Vampirella #3
(Written by Kate Leth, art by Eman Casallos, published by Dynamite.)
Vampirella is still reeling from the murder at the theater, and Juliette confesses her demonic origins and glamour powers. Vampy can certainly look past that, as an alien vampire who is she to judge?
We get to see a lot more of Vampirella’s new costume this issue; the bathing suit is nowhere to be found. When not in an action scene, she wears an elegant black coat and purple scarf, and Juliette seems to have a grown-up goth’s dream wardrobe. It is always pleasing to see female characters wearing fashion that is actually appealing to women! If Juliette sticks around as a supporting character, she will be a fun project for cosplayers.
Leth continues to weave humour and horror together in a balanced way. There are jokes aplenty but they never diminish the seriousness of the plot. Casallos’s art is shaky in a few panels, but overall continues to match the tone of the story perfectly.
Vampirella #3 raises the stakes for the growing cast, jump on board before the fangs dig in deeper!—Megan Crittenden
(Written by Corinna Bechko, art by Jonathan Lau, published by Dynamite.)
Miss Fury hasn’t found the ship blueprints she was looking for. Instead, she discovers that the thieves built the entire craft overnight! Shocked, she explores the ship and finds occult items and symbols that she certainly did not include in the original plans. She is spotted by mysterious men in masks and forced to make a run for it.
As Marla Drake, she tries to uncover the origin of the occult symbol she managed to trace. While some time is dedicated to research, Marla gets her best lead seemingly by coincidence rather than through her hard work (fans of mysteries may find this frustrating). Still, the plot is intriguing even as occult elements are introduced. We are also treated with flashbacks to Marla’s power's origins, and that is a nice way to introduce her concept to new readers.
The interior art is both solid and atmospheric. Oftentimes in books about female superheros, sex appeal and conventional beauty is a top priority in every panel—but in this issue, Marla makes an unflattering (though very expressive) face at least twice. Given the cheesecake nature of some of the covers in this series, I thought that we might see some torn clothing or compromising poses, but so far Lau's depictions of Marla have been modest.
(Story by Gerry Duggan, Art by Matteo Lolli, Marvel Comics.)
This issue of Deadpool concludes the most recent arc, featuring his battle with Sabretooth coming to a bloody end. I enjoyed the insight into Deadpool and Sabretooth’s minds, as well as some neat guest appearances from Doctor Strange and Magneto. Gerry has done a wonderful job of tying together his new revelations from Wade’s past with stories from previous writers.
In addition to providing a conclusion to the current arc, this issue also plants the seeds of future developments. I hope that the writers actually follow through with these plot threads, unlike what they have done with previous hints in recent Marvel Comics history. I would definitely recommend Deadpool #11. While not filled with too many major revelations, it has fine characterization and compelling teases for the future. —Zachary Krishef
