Vampirella: Armageddon #5 // Review
Walker feels naked. He really needs clothes if he’s going to be able to enter a city in Hell. His traveling companion doesn’t exactly feel uncomfortable in what she’s wearing, but she can’t afford to stand-out. People might be after her and she’s going to have to lay low if she’s going to be able to find a way out of Hell in Vampirella: Armageddon #5. Writer Tom Sniegoski continues and enjoyable action horror fantasy drama with artist Kewber Baal. Color is summoned to page and panel by Omi Remalante Jr.
As luck would have it, there is a group of bandits who come-along trying to kill the two of them. Even better: they’re total strangers who have no idea who they’re up against. Vampirella and Walker give the bandits a chance to leave. Thankfully, they don’t take it. Within very short order, they have a few corpses at their feet and some clothing that might make the, see, a bit less conspicuous. From the bandits they’ve also inherited the back-end of an old station wagon that’s being pulled by a horned devil horse, so they can kind of look like they’ve got business in town.
With all of the weird, little specific narrative decorations aside, Vampirella: Armageddon is a fairly enjoyable cowboy/sword and sorcery fantasy action serial that moves quite fluidly under the power of classic tropes and enjoyable humor. The addition of a legendary Hell worm as a pet of Cain’s is a cute one that also serves an important narrative function as the series continues. The cowboy western fusion might feel a bit weak and tired, but it pairs surprisingly well with the overall momentum of Sniegoski’s story. Sniegoski keeps the events moving with a steady pace that never feels rushed.
VIsually, it IS stylish. Though it’s sharply moody in a way that would suggest nuance, there’s very little in the issue’s visuals that rests totally below the surface. This isn’t a serious problem for the horror action genre in question, but it feels like there could be a little bit more of a power in Hell if Baal dipped into a bit more intensity around the edges of the action. That being said, the atmosphere of this particular Hell is well-framed on the page by Baal...and Omi Remalante Jr.’s bring the world of the story a beautiful kind of immersive quality.
There are also a lot of things that are going on in Sepulcher City outside the immediate reach of Vampirella and Walker. The elements of the story that are going on outside of Hell aren’t particularly compelling this particular issue, but Sniegoski makes that fun anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how everything comes together as the series progresses. There are elements of the itinerant hero action fantasy format in Armageddon that would make for a fun ongoing series, but it’s pretty clear that Sniegoski and company have composed things in a way that are definitely reaching for an ending to the story.
