I'm still intrigued with Aaron's Wolverine although has the same taste for 3 consecutive issues, and the team of Snyder and Murphy continues to impress me with their AV project that I'm wanting to see a live-action series or film based on the comic. *sigh* I can only dream.
All of my reviews after the jump.
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Renato Guedes
Published by Marvel Comics
If you have read Wolverine #11, then you basically know the whole template of this issue. Yes, its the exact same formula - Wolverine killing so-so opponents and still clawing his way into finding the Red Right Hand - except that it has a mix of the occult, dark magic and constricting snakes that talk.
Now if that sounds creepy to you, wait until you read it. Jason Aaron does the same thing all over again, and because of that repetitive formula, I can't say anything here that you don't know yet. Its the damn exact replica, but I gotta applaud the idea of putting the concept of Hell and demonic rituals into the story to one-up itself in terms of delivering nightmarish ideas that is sure to make some cringe... and probably come back to know what's gonna happen next.
The only consolation - if there is - is Guedes' art. He continues to do a great job on the pencils, keeping the dynamics and violence that we love the most intact, and the nastiness of his imagery elevates Aaron's script.
Hopefully Aaron changes the tone of his series next month because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's starting to get tired of his writing, and he can do that by making Daken (Wolverine's son) - who appeared at the end of #11 (and for some reason was missing in this issue) - jump into the party.
Rating: 
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #2Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Sean Gordon Murphy
Published by Vertigo
As I have said before, AV: SOTF is now a full blown series on its own, a stand-alone story that spawned from the groundbreaking original. Now on its 2nd issue, Snyder and Murphy continues to pack this epic installment with more exhilirating action, thrilling surprises and a sexy dream sequence that got me biting right on the first page turn.
Talk about infusing vampire lore with super-spy antics ala "James Bond" and death-defying scenes that reeks of "Die Hard", and if that description doesn't give it justice, then I don't know how to describe this great comic book.
The story kicks-off as Felicia and Cash continues on their journey of infiltrating a Nazi Castle that was reported to be the place for the vampire cure, and to add to the excitement, they also need to rescue a doctor and escape from enemy territory all at the same time. But things don't seem as easy as it sounds as the last panel reveals, and now our hunters become the hunted in big time "oh shit, we're fucked" moment.
But the true beauty of the book lies in the full page spreads by Sean Murphy, who did an outstanding job of bringing Snyder's action-filled story to life - complete with gut-wrenching facial expressions - as seen in the plane crash scene that truly showed his ability to create the most out of his panels and every single one of the characters he draws.
Full of dynamic and vibrance, Murphy never lets up right from his alluring depiction of Felicia's horrific dream guest starring the enigmatic Skinner Sweet, to the death-defying plane sequence, up to the shocking end.
It felt a little bit flat though, and when I mean by flat, we don't get much development story wise asides from Felicia and Cash entering the castle, talking about their fears and finally being introduced to a horde of *SPOILERS NEXT* Nazi vampires.
Despite that, this is still a solid issue, and we get nothing less than pure entertainment that attracts every bit of our senses.
To those who haven't jumped into the AV bandwagon yet, this is the perfect time to join. You'll never regret it.
Rating:
