American Vampire: Second Cycle #2

By Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque & Dave McCaig

American Vampire made its triumphant return last month after a hiatus with the first issue of Second Cycle – following up this Wednesday with the second outing in what is already shaping up to be a stellar series. Scott Snyder needs no introduction to readers by now, working on the original series as well as the main Batman title at DC Comics. And it’ll come as no surprise to you that he is on fine form here, delivering a stellar issue that should really convince fans who picked up the first book to add this title back onto their monthly pull.

Despite starting off to a slow start, American Vampire: Second Cycle #2 ends on a high. It’s great, incredibly atmospheric and has already proved itself to keep readers incredibly entertained. This is one series that horror fans will not want to miss – with the return of an old fan-favourite character to keep readers of the original series entertained.

Rafael Albuquerque’s artwork is great. Coupled with Dave McGaig’s wonderful colouring the series looks amazing, managing to keep getting across that tense, dark atmospheric feel that makes this book work wonders. Right from the first page you know that you’re in horror territory here, with both artists proving that they need to be regular mainstays on this title whatever the cost – Rafael Albuquerque really gets American Vampire and Dave McGaig’s colours help create a fantastic mood.

This book is not for the faint of heart. That should be clear for fans of the series already but there are lots of gore here, and some great moments of tension. Snyder proves that he is currently one of the best horror writers in comics right now with a stellar issue – it’s dark, tense and easily matches the heights set by his fantastic The Wake, and will leave readers who are unfamiliar with the previous series desperately wanting to go back and catch-up – it’s just that good, and this is a series that reads even better in trade.

The issue itself serves as a good reveal for what most likely will be the plot for the rest of the issue, coming out of a superbly executed series of events that’s handled very well. Snyder knows how to set the book in motion and it’ll be interesting to see where he takes the title from here, with the book being well worth the cover price of $2.99. In fact, like last month’s introductory issue proved, American Vampire: Second Cycle is one book worth paying $3.99 for. It’s just that good.

Sure, there are problems. It’s not a perfect issue. There’s a slow build-up that doesn’t quite work. But aside from that, American Vampire: Second Cycle #2 is fantastic, and firmly establishes this series as being one of the better indie books on the market right now, and is a must read book for horror fans.