DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #6 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 6, February 2023

For those readers who have followed Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s six-issue mini-series from the start, this “grand finale” probably took them on an emotional roller-coaster of a ride through several waves of disconcerting depression. However, such negative vibes are not in any way connected to the well-penned plot provided, as the likes of Booster Gold and Deathstroke bravely tackle an utterly homicidal Man of Steel head-on. But rather that its conclusion fatally ends the enthralling adventures of several significant cast members who have done everything asked of them in order to keep Humanity’s hopes of salvation alive; “The blizzard’ll last a little longer. It’ll cover him real good, I promise. It’ll cover all of ‘em.”

Naturally, most comic book fans will be pretty certain as to who should win a contest between a deranged Superman, Slade Wilson, and the Twenty-Fifth Century Gothamite. Yet, this publication’s plot still manages to throw in several shocks, courtesy of its collaborative storytellers utilising John Constantine’s covert partnership with Deadman to catch both the vampiric Kryptonian and the vast majority of bibliophiles completely off-guard at the last minute. In addition, there’s some surprising humour to be found within the twenty-four-page periodical, such as when an abandoned Midnighter returns to life having literally been torn apart by Baron Cinder and asks if anyone from the ”Suicide Squad” is still there.

Adding an extra edge of horror to all these pulse-poundings proceedings is Pasquale Qualano and Nicola Righi, whose blood-soaked grey-scale panels repeatedly reinforce just how frighteningly murderous Kal-El has become since joining the legion of Nosferatu. The artistic pair are particularly good at highlighting the colossal physical powers in play when Mary Marvel downheartedly decides to go toe-to-toe with Clark Kent’s alter-ego after witnessing him kill Deathstroke with a single punch, and should certainly cause many within this publication's audience to give a momentary cheer when she opens up her attack with a mighty wallop to the chops.

Just as enthralling is this comic’s “backup” tale written and drawn by Mirka Andolfo, which focuses upon what happened to Poison Ivy once she was turned into a vampire. Initially slaughtering her undead brethren due to her need for “snacks”, Doctor Pamela Isley soon succumbs to an overbearing lust for fresh sustenance, which causes her to both suck dry the prisoners she potentially was intending to rescue, as well as extend her deadly vines throughout the metropolis like some giant lethal web of red-coloured vegetation.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #6 by Alan Quah

DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #5 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 5, January 2023

Recited as if taken from a veteran soldier’s war journal, Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s scintillating script for Issue Five of “DC Verses Vampires: All Out War” must surely have hooked its audience straight from the start with Deathstroke’s thoughts and actions concerning the mercenary’s past few days. For whilst Slade Wilson’s ruminations as to Azrael’s gratuitous death at the hands of some bloody thirsty vampires eventually gives way to a more straightforward way of storytelling, the flashback sequence definitely delivers a gut-wrenching message as to just why his team’s surviving members are so disheartened despite miraculously reaching the Flash Museum in Central City.

Furthermore, there’s plenty for this twenty-four-page publication’s plot to hold the attention once Marv Wolfman’s co-creation has miserably failed in his plan to resurrect the vampiric Weather Wizard, as everything shifts focus upon “a Marvel Family showdown at the end of the world”. Indeed, perhaps this comic’s biggest draw is the titanic tussle between a deranged Billy Batson and his sister, Mary Bromfield, as the two “gods” go toe-to-toe above the Missouri metropolis; “I don’t recognise you at all. Which is fine, actually… It makes this easier.”

Similarly as sensational are the layouts by Pasquale Qualano, Francesco Mortarino and Nicola Righi, which persistently assault the senses with their ferociously fast fisticuffs and sense-shattering scarlet-hued panels. Together, this creative team genuinely provide Shazam with a mind-blowing entrance worthy of one who wields “the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities.” In addition, the trio repeatedly remind the reader as to the grisly nature of the planet surrounding the central cast, with even little details like a trail of melting snow or some graffiti scrawled over Barry Allen’s beheaded stone statue giving the impression that they’re actually made out of blood.

Rounding off this periodical in a thoroughly enjoyable way is the sadly short-lived yarn "Dead Cities" by Danny Lore and Haining, which enthrallingly explores what happens to a super-hero who is symbiotically linked with the city he's in – and that municipal has been overrun by the living dead. Half man and half Nosferatu, Jack Hawksmoor’s attempt to assassinate his team’s corrupted leader, Jenny Sparks, provides an intriguing insight into just how The Authority has fared during the dark days of the (new) Vampire King’s reign.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #5 by Alan Quah

DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #4 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 4, December 2022

For those comic book fans who enjoy an unremitting assault upon their senses straight from the opening panel, coupled with a publication’s artistic team fervently throwing buckets of body fluid over every other illustration, Issue Four of “DC Verses Vampires: All Out War” must have landed incredibly well. In fact, it’s debatably hard to find any fault at all with Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s twenty-four-page periodical as the Midnighter, Mary Marvel and Booster Gold dive head-first straight into the Baron’s formidably ferocious vampire knights “whose blades are every bit as bloodthirsty as they are.”

To begin with absolutely nothing is guaranteed due to this action-packed pseudo-Elseworld’s plot quite merrily ending its cast’s lives without so much as a moment’s notice, and in as gratuitously grisly a manner as this magazine's “Ages 13+” certification will allow. Such wanton death genuinely makes each and every scene a ‘must read’, as it’s never certain just who is going to survive what blow, nor even who can actually be trusted – Cue Vic Sage’s appearance as a vampiric Question who later on will doubtless catch many a bibliophile off-guard just as a certain cowled member of Stormwatch appears to have saved the day without even raising a finger to defeat the tactical super-computer built into his opponent’s “stupid [expletive] helmet.”

