Don't be fooled by the rating, this is always an entertaining comic book and shouldn't be missed.
Pearl is one of the cornerstone characters since the very first issue. This comic book resolves a lot with regards to the characters that she primarily interfaces (or has a history) with since the beginning. While this comic seems to end the story of Pearl, it actually leaves a lot of loose ends and that is where I wasn't terribly satisfied.
Pearl has lived much of her life in seclusion with her human husband. This arc has forced her out into the larger world and there she has encountered many of her old adversaries. When the dust settles, though, she seems to have really resolved very little. The arc felt too light on an ending. However, the ride in between the covers was very entertaining.
The book is fast paced, but very dense in terms of story. Snyder gives the reader so much information about the back story and some of the missing pieces to the broader story I found it very welcoming. Once the action picks up, the book really provides a crazy ride. Characters pop in and they pop out. The chaos leads to some unexpected twists and a sneaky exit or two. The book is a great demonstration in how a comic can really make your heart race.
Albuquerque does a very good job on the artwork. There is a more grainy look to the art than usual but once the action starts, no one draws the crazy vampires quite like Albuquerque. This is a very good visual book that really hammers home the emotional aspect tied to the violence.
American Vampire is Skinner Sweet's story, but Pearl has definitely been a character of prominence throughout this book. She is a great character and this ending is a good one, but I do hope there is more to her story than what we see here. This is definitely one of the best books to read month in and month out and it will be sorely missed after it goes on hiatus after next issue.
3.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
