“The Beast In The Cave” is an interesting prequel to Skinner Sweet, the immortal antihero. If you thought Skinner was dangerous and deadly as a vampire, wait till you see what he was like as a regular human being. To foreshadow an epic tragic collision, Scott Snyder focuses on the sibling rivalry between Skinner and Jim Book. Since they were children, Jim truly cared for Skinner as if he were his own blood brother. Joining the U.S. Army in the 1870s, they suddenly find themselves clashing against a Native American tribe. Even as he commits such horrible crimes, Skinner’s loyalty to Jim is unbreakable and boundless. Jim blindly believes in the goodness of his brother, even as he comes face to face with a genuine monster.

In Jordi Bernet’s artwork, there is incredibly gorgeous detail to the American Western landscape. At this point in the 1870s, America has just gone through the Civil War. Referencing historical pictures, Bernet displays tremendous attention in the ruggedness of the war-torn clothing. In the midst of a classic Western shootout, Bernet fantastically portrays Skinner as a two-gun shooter. As Skinner walks away from the aftermath of a bloodbath, Bernet surrounds this notorious figure of chaos with vultures.

The most exciting chapter in this volume is “Death Race.” The violent tale follows Travis Kidd, a vampire hunter obsessed with killing Skinner. With a leather jacket and a rock n’ roll attitude, Travis risks an innocent life just to get to his most hated enemy. Though Pearl Jones is in the sidelines in “The Nocturnes,” the shocking ending will definitely leave you breathless. As a way to kill a bloodsucker, Travis uses wooden teeth to bite back at the vampires. The sheer creativity of this concept shows Snyder is still able to keep the story fresh and exciting even for the most die-hard fans of vampire fiction. Travis slaughters vampires by biting into their necks for reversal of roles. In the 1950s, Travis and Skinner crash into each other’s vehicles as they race across the over-stretched streets. Snyder clearly has a love for the era depicted in the “Death Race” arc (if you follow him on twitter, you know this) and it shines through with the utmost passion.

Albuquerque captures the look of two musical icons in the character designs of Travis and Skinner. From top to bottom, Skinner comes across like a grungy and hyper Kurt Cobain. Travis is depicted as a young Elvis Presley with his slick hairstyle and sideburns. It almost looks like Cobain and Presley are beating the crap out of each other on the hood of a car. During the car chases, the panels just breathe excitement as the cars swerve and speed across the desert.

Without a doubt, “American Vampire Vol. 4” is a genuine masterpiece of sequential storytelling. Snyder’s narrative are second to none in the current comics industry, always tying together the images and the text flawlessly. Snyder and Albuquerque bring you back i time for a unique alternate horror history lesson. If you haven’t started reading “American Vampire,” you are missing out.

Rating: 4.5/5 skulls

Reviewed by Jorge Solis

The post Review: ‘American Vampire’ Vol. 4 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ILLUSTRATIONS AND COVERS BY: RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

“Things go from bad to worse for Henry and his unit when they discover the terrible secrets inside the mysterious facility known only as “Unit 732.” Will Pearl get there in time for a daring rescue?”

“AMERICAN VAMPIRE” Issue #17 Drops July 27th From Vertigo Comics! (MSRP-$2.99)

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ILLUSTRATIONS AND COVERS BY: Sean Murphy

“Vampire hunters Cash McCogan and Felicia Book get shot down over the mountains of Romania and find themselves trapped between Nazi patrols – and vampires.”

“AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” Issue #2 Drops July 13th From Vertigo COmics! (MSRP-$2.99)

The post Vertigo Releases An Advance Look At All New ‘American Vampire’ Cover Art appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ILLUSTRATIONS AND COVERS BY: Sean Murphy
COVERS BY: Cliff Chiang.

“From the pages of the red-hot Vertigo series comes a five-issue spinoff miniseries! It’s World War II in Nazi-occupied Romania as vampire hunters Felicia Book and Cash McCogan (last seen in the American Vampire story “Devil in the Sand”) go behind enemy lines with the secret organization known as the Vassals of the Morningstar in search of a rumored vampire cure. But their haunted, twisted past with Skinner Sweet makes the mission more difficult than they imagined.”

“AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST” Issue #1 Drops July 8th From Vertigo DC! (MSRP-$2.99)

The post It Is ‘Survival Of The Fittest’ This July In Vertigo’s ‘American Vampire’! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.