The war between Darkseid and what’s left on Earth, vampires and humans, rages on in DC vs. Vampires: World War V. That’s right, the vampires are no longer the enemy due to Darkseid and his army trampling onto Earth to kill what seems like everything. Standing in his way is Mister Miracle, who clings to his child and wants nothing but to be left alone. That said, only Darkseid’s family can kill him, and he is the good guys’ only hope. DC vs. Vampires: World War V #10 is a tense issue that accomplishes its own mini story arc, building up the stakes.
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #10 opens on Coast City, or what’s left of it. Mister Miracle has stolen Cyborg’s ship and seeks refuge, but is quickly met by Ghost-Maker and Raven. He’s finally brought in after avoiding capture for a while and realizes vampires and humans are working together.
A subplot that offers satisfying results by the end involves Batman (Ras Al Ghul in his costume) and Green Lantern (aka Alfred), who are taking advice from a baby that Deadman has entered. If that sounds zany, it is, but it works thanks to the long-running buildup in this quite vast series. They need to sort out some magic users, and the results require a break, Damian, and fun writing of Batman.
Alfred and Batman steal the show in this issue.
Credit: DC Comics
Generally speaking, writer Matthew Rosenberg gets a lot of kicks out of the dialogue. Mister Miracle is particularly uncaring about the war raging, which juxtaposes nicely with the gloom and doom of humans and vampires who speak to him. The levity grounds the otherwise scope of what’s going on.
Rosenberg and Otto Shmidt continue to do great work making the huge cast and multiple subplots make sense. Sure, a story like this has subplots that only add a bit of action or delay to the inevitable, but it’s impressive how many characters they stuff into every issue. Fans who love characters may feel slighted at times (poor Beast Boy), but it’s impressive how many characters are featured.
The action and gore remain high, leaning into the horror aspect of this series. More importantly, he keeps you interested in heavy dialogue scenes, bouncing around at different angles to keep things interesting. There’s a major death that’ll take you off guard and Shmidt makes you feel it.
DC vs. Vampires: World War V #10 continues the series’ impressive balancing act of horror, humor, and superhero drama. While the sprawling cast leads to a few pacing stumbles, the issue delivers a tense and rewarding chapter that’s equal parts brutal and bizarre.
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