The annual contains two one-and-done stories that do not tie into any established storylines or story arcs. Bloodsucker Dawn has Vampirella visit a nerd gathering. Lust has her teaming up with Pantha, who is being hunted.
The A story is a straight commentary on the Twilight phenomenon. Bloodsucker Dawn sends Vampirella to Spoons, Washington to see a “Gloaming” gathering. She is there to witness a town taken over by legions of rabid fans. She also expects “real” vampires to be there as well. The B story, “Lust,” involves Pantha, another Dynamite character. Pantha is infected with a chemical that causes anyone who contacts it to become emotionally teenagers once again. With minimal bloodshed, Vampirella gets everyone cured, including a livestock Pantha.
Where Bloodsucker Dawn works the best is in tone and mood. It is an exploration of Twilight culture and it tries not to lecture anyone about.it. Instead, it tried to understand what it is and forces Vampirella to work within its rules to survive.
If there is one criticism that I could address is this is less about Twilight culture and more about fanboyism in all of its forms. This story could have taken place at Comic-Con, Dragon Con, Gen Con and even Otakon and it would have been identical. Setting it at a Twi-Con does not make it unique.
The B Story is boring. It is about a female cat in heat and does not go further than that. Pantha is a boring character. She looks like a super model and transforms into a cat. That is all there is to the character.
Final Thought: Negative.
As much as I want to love this one, it feels like a waste of money. The premise of Bloodsucker Dawn alludes to an Edward Cullen/ Vampirella Smackdown and not an exploration of modern vampire culture. Lust reminds me of high school, with all of its angst. Unless you are a fan of Vampirella, skip it.
About Joseph Furguson
This child of the 80s does not look upon it as some gold age where everything is better. He is well aware that the filter of time causes the best stuff to rise to the top. Every era has terrible and awesome things, but most are downright mediocre. He loves to highlight the forgotten good and the deserving bad items of all generations.
