Publisher: Dynamite
Writer: Nancy Collins
Artist: Dave Acosta
Colourists: Valentina Pino
Release date: 15 July 2015
Price: $3.99

Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella & Jennifer Blood #3 delves right into the action, which the comic book sustains until the end. Even so, that is not enough to save this very pedestrian, paint by numbers, mash-up.

Vampirella’s job is made easier, of course, by the trite inability of the bad guys to shoot their target. And even when a heavy finally does get Blood in his sights, instead of pulling the trigger he stops to monologue, giving time for Vampirella to attack him.

Now that Jennifer Blood has morphed into a female Punisher type character all she does is slice and dice, making one-liners along the way, her exposition thoughts sounding more and more like an atypical Marvel anti-hero. “I’m more interested in finding out why a woman who claims she never heard of me before…is forging my names to her crimes. And then I’ll kill her,” says Blood. If you close your eyes you can hear Frank Castle talking.

At least Nancy Collins attempts humour to break up the violence. And Collins continual mispronouncing of Vampirella’s name is somewhat amusing. Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella & Jennifer Blood #3 is not a one hundred percent loss. It’s just 80 percent, saved mostly by Dave Acosta’s artwork, which continues to be better than the story.

The eponymous Swords of Sorrow given by the Courier to both Vampi and Blood are given exposition here as part of a larger company-wide story event. One hopes the other Dynamite issues revolving around the concept are better than this.

Review: Joe Lovece
Reviews Editor: Steve Hooker