DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #1 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 1, September 2022

As spin-offs from a limited series go, Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s storyline for Issue One of “DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War” definitely seems to do a reasonable job in depicting just how desperate things have become for those super-heroes (and villains) who have been able to endure Dick Grayson’s bloodthirsty betrayal of the Batman. In fact, the duo’s notion of the planet’s sole survivors living below ground in a cavernous stronghold is really well-penned, leaving little doubt as to just how tenuous its inhabitants’ grip is upon a ‘normal life’ due to thirty-six percent of the humans’ food supply being wholly reliant upon Captain Atom converting “his energy output into solar radiation for us so we could grow crops and get Vitamin D.”

To make matters even gloomier, this yarn’s riveting plot also shows just how disconnected some of the settlement’s Council members are with one another, courtesy of Deathstroke’s brazen attempt to resurrect Bruce Wayne’s emaciated corpse using a Lazarus Pit in Switzerland, and then encourage him to stage a coup against the likes of Lead, Midnighter, John Constantine and Metropolis’ Mayor Fleming. This shocking betrayal by Slade Wilson not only demonstrates just how ineffectively “bureaucratic” the so-called protagonists have become in their battle against Nightwing’s ever-expanding Vampire Empire. But also leads to what little stability they had being completely destroyed by an infected Damage, who unsurprisingly follows his former friends from the Swiss Alps back to their secret sanctuary so as to blow it up.

Perhaps this book’s most eye-catching element however, lies with Pasquale Qualano’s pencilling and colourist Nicola Righi’s unnerving red, black, grey and white tones. This somewhat unique look to the twenty-three page plot genuinely appears to help reinforce all of its sombre themes, whilst signposting numerous elements throughout the publication’s panels, such as the blood-red moon, Deathstroke’s persistent presence and Captain Atom’s life-giving energy.

Equally as enjoyable is this comic’s ‘back-up’ tale, “Who’s Trapped”, by Guillaume Singelin. Featuring the final fate of Commissioner Jim Gordon at the hands of his daughter, Batgirl, this exhilarating, action-packed fright-fest is absolutely crammed full of high-speed antics, and strongly reminiscent of a Manga-style magazine; “You were a good cop, a good father, Mister Gordon. I promise to avenge you. All of you. And I keep my promises.”

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #1 by Alan Quah