Source: ComiXtreme

Reviewer: Andrea Speed
Quick Rating: Great

Ronnie Van Helsing grabs a witness that Dracula wants - but unbeknownst to her, Vampirella is interested in him too.

Some crossovers just sound weird, and others seem to be naturals. At first I thought this sounded weird, because Vampi may be a horror comic, but it’s one with a decided cheesecake bent. No matter how dark it gets, it still stars a woman wearing little more than dental floss. Sword of Dracula, on the other hand, was not cheesecake-y at all, but a psychologically dark horror comic about a secret team of vampire hunters with quite a few issues of their own, fighting a kind of Dracula who has power over blood. (Sounds strange, and it is, but it works.) I didn’t see how these two could mesh comfortably, except there’s this - take away Vampi’s cheesecake, and she fits in perfectly. That’s what Henderson and Scott do, and the result is a - dare I say it? - surprisingly awesome comic. I expected not to like this, and I loved it. It reminded me of how much I miss Sword of Dracula.

On its face, it’s kind of an unusual mélange of gritty crime drama and horror. The team go to grab a vampire who worked for a rival vampire clan but defected to Dracula’s team. The grab (essentially a kidnapping on a speeding train) goes wrong; they get their vamp, but at a price. The team takes time out to recover, but Dracula’s waiting, and he wants the vampire back by any means necessary. You’d think daytime would be safe, but it isn’t. There’s a daylight shootout on a New York City street that reminded me of a couple of crime films, interrupted by a mysterious figure. But who is this person working for?

Even if you’ve never read SoD before, there’s a bit on the inside cover that should catch you up. The story moves fast, is action packed, and never once does Vampi appear in her dental floss outfit. She wears stylish motorcycle leathers - black even - that make her look sexier, in my female opinion. I would think that, though. The ending (which honestly I guessed beforehand) sets up a possibility of coming back to the SoD universe, and that makes me happy.

The art by Scott is dark but legible, but should be familiar to former SoD readers. It’s effective and Filardi’s moody coloring suits it well.

Out this Wednesday, fans of SoD should pick this up. Vampi fans might be disappointed by her brief role and subdued appearance, but they just may be impressed by how much butt she kicks.

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