Likewise, penciler Pasquale Qualano and colourist Nicola Righi provide a mesmerising experience with their disturbingly dark illustrations, which are predominantly only lit by splashes of unnerving eldritch lighting and galleons of spilt claret. Indeed, it’s incredible just how much evisceration takes place during this comic’s ensuing melee, with various so-called super-heroes (and villains) having either their heads explode in a fountain of ruby froth, or their innards spattered all over the floor; “You can heal from this, right? I mean, you’re Midnighter!”

Similarly as well-received should be Matthew K. Manning’s “backup” tale entitled “Kill The Messenger”. This Black Lightning-centric storyline still contains an incredible amount of death, courtesy of its blood-drinking ghouls ill-advisedly entering Jefferson Pierce’s blessed abode. But due to Acky Bright’s much more clean-looking, self-taught drawing style, as well as his choice of a surprisingly sombre blue palette, the short-lived yarn provides an enjoyably enthralling contrast to the maniacal mayhem of this book’s main adventure.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #4 by Alan Quah

DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #3 - DC Comics

DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR No. 3, November 2022

Tightly focused upon “the apocalyptic” Suicide Squad’s all or nothing attempt to rescue Koriand'r from the diabolical clutches of Baron Cinder, this twenty-four page periodical’s plot must surely have had its audience riveted throughout every scene. Indeed, the notion that any one of this comic’s protagonists could suddenly meet with a grisly death at a moment’s notice repeatedly leaps out of every panel, especially when the perilous mission riskily relies upon the good will of a blood-sucking Batwoman; “I think she’s legit. But if you have doubts just incinerate her.”

Equally as terrifying is Alex Paknadel and Matthew Rosenberg’s ability to imbue the vampire’s medieval-looking fortress with a genuine creepy vibe, which arguably appears able to sends shivers down any reader’s spine the moment Deathstroke, Azrael and Kate Kane approach its guarded gates through a heavy sea of blood-splattered mist. This ‘Hammer House of Horror’ ambience really adds to the storytelling, as it repeatedly hints at the possibility of a gory demise occurring just around every corner. In fact, the perpetual suspense is so well-penned that it debatably almost comes as a relief when one of the party is finally slain through dark witchcraft.

Artists Pasquale Qualano and Nicola Righi must also take a well-deserved bow for their contribution to this publication’s success, as their sombre-coloured layouts, occasionally made all the more unnerving with a garish splash of red pigmentation, are truly mesmerising. Moreover, the duo are responsible for possibly this book’s biggest highlight when they depict a formidably brutal Bane squashing a load of hapless thralls beneath the castle’s main door and then go on a ferocious rampage alongside “one of Gotham’s daughters” up the fortification’s inner stairwell.

Just as disconcerting is Emma Vieceli’s unfairly labelled “backup” story “Dark Birth”. Prodigiously pencilled by Haining, this deeply disturbing tale of Dick Grayson being treacherously ensnared by his own half-sister, Melinda Zucco, into Bludhaven’s vampire civil war is desperately sad, due to the former Robin bravely facing an entire cartel of the Undead single-handedly and knowing full well that Barbara Gordon, the Teen Titans nor even Batman will be able to save him from a truly tragic fate.

The regular cover art of "DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL OUT WAR" #3 by Alan Quah

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

Midnighter #1 - DC Comics

MIDNIGHTER No. 1, August 2015

Whilst Warren Ellis’ co-creation has often been criticised for being little more than an ultra-violent clone of Batman, especially when drawn alongside the character’s ‘superman-surrogate’ husband Apollo. This solo outing, written by Steve Orlando and “rated teen plus”, depicts the super-hero in a vein which is far more akin to that which was envisaged when the “incredible bad-ass” was first conceived. That is “The Shadow by way of John Woo.”

However having the black-clad vigilante going back “to his roots” isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when the “Undertow” author decides that the entire storyline for Issue One of “Midnighter” is simply going to be about “lots of punching” as the former Stormwatch member “learns how to be a normal person.” In fact a terrific amount of this magazine’s twenty(ish) pages concern themselves with Lucas Trent simply dining, committing “ritual suicide by cholesterol”, playing pool, dating in Moscow, or rather graphically conducting “a rigorous physical examination” of his new boyfriend, Jason.

Admittedly Orlando makes good on his promise of the “masked ass-kicker” being as brutal as ever by having the artificially enhanced human seriously take down a heavily armed group of killers who foolishly interrupt his evening meal in a restaurant. But frankly the appallingly confusing and overly complicated art of Aco ruins any enjoyment to be had from the scene. Something which is especially disheartening as Midnighter delivers some of his infamously sadistic yet wonderfully witty one-liners during the free-for-all; “I’ll burst your eyeballs and punch my fist into your liver.”

Sadly the "Batman: Future's End" artist is unfortunately responsible for a good deal of this comic’s inaccessibility and in some ways it is actually a relief to see his horrendously busy panels and pages being momentarily overshadowed by an incredibly intruding advertisement for a Twix chocolate bar mid-way through the magazine!?! Those readers willing to pour some significant time pondering Aco’s illustrations will doubtless marvel at the blunt force trauma depicted within the penciller’s minute x-ray montages. But for any casual peruser of this periodical most of the pictures, especially those containing any form of dynamic action, disappointingly appear as something of a mess to be deciphered rather than enjoyed.

Writer: Steve Orlando, Penciller: Aco, and Inkist: Aco with Hugo Petrus