Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
American Vampire: Survival Of The Fittest #5 Of 5
Vertigo (DC Comics)
Snyder & Murphy
The first American Vampire mini series wraps with an excellent issue. The issue had the right mix of high-flying action and emotional outpouring. The artwork is excellent to help keep this issue eye-popping regardless of the scene or panel. Overall I highly recommend reading this mini series if you have some interest in this title but have yet to check out the main book. Obviously if you are a fan of the main book already you are going to love this. Either way this is a terrific read.
The ancient vampires awaken and are angry. They set out to find the Nazis. Back-up for the Nazis arrive as everything pretty much falls apart for the Nazis and Americans alike. For Cash and Felicia, they have what they are looking for so they are simply looking to escape. What we are treated to is something reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie with the action-suspense sequences. It's all done very well as they race away from the explosions and vampire battle.
Murphy was born to draw this comic book. His work on Joe the Barbarian was nothing short of brilliant but his work here may outdo it. Everything from the page layouts to the angles of the visuals make the story that much more fluid and enjoyable. The battle scenes between the ancients and Nazis are simply breathtaking with the backdrop of the castle and the snowy mountains. If only the comic book held some more focus on the ancients I think it would have been better but I understand that the reader is following Cash and Felicia and not the ancients. Plus there is something to be said for leaving something to the imagination. I hope we see more of the ancients at some point.
The ending of the book is fairly heartbreaking but uplifting at the same time. As is the case with other characters that seemed to have died in this title I would guess that the ending is not as straightforward as it seems. I'm sure Snyder has more plans for all of these characters down the road but I do hope he gets back around to the final page of this book again sooner than later.
American Vampire is an exceptional universe. Each comic adds more and more layers to the larger tapestry. Snyder has set up a title where going back and re-reading previous issues will reveal more information than it seemed upon the first read. When you consider I have never liked any comic book or novel variation of vampires and this title has me hooked I would say that means that this title has a chance at appealing to everyone. I urge anyone who likes deep and well thought out stories to check out this series.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
