REVIEW: 'Vampiverse Presents: The Vamp' #1 One-Shot by Tom Sniegoski, Jeannine Acheson, Francesca Cittarelli, and Daniel Maine

 

VAMPIVERSE PRESENTS: THE VAMP #1

Writer: Tom Sniegoski, Jeannine Acheson

Artist: Daniel Maine, Francesca Cittarelli

Letters: Taylor Esposito

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: June 29, 2022

Cover Price: $4.99

Torn from the pages of the hit series, Vampiverse!  Meet this reality's version of Vampirella, the Vamp, a mysterious crime fighter in the 1930s classic pulp style who could give the Shadow a run for his money!  But who is the Vamp?  Where did she come from, and how did she become the scourge of all things evil?  And what is her terrifying connection to the Cult of Chaos?  Join us this summer for a titanic tale of terror, action, and adventure from the creative team behind the hit VAMPIVERSE miniseries!

Score:

★★★1/2 (3.5/5)

'The Vamp' is an exciting action-packed one-shot that takes the pulp-style version of Vampirella from the Vampiverse multiverse series and creates her own adventure in the spirit of  The Shadow and The Rocketeer. She's trying to keep the Cult of Chaos from assembling the pieces to the powerful supernatural artifact, the sacred blade of illumination. It has the power to alter reality in the worst ways. But The Vamp is the fearless, unyielding, sarcastic crime fighter we need to save the day. 

It's a lot to ask of any writer to plot a cohesive singular adventure for a character while also including an origin story and backstories for various characters in a 30-page one-shot. Tom Sniegoski and Jeannine Acheson do their very best and provide a lot of exposition, narration, and history in such a condensed amount of time. The issue suffers a little from it and honestly, would have worked better as a three-issue limited series to give the story room to breathe. 

As it is, 'The Vamp' is a fun throwback to the pulpy serials of almost a century ago with more of an edge. There's plenty of daring, swash-buckling, fast-paced action conveyed with tons of energy and bravado by Daniel Maine. The Vamp's design takes color and logo inspiration from the original Vampirella with a fun Carmen Sandiego meets The Shadow aesthetic. Every well-composed panel features the rich bold colors of Francesca Cittarelli. There's so much going on that letterer Taylor Esposito is doing not just the loads of narration and dialogue but all the many sound effects. It's a barrage of fighting and firepower. 

Vampirella's latest battle against evil is an over-stuffed supernatural tale with more positives than negatives. Things happen too quickly with little time between set-ups but there's no denying how exciting the universe of The Vamp is. Sniegoski dives deep into the style of pulpy serials of the past with great results albeit condensed into one issue. Over-the-top villains, mystical weapons, an impending apocalypse, and one determined badass make 'The Vamp' a fun read.