He’s back! Andrew Bennett returns and this time, he’s powered up considerably! He steals all of Cain’s magic. At first he destroys all the vampires, then he reforms them and sics them on their former master! Andrew tells Mary his lover-turned-enemy that he has seen the error in his ways and that he now wants to rule the vampires of the world. They kiss. The vampires ravage Cain and Andrew swoops in and lops off his head, seemingly ending his threat for ever.
John Troughton, Andrew’s human aid, insists that Andrew has to be up to something, although Andrew seems to be taking to his new role very well. Mary rejoices and urges the vampires to kill all humans, but Andrew stops them, saying they have already done enough for the day. He attempts to use his powers to wipe the memory of the day’s carnage from everyone’s minds. Tig states, “I still remember.” “You should,” Andrew replies, “This is all your fault.” (In issue #6 Tig killed Andrew and freed Cain.)
John tries to rationalize with Andrew, but he replies “I’ve seen what happens if I’m not the one in charge.” He tells John he needs to alert The Van Helsings, vampire hunters whom John describes as being “worse than the vampires.”
Justice League Dark attempts to stop Andrew and his army from leaving, but Andrew says they’ve already been through enough. John Constantine is very wary about Andrew possessing so much power. Andrew assures him that he’s still on the side of good, despite his new responsibilities.
Finally, John and Tig set out to find the Van Helsings.
This issue follows up ‘Justice League Dark’ #8, which I found a bit rocky, but the creative team on that book is changing. Luckily, this team of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino is staying put, so this issue flowed perfectly smoothly. It was a satisfying wrap up to this crossover, but Andrew and company fared a lot better than JLD! Those characters basically just stood around and reacted to the events going on around them this issue. Oh well, they needed a break after getting smacked around so much in their title.
I’m not worried about Andrew’s new amped up powers or his new role as king of the vampires. I know the character well enough that he’s doing this to try and reign them in. I’m intrigued at all the ideas that were set up this issue and can’t wait to read more.
The artwork was amazing! Sorrentino employs lots of double page spreads and splash pages, which suits the wrap-up of an epic battle.
This book is so unique and different from anything else out there. The art is just… different! And there’s a broad viewpoint here. There’s a larger storyline going on, not just finite, short ideas. It’s just great! You can tell the creators put their hearts into it and it shows. This issue ends one storyline, but if you’ve hesitated to buy it before now, next issue should be a great jumping on point.
Verdict: Buy
I, VAMPIRE #8
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art and Cover by Andrea Sorrentino
