DC Vs. Vampires #11 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES No. 11, January 2023

Potentially beguiling their audience like a circus performer with three simultaneous storylines, James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg’s juggling act for Issue Eleven of “DC Vs. Vampires” certainly mixes all-out, adrenalin-fuelled action with stealthy, nerve-jangling shenanigans as Batgirl leads a seemingly suicidal assault upon Gotham City’s vampire army, Green Arrow initiates a prison break in Smallville and John Henry Irons desperately attempts to smuggle Supergirl onto an orbital rocket ship. Yet whilst some lesser writing teams might struggle to keep a perusing bibliophile hooked handling so many ‘balls in the air’ at once, “Our Finals Hours” arguably manages to do just that with admirable ease; “Sometimes you gotta learn the hard way not to mess with the main man, Martian Lady.”

Foremost of these ‘hooks’ has to be John Constantine’s supposedly doomed squad revealing themselves to King Nightwing’s blood-drinking cohorts and straightforwardly spanking them in their droves within an inch of their undead lives. This frenzied battle is absolutely spellbinding throughout, whether it be during its early stages when surprise is definitely on the fiery Bat Family’s side, or later on, when the super-heroes leap upon a number of motorcycles so as to make a headlong dash for the safety of the Huntress’ ultra-violet Bat-Signal.

Just as engaging is the admittedly much less violent and distinctly quieter infiltration of the Tamala space centre in Australia. Somewhat disconcertingly throwing the brash and ultra-loud Lobo into a supposedly covert penetration of extra-terrestrial collaborators definitely ramps up the tension to this sub-plot, with the duplicitous, gun toting Czarnian likely to let his new partners’ disguises slip at any moment and resultantly rob Humanity of its last chance to bring Kara-El before the energy-restoring light of the Earth’s sun.

Equally as impressive as this twenty-two-page periodical’s penmanship are its layouts, with Otto Schmidt, Francesco Mortarino and Pierluigi Casolino doing a first-rate job in depicting all its dynamic drama and sense-shattering shenanigans. Indeed, perhaps one of this comic’s biggest draws is the sheer sense of despair and world weariness which is persistently pencilled upon the faces and bodies of its formidably sized cast, as the few surviving meta-humans frantically fight against their insurmountable foes with little hope, but still plenty of bravado and deadly determination.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES" #11 by Guillem March