REVIEW: ‘DC Vs. Vampires,’ Issue #1

DC Vs Vampires #1 is written by James Tynion IV & Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated and colored by Otto Schmidt, lettered by Tom Napolitano, and published by DC Comics. Andrew Bennett comes to the Hall of Justice to warn the Justice League that his former lover Mary, the Queen of Blood, has been murdered. This is part of a larger plan by the vampire race to utterly annihilate the human race, and not even DC’s heroes and villains are safe. In fact, some beloved DC characters may be vampires themselves…

This series continues a trend of taking the DC Universe and running it through a horror-based scenario in October; Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine’s DCeased took a similar approach to critical acclaim. Even the idea of DC heroes meeting vampires isn’t that far-fetched, as a trilogy of comics saw Batman being transformed into a vampire at the hands of Dracula. What makes this different is how ruthless the vampires are in their coup; the Legion of Doom is the first group to fall, and it’s revealed that one major hero is already under the vampire’s thrall.

The series unites the talents of Tynion and Rosenberg, who are no strangers to writing for the DC Universe. Tynion is currently writing the main Batman series and has also written several horror comics, including Something Is Killing The Children for BOOM! Studios, while Rosenberg has contributed to Batman: Urban Legends. They hit the ground running as Bennett is shown racing to the Hall of Justice in broad daylight. Immediately readers will know things are bad if a vampire is willing to risk death to get the attention of the world’s greatest heroes. They also establish that no one, whether hero or villain, is off-limits; a hero suffers a horrifying death that is still sitting with me as I type these words.

Schmidt, best known for his work on Green Arrow and Hawkeye: Freefall (which Rosenberg penned), shifts from superheroes to horror with ease. His vampires are utterly terrifying, all sinister fanged smiles and blood-red eyes. This also extends to the heroes and villains that fall under the vampires’ control; if you thought Gorilla Grodd and Scarecrow weren’t scary enough, wait until they get fangs. And topping off the vampire motif, red is a color that holds prominence over the issue. Schmidt colors Bennett’s memories in a blood-red haze, which only makes the scene where he finds the Legion of Doom’s dead bodies all the more disturbing. And when vampires get angry, their word balloons become twisted and red, showcasing their bloodthirsty nature.

DC Vs Vampires #1 is the latest horror-infused series from DC, taking some bloody twists and turns while setting up its premise. In one issue, the stakes (if you’ll pardon the term) have been set, and other heroes are slowly becoming aware of the vampire invasion. I look forward to future issues and recommend it to fans of horror comics or the DC Universe in general.

DC Vs Vampires #1 is available wherever comics are sold.