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American Vampire #8
American Vampire, Vol. 8
Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s award-winning series continues!
Welcome to the ’60s. It’s a turbulent time to be an American-especially an American Vampire. While the rest of the nation uneasily watches the spread of communism across the world stage, the three surviving Abominus Americana-Pearl Jones, Skinner Sweet and Calvin Poole-are fighting a battle much closer to home. An evil right underneath their feet.
The Gray Trader, the nearest thing to the devil this world has ever seen, is summoning an ancient beast from the depths of the earth. The original and oldest evil, this abomination would devour the world if freed. To prevent it, the American Vampires will have to fight the Gray Trader on two fronts, with one team targeting a top-secret government stronghold known as Area 51 and the other heading up-way up-into the final frontier!
But can such an ambitious plan succeed when one of their own has already been compromised by the Beast?
Collects AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SECOND CYCLE #6-11
Welcome to the ’60s. It’s a turbulent time to be an American-especially an American Vampire. While the rest of the nation uneasily watches the spread of communism across the world stage, the three surviving Abominus Americana-Pearl Jones, Skinner Sweet and Calvin Poole-are fighting a battle much closer to home. An evil right underneath their feet.
The Gray Trader, the nearest thing to the devil this world has ever seen, is summoning an ancient beast from the depths of the earth. The original and oldest evil, this abomination would devour the world if freed. To prevent it, the American Vampires will have to fight the Gray Trader on two fronts, with one team targeting a top-secret government stronghold known as Area 51 and the other heading up-way up-into the final frontier!
But can such an ambitious plan succeed when one of their own has already been compromised by the Beast?
Collects AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SECOND CYCLE #6-11
144 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 17, 2015
37 people are currently reading
856 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,483 books5,145 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
September 1, 2022
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Sort of.
It was cool to see a lot of the characters from previous stories come together to fight The Grey Trader and its minions. And of course, it was cool to see them shoot Skinner Sweet into space.
So there's some sort of major conspiracy involving Area 51, the 1st vampire, and some kind of demon venom that causes vampires to go nuts and transform into rage monsters.
There's a pretty big cliffhanger at the end and I'm interested to see how that all plays out.
This probably won't ever be one of those consistently good titles that I can't wait to read, but I can see myself keeping up with this one when a new one drops.
Sort of.
It was cool to see a lot of the characters from previous stories come together to fight The Grey Trader and its minions. And of course, it was cool to see them shoot Skinner Sweet into space.
So there's some sort of major conspiracy involving Area 51, the 1st vampire, and some kind of demon venom that causes vampires to go nuts and transform into rage monsters.
There's a pretty big cliffhanger at the end and I'm interested to see how that all plays out.
This probably won't ever be one of those consistently good titles that I can't wait to read, but I can see myself keeping up with this one when a new one drops.
November 15, 2022
The series is still fun but it's getting pretty outlandish. I mean "Vampires... in space, really?!" I do like how Snyder ties in the story with 60's era history. However, I do miss the horror element of the series. The stuff with Area 51 and Groom Lake was cool.
July 19, 2020
It's more or less all-out war between Felicia, Skinner, Pearl, Calvin and their small array of allies, and the hordes of above ground and deep cover agents of the Gray Trader. It's a shame that this book has reverted to all-out adventure-horror, but it does read an work better for it, but loses one of it's originality in the process. 7 out of 12. Collects American Vampire Second Cycle #6-11.
April 6, 2016
I'm beginning to miss the horror element this series once had. We are now in the 60's and the vampires are dealing with nuclear weapons, the Russians, the Cold War, outer space. What's not to love? Yet somehow this missed the mark for me. There was no horror and too much politics. I felt completely lost, not really sure who's on whose side, who are the good or bad guys, who's the main evil in this book that the vampires are trying to keep from awakening from its sleep, what the main mission of the vampires was. It was a bit of a muddled mess for me.
