Peace between humans and vampires wasn’t going well, but now that Darkseid is on Earth, an alliance is bound to happen. It’s already bad on Earth with a global snowstorm and populations down, but when gods arrive to decimate what is left, things are far more dire. Although we’re halfway through the maxiseries, it’s not until now that the main players are present and ready to fight in this world war.
Picking up where we left off, Darkseid’s forces are giving humans and vampires a lot of trouble. This issue reveals battles now changing hands, with Darkseid having the edge thanks to his vast army of Parademons. On both this front and another, DC vs. Vampires: World War V #8 does a lot to advance the godly side of the war.
This series continues to be all about the fights, and it’s made even more fun when surprising last-second backup arrives—or, in some cases, it doesn’t. The DC Universe is a vast one with many characters, and even with many issues featuring key characters dying, writer Matthew Rosenberg finds more to pop up here.
The Hellblazer subplot is getting more interesting.
Credit: DC Comics
Another angle on the fight is Hellblazer, who gets an entire lesson on his location amongst Dr. Fate and other magical characters. He’s privy to the war thanks to a magic window and the ability to zip around and see things, though he can’t do anything to help. This subplot gets just enough detail to advance things for a future issue.
Thanks to Otto Schmidt’s art, Darkseid might be the most formidable he’s ever looked. He’s massive, with a cracked face that begs to be punched. What he does to Cheetah is pretty awful, reminding us this is a horror book, after all.
Another key character is Batman, or at least the guy wearing the suit: Ra’s al Ghul. He gets to interact with a key Batman character, and their conversation helps give us a singular pulse for the series. Namely, there are no sides anymore. You fight and live or die. Rosenberg manages to squeeze a bit of comedy out of their scene, and that’s a nice reminder that this is a series having lots of fun.
If that doesn’t sound enough, there’s also a key scene with Arsenal. There’s a chase, a cool full-page splash reveal of a whole team of heroes, and a friendly reminder that Green Arrow has an emotional attachment to Arsenal. With superheroes and gods floating around, Green Arrow and company continue to remind us there’s a grounded human element. That is, even if Flash is ready to zip around in his wheelchair next issue.
Now deep into the chaos, DC vs. Vampires: World War V #8 finally brings the big guns to the table, delivering a hellish spectacle led by a monstrous Darkseid and a crumbling world with few loyalties left. With stylish brutality and a creeping horror edge, it’s a turning point that pays off for longtime readers—even if it took its sweet, snowy time getting here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.