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Review: “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2

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A terrifying and suspenseful installment, “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2 builds the horrifying tension of what’s to come. Readers should be prepared to see such vivid nightmarish imagery jump right off the pages. The “American Vampire” series hasn’t lost its edge after a long hiatus and actually came back more twisted than ever.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ART BY: Rafael Albuquerque
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: April 16, 2014

Pearl Jones previously rescued an innocent little girl from a group of nasty hunters. The little girl, May, has deep bloody wounds dug into her soft skin. Trembling in fear, the girl whispers a name close into Pearl’s ear, making sure no one else hears her. The Gray Trader is coming and Hell is coming along with him. No human and no vampire is safe from this demonic monster. Pearl has to find information about this Gray Trader and warn everyone about him. But Pearl is actually too late to warn anyone. The Gray Trader is already here and the killings have just began.

Writer Scott Snyder has put together a riveting issue that quickly builds to a shocking twist. Fully developed as a character, Pearl is the anti-heroine who doesn’t want to get involved. She has already lost too muchand truly believes this isn’t her fight. She knows the Gray Trader means danger to both humans and vampires, but she doesn’t want to get drawn in. In tune to her maternal instincts, Pearl just wants to keep the unwanted orphans safe from the outside world.

In the previous issue, we just caught a glimpse of the antagonist in the climatic last pages. Readers are now presented with the Gray Trader and it is a dozy. I don’t want to give anything away but it is something you should definitely see. Right off the bat, you can tell Snyder is a John Carpenter fan and has created a creature that is cinematically mind-blowing.

Artist Rafael Albuquerque slowly paces the illustrations with suspense before finally revealing the scares. Music is such an influence to the time period even though there isn’t a soundtrack. In the opening pages, a Johnny Cash-type singer marches onto the stage. With the aid of Dave McCaig’s colors, the tones are important because they symbolize impending doom.

My favorite part of Albuquerque’s illustrations is when Pearl is tucking May into bed. Albuquerque illustrates the emotion and tenderness of the quiet scene as Pearl gently covers up May. Reinforcing the maternal theme, Pearl is horrified to see the scars on May’s back. Even though they are not related, Pearl wants to take care of May as if she was her own child.

A must read, “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2 delivers the heart-pounding suspense and the shocking scares with outstanding style. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next issue.

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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