Fast And Furious Fang-Filled Fun — Reviewing ‘Vatican City’ #1

Welcome to the table,

Secret hidden libraries full of magic books that are being kept by shadow organizations who think they know what is best for the world have always fascinated me. My love of monsters, magic, and mysticism had me ravenously reading anything and everything I could get my hands on in any library or used book store I was let loose upon.

I was always convinced that there were even more secret books of legends and lore and actual tomes of spells and rituals somewhere. If the kindly old librarian would just trust me enough to show me the secret door to the undercroft, I could explore these ancient words of magic and other hidden mysteries at my leisure.

While I have yet to gain access to most of the hidden books of lore and legend I dreamed about as a kid, I am constantly delighted when new offerings from creative creators venture into this space and give me new stories with these sorts of plot devices. This brings me to the new comic from Dark Horse Comics, Vatican City

Mark Millar and Per Berg‘s three-issue limited series transports us to a world that has been overrun by a vampire apocalypse. As a fan of Guillermo Del Toro‘s The Strain I was locked in when I realized what this book was about. It wastes no time dropping you right into the end of days already in progress.

Issue one is raw and brutal, taking us in just a handful of pages from a small moment on a city street to the downfall of western civilization. The writing is brilliantly economical, getting us from A to B so swiftly that its honestly a masterclass when you break down how much is conveyed through a handful of pages and panels. I love a slow burn and to really see what the impact a monster driven world ending event has to hold but this truly works so well I did not mind seeing how swiftly it all comes undone.

The Vampires clearly had a plan. They were well organized. Due to the nature of being immortal blood drinking monsters with thumbs and access to tactical gear, they easily overcame any real resistance that they faced.

The speed in which this story unfolds is really projected by the shape language and color choice that Per Berg implements from panel to panel and page to page. There is such a fluidity and ferocity to the line work that it feels perfectly dialed in for the kind of story Mark Millar is telling.

Mankind falls. That’s not a spoiler in this book. It’s the opening moment of the blood drenched story and what we witness next is what comes after. That’s where the story really gets its hooks into me.

The Vampires take the world quickly. Then we are transported to Rome, right above the Fountains of St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Vampires in gear that looks very much like the vampire ninja costumes from Blade 2 (another del Toro film and my favorite commentary track* of any movie ever) roll in and ruin anything living with a brutal quickness.

Why are they doing this? What is the purpose? Frankly I have no idea at this point. I have finished the issue and I don’t know what they are actually up to. What I do know is, much like the little kid Anton who longed for hidden crypts full of ancient mysteries, there is apparently something deep below the Vatican that these undead blood drinking hooligans desperately want to dig up.

Something ancient.

Something that seems to have feathered wings.

Until next time, anything could be happening and the way this book was presented is such that I’m happy to be along for the ride. They have me and that speaks to the talented team behind this title.

*Commentary track is an ancient an arcane form of entertainment from the late nineteen hundreds where you would take a little disc called a DVD and select “Commentary” and you could listen to the film maker or actors talk about the movie as you watched it. Guillermo Del Toro delivers my favorite commentary for most things with the Atlantis : The Lost Empire falling quickly after Blade 2, Hellboy 2, Hellboy, Cronos, Devils Backbone, and Pacific Rim of course.