Story: Dan Abnett
Art: Alessandro Ranaldi
Colors: Ellie Wright
Letters: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 8th, 2023
Earth 6337 has fallen! In Vampirella Versus Red Sonja #4, all hell has broken loose (literally), as the Netherborn, an ancient, nearly omnipotent demon, has unleashed its monstrous army across the multiverse. With Earth 6337 down, the Netherborn has set its sights on the entire multiverse. Meanwhile, Vampirella and a small band of heroes desperately try to break free of the force field that Super-American has trapped them in, believing Vampirella to be an ally of the Netherborn. What’s happened to Red Sonja on Earth 6337? Will Super-American come to his senses? And can Vampirella resist draining the blood from all of them?
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Vampirella Versus Red Sonja #4 Review.
The Story
Vampirella Versus Red Sonja #4 is the penultimate issue of the mini-series and it feels like it, with the action and tension amped up to 100. There’s the exposure of a long-buried dark secret of The Project (Dynamite’s version of the Justice League), that Vampirella discovered last issue. It reminded me of the mini-series ”Identity Crisis” that DC did years ago, with memory wipes and bone-chilling revelations involved.
You can feel Vampirella’s desperation throughout the issue, as she uses that dark secret and all of her powers to convince Super-American (who’s a fusion of Superman and Captain America, but with less smarts and more stubbornness) that she wants to help save all the Earths. We get to see her use her hypnotic abilities, as well as another ability she has (derived from her vampirism) that I wasn’t aware she could do. By the end of the issue, you realize Vampi has one hell of an impressive power set.
Even though not a single zombie is in the issue, it felt like one of those zombie films, like the original “Dawn of the Dead”, where a group of people are fighting amongst themselves while the beasts are outside pounding against the doors, and it’s only a matter of time before they get in. It gives the book a heightened tension throughout and made it feel more like a horror comic than an adventure/superhero comic, and I loved that.
My only disappointment is that Vampirella and Red Sonja have barely been in the same room throughout the whole series. When “Versus” is in the title of the book, you’d expect the two to at least meet long enough to shake hands or slap the hell out of each other. I would have liked to see the two together throughout the series. With Vampirella’s logic and smarts and Red Sonja’s pure rage and bloodthirst, it would have been a buddy story that would have been better than those “Lethal Weapon” films. Overall though, this was another fun issue that was thrilling from the first to last page.
The Art
Alessandro Ranaldi’s art on Vampirella Versus Red Sonja #4 is sleek and has a punch to it. There are over a dozen characters in the issue, and all of their personalities come out through their postures and expressions. I especially love the way Ranaldi draws Vampirella, with her doe eyes and hair flowing behind her like the mythic heroine she is. When the action happens and all the characters are battling together, the scenes have a great epic feel to them.
Final Thoughts
Vampirella Versus Red Sonja #4 escalates the stakes and puts Vampirella front and center, as we see the full range of her powers as she faces off with Super-American. It’s a suspenseful and action-packed issue that has the perfect cliffhanger ending leading into next issue’s finale.