Confession: Over the past few months, I have spent many a night reading comic books by flashlight. It was something I never did as a kid, so I guess I'm catching up. But my self-indulgence pays off, for tonight I present you with a review of the second volume of Scott Snyder's American Vampire.
Vampires can hold a grudge. Piss one off, and it’ll launch a long, seething vendetta that makes Richard Nixon look positively gracious (Note: Actor Frank Langella has portrayed both Dracula and Richard Nixon. Coincidence?). It has been said that anything you do can come back to bite you, and the second volume of American Vampire puts a literal twist on this adage. By the end of the story, old scores are settled and new ones have arisen. It’s a good ride, but would have been even better if the creator, Scott Snyder, had settled some of the problems of the first series, notably the development of his central character, the original American Vampire, Skinner Sweet.
The second installment of American Vampire picks up about ten years after the end of the first one. It’s 1936 and Roosevelt’s New Deal is in full swing. The Works Progress Administration has loosed an avalanche of money on Las Vegas, Nevada, and everyone’s scrambling to reap a reward. Skinner Sweet gets his by being a pimp, catering to an army of migrant laborers and the wealthy entrepeneurs who’ve been contracted to build a massive dam. In an effort to attract workers and stimulate the economy, prostitution and gambling have been legalized, but the move ultimately pushes the city to the brink of lawlessness.
The town’s young sheriff, Cash McCogan, tries his damndest to keep the peace, a task made even harder by the fact that he just donned the badge of his father, who was murdered in cold blood. If that weren’t bad enough, the leaders of the engineering consortium in charge of constructing the dam start turning up dead. He gets some help, though, from two FBI agents who are actually Vassals of the Morning Star—vampire hunters who’ve been recruited into the trade because a vampire has harmed them at one point in their life. What McCogan doesn’t know, is that Sweet has set the stage to take revenge on the old-world vampires who turned him. I offer no spoilers, except to say that this is not a cautionary tale. Blood flies, scores are settled, and others have no reasonable choice but to seek revenge.
My only reservation about this story line is that Sweet’s motives don’t seem to make sense. As a character Sweet has three basic traits: he is ruthless, cunning, and absolutely self-serving. This makes for a solid villain, but does little to explain why he has it in for the vampires of the old world. It can’t be because they made him a vampire. Despite a rough start, he clearly enjoys the change. It can’t be that they foiled his spree as a bank robber when he was still human. He’s never, in either the first or second book, complained about the loss. The only motive he ever states is a disdain for the older vampires, but so what? They aren’t really a threat to him. Hopefully, something more complex about Sweet will be revealed in later volumes.
The continuing story of the Scott Snyder’s other American Vampire, Pearl Jones, adds even more layers to her character. Pearl is something quite interesting: a ‘good’ vampire who is neither self-loathing nor remorseful. She still struggles with serious issues, such as the eventual frailty of her human lover, Henry, and whether or not he will one day be revolted by her true nature. But she also freely admits to enjoying certain elements of her ingrained bloodlust. Pearl rarely kills humans, though when she does, it’s for good reason—such as protecting someone she loves—and she doesn’t regret it.
Pearl's past comes back to haunt her, too. Hattie Hargrove, a vampire and former friend who Pearl left for dead after Hattie betrayed her, has escaped captivity and is looking for revenge. Except Hattie’s pursuit of Pearl never comes to a head. This part of the story feels more like a bridging segment, keeping the characters active while nursing earlier conflicts toward a finale. Skinner Sweet's story in this volume is also open ended. New characters, such as Cash McCogan, are introduced, and, if the first volume is any indicator, his story is not finished.
All these loose threads are good news, because it leaves plenty of room for mayhem in the next installment, especially since second volume of American Vampire was almost as good as the first. Once again, Rafael’s Albuquerque’s artwork is terrific, as is the work by contributing artist, Mateus Santolouco. Hopefully, Sweet will gain more depth, but I can’t say I’m holding my breath. Snyder seems pretty content to just let him be mean and selfish. Still, I can’t fathom why he is so bent on destroying his predecessors.
Volume 3 was published in early February of this year (expect a review soon), and Volume 4 is due out in October. I can’t wait to see where Snyder and co. take this story.
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