REVIEW: ‘DC Vs Vampires,’ Issue #2

DC Vs Vampires #2 is written by James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg, illustrated and colored by Otto Schmidt, lettered by Tom Napolitano, and published by DC Comics. After the first issue, Batman gathers the members of the Bat-Family and informs them of the growing vampire threat while Green Arrow tracks down supervillains to do the same. Meanwhile, a vampiric Hal Jordan begins snuffing out threats to the vampire uprising, including a major DC hero.

Though the bulk of this issue is mainly exposition, what helps it feel engaging is the interaction between various characters, especially the Bat-Family. Tynion and Rosenberg’s script still treats the vampire uprising as the significant threat it is, but there’s also a fair bit of humor in how the Bat-Family interacts with each other. From Red Hood pointing out how complicated Nightwing’s dating life is to Damian Wayne expressing shock at Batman’s unorthodox vampire test, there were moments that made me laugh out loud. But the best happens when Green Arrow tells a group of supervillains that vampires live among them. The villains treat his claim as laughable, all except one, who turns out to be a vampire and scares them off.

Schmidt toggles between action and dialogue with almost ridiculous ease, including Green Arrow’s fight with a vampire and an opening that sees Jordan disembowel Swamp Thing’s archnemesis Anton Arcane. Napolitano depicts this with a blood-red “schlunk” effect, as Arcane’s spine is literally pulled out of his mouth. I also give Schmidt credit for his color art, especially when it comes to day and night; it’s almost jarring to see Green Arrow emerging from the shadows with his trademark green hood blending into the foliage of Star City and the Bat-Family meeting in broad daylight as the sun’s golden rays make Batman stand out like a sore thumb.

Yes, you read that right. Batman—the self-proclaimed “Dark Knight”—holds a meeting in daylight, and it’s not even the most jarring moment of the book. That comes when Batman reveals a trove of vampire-killing weapons to arm his allies. Granted, the Caped Crusader makes a fair point in saying that vampires are undead, but it’s still shocking to see Batman picking up an ax of all things. That leads me to another point: so far, only Batman and Green Arrow seem aware of the vampire invasion. I understand that Tynion has made a name for himself on the Batman titles, and Rosenberg recently contributed to Batman: Urban Legends, but I hope other heroes get in on the action. Superman, for example, would be fun to see as he gets his powers from the sun, which is lethal to vampires.

DC Vs Vampires #2 finds a clever way to deliver exposition by utilizing a blend of horror and humor, along with some excellent character work. Hopefully, the next issue brings more vampire action into the mix, and I hope to see other heroes get in on the fight against the undead.

DC Vs Vampires #2 is available wherever comics are sold.