American Vampire : Lord of Nightmares #5

The conclusion to the first spin off of the monthly American Vampire series is here! Hobbes & Alicia of the Vassals of the Morning Star join forces with a few dedicated vampires as they sail the Black Sea in pursuit of Dracula’s ship, to destroy and sink the Lord of Nightmares & his minions once and for all.

The Team

Written by Scott Snyder (Severed, Batman : The Black Mirror, Iron Man Noir), illustrated by Dustin Nguyen (Supernatural : The Dogs Of Edinburgh, Batman/Superman : Torment, Batman Beyond : Industrial Revolution) & coloured by John Kalisz. Published by DC/Vertigo Comics

The Pros

From writer & creator Scott Snyder comes an explosive ending to a first-rate mini series. As both sides suffer great losses, the VMS strikes a mighty blow to Dracula himself. Without spoiling the finale, some characters seal their fates, some deserve it, others don’t, while others have new beginnings and the Vassals of the Morning Star heads in a bold & new direction.

After the first 4 issues, I was getting anxious to actually see Nguyen’s rendition of Drac, but they’re only glimpses into the shadows with bright red eyes like the devil himself. In this situation I think less is more, but it doesn’t make his appearance any less chilling and also adds a little mystery to an already mysterious character. I’ve got a feeling we’ll probably be seeing more of the King of Vamps in the near future.

The Cons

I was a little disappointed that a major character gets the axe, but in the end it makes sense.

The Outcome

This mini series was just as terrific as the monthly American Vampire series, which brings up the question why didn’t Snyder just insert this story arc into the monthly AV title? Regardless, I had a real blast reading this series, it had plenty of action & gore and some room for new characters & the development of the regular characters as well. This issue gets a rating of 9 and so does the entire mini series.