Written by Guest Contributor: Jordan North Shit has rarely hit the fan in such splendid fashion and come at you with such a curve ball. It’s really one of my favorite things about the universe Mignola and his team creates, in a world populated by monsters and faeries, you’d think there’d be very little rhyme or reason. But as you spend time alongside these creatures and characters you start to think you know what’s what, until you’re smacked over the head with the fact that, “silly reader, this is a world populated by faeries and monsters!” and something totally unexpected happens. B.P.R.D Vampire #4 is one of those issues. It is bloody, and it is spectacular.
Freshly bloodied, shirtless and all around just bad-ass looking after his bout with the vampire Lord Wilhelm, agent Anders is probably just ready for a nap or something. The fact that he’s possessed by two, count’em two, super evil vampire ghosts/mistresses (…Yeah) probably doesn't help. But lo! A bunch of crusty old witches have planned to get the jump on him as soon as he leaves his last battle field in the ruins. Nearly all the remaining pages are full of some of the most radical and visceral action I nearly ever seen in a comic book. In a twist, not only does being possessed give Anders strength enough to best a vampire but it also, when needed, turns him into a bona-fide gorgon spider god who for whatever reason has an affinity for the symbol representing Pi. Cue the fifty witch pile up.
If the scope, beauty and vibrancy of the art on this book have impressed you so far, strap into your seat. Dave Stewart’s colors make sure that, after our hero lands a particularly hard punch that you check your mouth for a little blood. Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon take one of the more bizarre situations you`ll be likely to come across in a comic this week and make it absolutely wonderful to behold, there have been discovery channel programs that do a worse job of suspending my disbelief. All this comes together for what is just plain, pretty fun. Particularly the last few panels showing the battlefield following a mini cliffhanger in which were not sure if Anders pulls the thing off. Well he does, and it wasn't so much of a hard fought win as a freaking massacre. Watching our man stride up behind Hana as she basically tells his boss to write an obituary and just then seeing the mass grave of enemies he left behind was awesome indeed.
It’s not all just violence though; bits of intrigue pepper this story. What’s up with all the colonial flashbacks? Why does the head vampire in them look so much like Anders? Will our agent be corrupted by the power of the spirits inside him or will he eventually face off against them? These stories are beautiful, fun as hell and tell a simple and clean story that makes you want another scoop as soon as you finish off your first one. Don’t miss out.
Score: 5/5
Writers: Mike Mignola, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
Artists: Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 6/26/13