DC vs. Vampires #8 Preview

[Hypo]

DC vs. Vampires #8 Preview
Writers: James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg
Artists: Otto Schmidt and Daniele Di Nicuolo

[Frontier]

Ah, there's that witty Constantine banter that writers seem to love to write.

Surprised they're using Kent instead of Khalid.

(Did Constantine just insinuate he and Dinah knocked boots...?).

[Morgoth]

Glad to see, that Damian is still part of this story, there was an assumption, that he was taken out of picture in his one-shot.

[Doctor Kent Nelson]

Ah, there's that witty Constantine banter that writers seem to love to write.

Surprised they're using Kent instead of Khalid.

(Did Constantine just insinuate he and Dinah knocked boots...?).

Tynion probably wants another chance to kill him off

[Zagre]

That bit with Psi-Mon was hilarious.

[Frontier]

Tynion probably wants another chance to kill him off

(Sigh) You might have a point there .

[JThree]

From that cover, do you think Black Canary has been turned?

--jthree

[Nullviahomo]

From that cover, do you think Black Canary has been turned?

--jthree

More likely it's a pictorial representation of their disagreement. Ollie wants to go after the people-farms represented by the red circles on the map, but Canary is dead set on the Gotham mission to kill King Dick, while someone else (who uses a knife like that?) is determined that Australia is the real target.

[legion_quest]

I feel like someone overplayed how powerful some characters are, vamp'ed or not, against some other characters during this issue.

Aside from that, it continues to be an enjoyable little side romp.

[Nullviahomo]

I'm enjoying parts of it, but a lot of it feels a bit... diffuse? Lightly etched? A lot of things happen 'just because' and a lot of the things that would be of interest (the initial phase of open takeover where there were battles between the Undead and living metahumans) happen offscreen or in one page. There's no real sense of there being a world at stake because it's just a constant litany of 'Heroes do silly things and get turned' or 'Heroes do a clever thing but the Vampires already had a plan for that', and apart from the one-shot with Damian, we've barely seen a civilian or a non-superhuman vampire. It's like there are only a few dozen people left on the Earth and everyone is just spinning their wheels until their scene begins.

Also, I think it's pretty clear by now that it's going to come down to King Dick himself manipulating the circumstances of his own defeat. From his comments in the main miniseries and the one-shots he's clearly got a major conflicted deathwish going on, and even though he's going through the (Batman-schooled) motions of how to most efficiently take down the superhero community and conquer the world, he's deliberately leaving all of the pieces on the board necessary for his own defeat.

[Zagre]

I'm enjoying parts of it, but a lot of it feels a bit... diffuse? Lightly etched? A lot of things happen 'just because' and a lot of the things that would be of interest (the initial phase of open takeover where there were battles between the Undead and living metahumans) happen offscreen or in one page. There's no real sense of there being a world at stake because it's just a constant litany of 'Heroes do silly things and get turned' or 'Heroes do a clever thing but the Vampires already had a plan for that', and apart from the one-shot with Damian, we've barely seen a civilian or a non-superhuman vampire. It's like there are only a few dozen people left on the Earth and everyone is just spinning their wheels until their scene begins.

Also, I think it's pretty clear by now that it's going to come down to King Dick himself manipulating the circumstances of his own defeat. From his comments in the main miniseries and the one-shots he's clearly got a major conflicted deathwish going on, and even though he's going through the (Batman-schooled) motions of how to most efficiently take down the superhero community and conquer the world, he's deliberately leaving all of the pieces on the board necessary for his own defeat.

^^^

I think that's because the series just uses it's setting as window dressing. I've noticed it's not really that interested in telling us about the apocalypse, what it really wants to use as a continuing thread is set up emotional confrontations-slash-cat-and mouse games between a small set of characters that have reationships with each other (Green Lantern/Flash, Batman/Green Arrow, Both/JL, Green Arrow/Green Lantern, Batman/Nightwing, Batgirl/Nightwing, Green Arrow/Whoever Ambushes Him in Smallville, possibly Supergirl/Superman...). That really keeps the stuff low-stakes and, combined with the fact this is a 12-issue maxiseries that really wanted to be longer (both halves could have used more issues and wouldn't feel as rushed), can make things feel difuse though personally I prefer this to "uh, it's the end of the world again".

A Bomshells-style digital first series could have helped flesh out this world though.

Anyway, this issue was very fun but not half as fun as the meltdowns over that dream sequence. :P

Personally I wonder if they're setting up some sort of rescue arc for that character, though I have no idea if it's only to get subverted or played straight.

NOTE: Also, please, stop getting fill-in artist or at get some that either work better with the main series' style or have a good style of their own, I really don't like Dinicuolo's pages.

[Frontier]

I haven't seen Barbara Gordon this horny since the Killing Joke movie.

[Nullviahomo]

^^^

Anyway, this issue was very fun but not half as fun as the meltdowns over that dream sequence. :P

Ah, but was that a dream sequence? Or was that King Dick using his King Dick powers to reach out to Barbara and give her a helping hand towards finding him? The likelihood is he's not even in Gotham anymore, having abandoned any location to do with the old Bat Family after Damian's abortive assassination attempt. So he could be showing Barbara his actual location (somewhere the sun still shines, so he keeps a mesmerised Starfire on hand to top up his sunblock) as part of his conflicted nature. The part of him that's the compassionless King of the Vampires wants her with him as his Vampire Queen, but the part of him that's not ruled by horror hunger wants her to find him so she can put a stake through his heart.

And Barbara is, clearly, totally up for it.

[Hulkout42]

Here's what's going to happen, Barbara and company go to Gotham, Harley dies and transfer hers toxic blood to Barb, Barb faces off against Dick who will try to convince to join him as his queen, they fight he bites her they both die, the end.

[Zagre]

Ah, but was that a dream sequence? Or was that King Dick using his King Dick powers to reach out to Barbara and give her a helping hand towards finding him? The likelihood is he's not even in Gotham anymore, having abandoned any location to do with the old Bat Family after Damian's abortive assassination attempt. So he could be showing Barbara his actual location (somewhere the sun still shines, so he keeps a mesmerised Starfire on hand to top up his sunblock) as part of his conflicted nature. The part of him that's the compassionless King of the Vampires wants her with him as his Vampire Queen, but the part of him that's not ruled by horror hunger wants her to find him so she can put a stake through his heart.

And Barbara is, clearly, totally up for it.

For which option exactly? :P

spoilers:

I'm also wondering if they're setting up something with Starfire? Like she's either captured and possibly rescued by Barbara (wouldn't be surpised if the final "battle" is them both against Nightwing or the dream/premonition/illusion calling isn't accurate and she was in fact turned

end of spoilers.