Review: DC Vs. Vampires #12

DC Vs. Vampires #12 came out this week, ending this series ... in a way. Yes, this volume is over. But the book ends wide open for a sequel. And given the side books that have sprung from this, I expect we will see more. Will I see more? I am on the fence.

The story here, as written by James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg, is troubling because plot wrinkles and surprises have been thrown into the mix in these last couple of issues. But when you know those things exist in this world, you wonder why they haven't been utilized before. Why would Barbara have sunlight weapon technology only be used in Gotham instead of everywhere? Why would Ollie resurrect Swamp Thing in the prison and not before in the hero headquarters? In this issue, you will see that there are even more things introduced at the last minute that weaken the story. Mary Marvel? Sunlight bombs? Where were these elements before?

The other issue I have with the story is the 180 of Babs Gordon. How do we get from main protagonist to main antagonist in one issue? As much as Supergirl being a nonfactor in this book irked me, this irked me more. Babs doing a heel turn after some rather purple prose with Nightwing? That's wrong. 

One thing that hasn't disappointed is the art. Otto Schmidt's style is wild and well suited for the book. It has just enough of a surreal feel to it to jump off the page. 

But in the end, I have to think this book sort of failed. The story and the plots don't make a ton of sense, especially when read in one sitting. The fact that it feels truly like a first chapter also feels like the marketing was a feint.

On to the book.

In Gotham, the Bat Family is about to be overrun despite their wielding sunlight weapons.

When Duke realizes that the whole team is about to die, he explodes his weapon, making a sun bomb that kills the nearby vampires.

But if this tech existed, why would Babs hold this back? Why wouldn't she make a lot of sun bombs to aid in the fight?  Bet Ollie would like them! Or Steel on the high seas?

The fact we only have seen these sun-lasers now makes little sense. Why wouldn't Babs let everyone use them? 

But then Wonder Woman shows up and invites Babs and the rest of the group into his stronghold. 

Dick starts out with a philosophical discussion. Vampires killing humans is the equivalent of humans eating cows. Didn't Babs do that? His reshaping the world is no different than Bruce trying to reshape the world. Wasn't Babs part of that?

And moreover, Dick admits that he needs Babs to perhaps bring some conscience to the new world .He needs Babs compassion. 

For some reason, despite her vowing to kill Dick on sight, she seems taken in by all this. Even Harley knows this is a bunch of manure. The vampires have killed millions of innocents. 

There is no reason, outside of vampiric seduction, for Babs to buy into an of this. 

Remember how Supergirl finally got into a rocket and seemed to break through the clouds last issue, perhaps about to be powered? Well, her rocket explodes. She is almost dead in the sky. 

Just then, a ghostly John Constantine calls in a secret weapon ... Mary Marvel, carrying Captain Cold. He demands that Mary fly into the sky and get Supergirl. 

Sooooo many questions. 

Isn't it just like DC to have Supergirl *almost* be the big hero only to potentially die?

Why have Mary get Supergirl and bring her back to Earth if she is halfway to the clouds? Why not fly her up to get juiced?

But here's the real question.

WHERE HAS MARY BEEN ALL THIS TIME???

Why wouldn't you have Mary simply airlift Kara above the clouds immediately after rescuing Supergirl?? Why have her take a boat trip through vampires and get in a rickety rocket if you had someone with the speed of Mercury able to just fly her straight up???

And if Mary is a late arrival in some other book then shame on the editor for not telling us that.

Meanwhile on the Kent's farm, Ollie and Grifter are using Swamp Thing created arrows and stakes to plow through the vampires. The arrows even rip apart Hawkman.

If Swamp Thing was around and only needed urine to reconstitute and make magic weapons, why did the heroes wait this long to rehydrate him??

If tired prisoners can rout vampires with these things, why didn't the rebellion arm everyone with them?

Remember I told you that Mary brought Captain Cold?

Well John Constantine, not exactly a science whiz, tells Cold that the villain's weapon is going to save the day. With Supergirl clinging to life, Constantine yells at Cold to aim his pistol straight up in the air. The cold blast freezes the clouds, dropping them out of the atmosphere so that the sun can come through.

We know what happens then.

The sun revives Supergirl who kills J'onn with her heat vision.

If John Constantine knew Cold's gun could cut through the clouds and revive Supergirl, why didn't the rebels do that when they first saved Supergirl?

See how all these plot twists only muddle up the earlier story? Why wasn't any of this used?

Nice shot of Supergirl, looking up at her floating. Yes, the 'red eyes of anger' are there. But that's powerful.

But wait. Things get wonkier.

Babs gives in to Dick's suggestions. She allows herself to be turned!

I don't quite see how he was able to turn her like this.

Part of me wondered if this was her plan all along. But then it seems cold to lead all her friends into a death trap. 

Newly vampiric, Babs suggests she and Dick share a meal of Harley. She insists Dick eats first. But Harley's blood is contaminated. It burns Nightwing from within killing him. 

By vampire law, having killed Dick, Babs becomes the new queen. All the turned Leaguers bow to her. She is now the Queen of the Vampires.

But couldn't Harley make the claim that *she* killed Dick and not Babs?

Nothing left but the denouement.

Babs talks about how her rule will be different. She has shed her one weakness ... Nightwing. Now she will rule, destroying the scraps of human resistance.

I don't know but a squad that has Supergirl, Mary Marvel, and Lobo on it seems pretty tough. Let alone Swamp Thing!

Is a powered Supergirl in the sequel enough to get me to read?

At least on the last page, the writers indicate that Supergirl is hope.

Still, I can't help but think of this series as a jumbled sort of mess. There was little in it that made internal sense. Sun bombs, Mary Marvel, magic stakes? Oh my. But why insert them so late?

Like many books I read now, there were some nice ka-pow moments in it. But I wonder if the moments were dreamed up and then the story was written around them. ("Wouldn't it be cool if Lobo showed up?") 

But the art! So beautiful!

And at least Supergirl survived. A low bar I know.

Overall grade: C-