American Vampire #5 – Review

By: Scott Snyder & Stephen King (writers), Rafael Albuquerque (art), Dave McCaig (colors) & Steve Wands (letters)

The Story: Both of our American Vampire heroes (?) get some payback against their enemies.

What’s Good: I really enjoyed this issue.  It has a little bit of everything: Action, love, slimy-yet-cool villains, bad vampire and vampirettes getting staked… And a lot of great Rafael Albuquerque art!

From what I understand, this is the last oversized issue of AV and it ties up both of its story lines with real style.  Snyder’s story finishes up what has amounted to an origin story for Pearl as Pearl and her boyfriend lay waste to the old-school Euro-vampires.  This is just some cool vampire-staking action and was a lot of fun to read.

For the first time, King’s origin story of Skinner Sweet held a candle to Snyder’s work.  I really enjoyed how this story played out with Skinner triumphing over John Book, but making a new enemy along the way.  Skinner is really a bad dude, but for some reason I find myself rooting for him because he is fun, irreverent and cool.  His character wouldn’t work at all if he weren’t a little likable and I have to give credit to the creators for pulling this off.

Weekly Comic Book Review’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: The Walking Dead #75 – This was a really good issue that shows the pressure of leadership finally getting to Rick, plus it had the whacky, cool, back-up story.  You could also consider this a bit of a lifetime achievement award for a creator-owned comic that has never (by my reckoning) had a poor issue.

Most Anticipated: Uncanny X-Men #526 – I really enjoyed Second Coming,  so I’m excited to see the new direction for the X-Men.  My world is just happier when the X-books are good, and they’ve all been pretty sharp recently.

Other Top Picks: American Vampire #5, Haunt #8, Wolverine Weapon X #15, PunisherMax #9, Incorruptible #8

Alex’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Avengers #2 – A dose of old-school fun that genuinely surprised me.  It’s nothing complex, nor is it the best for overall narrative progression, but it’s a rippingly enjoyable read and often that counts for quite a lot.

Most Anticipated: Wonder Woman #601 – In an absolutely, ridiculously stacked week that is guaranteed to make the wallet bleed, I decided to go for the unknown.  Where is JMS going with this?  The fact that I have no idea what to expect from this issue, outside of high quality, has me intrigued.

Other Picks: American Vampire #5, Secret Avengers #3, Batman: the Return of Bruce Wayne #4, Fantastic Four #581, The Flash #4, Green Lantern #56, Madame Xanadu #25, Punishermax #9, Action Comics #891, Thor #612, Unknown Soldier #22, Wolverine: Weapon X #15

Joe’s Top Picks

Best From The Past Week: Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour GN – Bryan Lee O’Malley brought to a close his wonderful pop culture romance in a way that pleased me to no end.  6 years in the making, and even with all of that build-up, I was still satisfied with how the creator wrapped up the many plot-lines and relationships that he set into motion so long ago.  And it was all a heck of a lot of fun!

Most Anticipated: Uncanny X-Men #526 – I’m still riding off of the high of Second Coming, so I’m eager to see where the franchise goes from here.  The fact that Allan Heinberg and  Olivier Coipel have a bonus back-up that connects to Avengers: The Children’s Crusade is the cherry on top.

Other Top Picks: American Vampire #5, Flash #4, Green Lantern #56, Secret Avengers #3, Punisher Max #9, Wolverine Weapon X #15, X-Men Legacy #238