The Good
Everything. End of review.
Each month Scott Snyder manages to surprise me with how much I love this series. I never thought I'd be so into a comic based on vampires. There is just so much more to it. The return of Rafael Albuquerque is almost enough to bring tears of joy to my eyes. Pearl Preston is such a great character. The fact that these arcs can jump around from great character to character is something that helps keep the series fresh and exciting. You never quite know what you're going to get from Snyder. It's like his mind is full of ideas and they explode onto the pages.
The situation Pearl is in is unfortunate but it's needed to drive this particular story. It sets things in motion that further expands the direction of the characters and series. Anytime the Vassals of the Morning Star gets mentioned or has an appearance, you can't help but wonder if things are going to get worse. Pearl also finds herself face to face with someone she wasn't expecting.
Albuquerque's art just feels so right here. There's so much contained here from the emotions of sadness and anger to the violence and suspense. This is clearly my favorite comic of the week.
The Bad
The only problem is while I absolutely love the cover, it kind of says too much.
The Verdict
AMERICAN VAMPIRE is one of my favorite series. Just when I think I couldn't possibly like it more than I already do, Scott Snyder manages to make it happen. I almost envy those that haven't been reading this series because they have the luxury of being able to read the entire series from the beginning. Having Rafael Albuquerque back for this arc is perfect timing. There are major things happening here and the characters and series as a whole is moving to new places. It feels like it's been a long exciting and crazy journey since the characters first appeared. This is so much more than a simple vampire comic. This is something comic book readers owe to themselves to check out.