Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #23
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Snyder & Albuquerque

American Vampire is a comic book that ties things together arc to arc. This issue is a perfect example of how Snyder reuses characters and revisits arcs through these characters. This particular issue reveals the identity of the mysterious vampire and I have to say I was thrilled at the reveal. The book provides a little more background about the young vampire hunter but doesn't quite connect all the dots. As always the story and the visuals manage to entertain, scare and delight all within one issue. This is a great issue in a great series.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #22
Vertigo (DC) Comics
Snyder & Albuquerque

The start of a brand new arc brings about a good jumping on point to an outstanding series. This arc, entitled "Death Race", is set during the 1950s with a new (mostly anyway) set of characters. The book provides some nice character work, good story misdirection and some excellent art. Dare I say that if this is the only American Vampire issue that you read you will be entertained, get yourself a complete story and find a nice cliffhanger to come back for more. What else are you looking for in a comic book?

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #20
Vertigo Comics (DC)
Snyder & Bernet

How is it possible that the middle issue of a three issue arc is so good that I would recommend it to any reader regardless of whether or not they have ever picked up an issue of this series? The answer is simple: it's highly entertaining. The middle act of the Beast Cave arc is basically the origin story of a new character and it is so well written that it gives you an idea of what an "American Vampire" is, how they come about, how they differ from others all set on the historical backdrop of the changing American frontier. It's a fantastic issue that any fan of vampires, westerns, American history or just clever storytelling would love.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire: Survival Of The Fittest #5 Of 5
Vertigo (DC Comics)
Snyder & Murphy

The first American Vampire mini series wraps with an excellent issue. The issue had the right mix of high-flying action and emotional outpouring. The artwork is excellent to help keep this issue eye-popping regardless of the scene or panel. Overall I highly recommend reading this mini series if you have some interest in this title but have yet to check out the main book. Obviously if you are a fan of the main book already you are going to love this. Either way this is a terrific read.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #18
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Snyder & Albuquerque

The conclusion of the "Ghost War" arc brings about an issue that I have a lot of mixed feelings about. The issue brings the story to a satisfactory close and it leaves open a couple of doors but I found the build up to this issue to be better than the finale. There is never a bad read in this series so remain calm; you will be entertained. I'll try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible. The short summary is that the showdown in this issue left something to be desired but the plot thread left open at the end made the issue end on a surprising and outstanding note.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #11
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Snyder & Santolouco

The second and final issue of the arc entitled, "The Way Out" wraps up with another very strong issue in a terrific series. Snyder, in just two issues, manages to add strength to his series by building up three characters that haven't seen much action since the opening issues of the series. Snyder's got a wide array of characters now that all are capable of carrying an issue or an arc or more. This was a great read.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #10
Vertigo Comics (DC Comics)
Snyder & Santolouco

The new arc, "The Way Out", kicks off with a complex and entertaining read as Snyder revisits two of his original characters. The issue tells split tales of the two former roommates Hattie and Pearl. Perhaps you remember the pair from the first arc when Hattie was eventually left for dead by Pearl. Well she is back in a shocking reintroduction to the overall story. This issue has Mateus Santoluco taking over on art but the book manages to keep the same overall feel as it had under Rafael Albuquerque. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite titles month to month.

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Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

American Vampire #9
Vertigo (DC Comics)
Snyder & Albuquerque

The Las Vegas arc, Devil In the Sand, wraps up with a nice, bloody confrontation and ends with a terrific twist. This arc broadens the cast for this series nicely and adds a dimension of evil to Skinner that makes him a very difficult character to embrace, even as the likeable bad boy. There's a split among the art duties in a noticeable way but it doesn't take anything away from the issue. Overall, this is an excellent issue in an excellent series. This is definitely worth your time whether you like vampires or not.

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