I, Vampire: Volume 3 Wave of Mutilation – review

Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov

Artists: Various

First Published: 2013 (Trade Paperback)

Contains spoilers

The blurb: Andrew Bennett is a very unusual vampire. For hundreds of years, he’s avoided feeding on humans and has attempted to use his powers to stop those vampires who prey on humanity, including a monster of his own creation – his former love Mary, Queen of Blood.

But now everything is changed. To stop Mary, Andrew took the power of all the vampires into himself, turning them all mortal… but in the process, turning himself into the most powerful, most evil vampire to walk the earth.

Now, as Andrew begins building a team of new vampires, Mary will have to unite with Andrew’s former allies – many of whom have a good reason to despise her – to stop him before its too late. But more than Andrew’s soul lies in the balance. If Mary fails, the entire world will fall to the mad vampire who once protected it.

detail

The review: The first two volumes of the New 52 reboot of I, Vampire (Volume 1 & Volume 2) were consistently good graphic novels, though I felt the Justice League Dark sections of volume 2 were weaker art-wise. The story of volume 1 was perhaps a tad simplistic but the breakneck speed of volume 2 made up for that.

Volume 3 was fabulous, the artwork was produced by several artists but was more consistent and suited the story and atmosphere. We get Andrew Bennett’s turning story, we meet both Cain and Lilith (Lilith is Cain’s wife in this universe), we get a brick from the tower of Babel and Constantine is in the story (though the other DC crossover characters from earlier volumes are missing). The switch around in characters was really nice, Bennett becomes thoroughly evil (and not too bright, to be fair, having relied on the wisdom of others before) and Mary becomes… well not good as such, but on good’s side at least.

The volume neatly ends the story (I understand that it was meant to run for some 5 more comics but Fialkov was given enough notice of the early series cancellation to be able to draw everything in neatly). 8 out of 10.