Other gripes I had with the book:
--Is the illustrator getting lazy? Some of the drawings were muddy and hard to tell what they were. I couldn't tell characters apart, including main ones. It added to the confusion of who were the good vs. bad guys.
--This is not the first volume I get where part of the text is lost between the spine of the book. I have to force the book as flat as possible without trying to damage it just so I can read text. Not good.
The different species of vampires are beginning to get confusing.
Please bring back the vampire element to what it once was. This is one of my favorite series and I'm not liking the direction this is beginning to take.
Reminder to myself: MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD.
Other gripes I had with the book:
--Is the illustrator getting lazy? Some of the drawings were muddy and hard to tell what they were. I couldn't tell characters apart, including main ones. It added to the confusion of who were the good vs. bad guys.
--This is not the first volume I get where part of the text is lost between the spine of the book. I have to force the book as flat as possible without trying to damage it just so I can read text. Not good.
The different species of vampires are beginning to get confusing.
Please bring back the vampire element to what it once was. This is one of my favorite series and I'm not liking the direction this is beginning to take.
Reminder to myself: MAJOR SPOILER AHEAD.
January 17, 2018
Scientific and historical innaccuracies aside, generally a fun romp.
March 3, 2016
Also known as Volume 8: Vampires in Spaaaaace!
With the threat of the Gray Trader now known to our three heroes (or two heroes and Skinner, but I digress), the race is on to stop him from resurrecting the Beast and destroying the world. Your usual Saturday then.
The fight occurs on two fronts, with Pearl teaming up with Felicia Book to infiltrate Area 51 to recover the one weapon that might be able to hurt the Beast whilst Skinner and Cal get in a rocket to hijack a Russian satellite. Comics!
Seeing all the characters from across the AmVamp mythos working together after being separate for so long is great, and the threat of the Trader and the Beast really feels urgent here. It's a shame we have to wait for Third Cycle or whatever it's going to be called to start god-knows-when to find out what's going on, because this Volume ends with everything completely up in the air.
Rafael Albuquerque's artwork is as frenetic and pulpy as ever, with Dave McCaig's colours selling the movements of the characters and their astounding surroundings, especially with the scene changing so often between the two main stories.
One word to the wise though - this trade has some really bad lettering errors in it which really shouldn't have made it into the single issues, let alone the trade. Poor show, editors.
With the threat of the Gray Trader now known to our three heroes (or two heroes and Skinner, but I digress), the race is on to stop him from resurrecting the Beast and destroying the world. Your usual Saturday then.
The fight occurs on two fronts, with Pearl teaming up with Felicia Book to infiltrate Area 51 to recover the one weapon that might be able to hurt the Beast whilst Skinner and Cal get in a rocket to hijack a Russian satellite. Comics!
Seeing all the characters from across the AmVamp mythos working together after being separate for so long is great, and the threat of the Trader and the Beast really feels urgent here. It's a shame we have to wait for Third Cycle or whatever it's going to be called to start god-knows-when to find out what's going on, because this Volume ends with everything completely up in the air.
Rafael Albuquerque's artwork is as frenetic and pulpy as ever, with Dave McCaig's colours selling the movements of the characters and their astounding surroundings, especially with the scene changing so often between the two main stories.
One word to the wise though - this trade has some really bad lettering errors in it which really shouldn't have made it into the single issues, let alone the trade. Poor show, editors.
March 29, 2020
I assume this is the end . . .though it's often hard to tell with vampires.
4 stars for the entire series.
4 stars for the entire series.
March 25, 2019
Skinner Sweet in Space!
And no, that is not the most shocking development in this continuing saga.
The Gray Trader/Armageddon Avoidance storyline continues in dramatic fashion. The best of which is teaming up Agents Felicia Book and Pearl Jones!
While the plot is over-the-top the artwork was consistently good and I was entertained.
February 6, 2017
The initial premise is strange enough: Vampires in Space? Okay, sounds like a B movie from the 70s.
It gets weirder, but not in a good way. It becomes almost nonsensical. Spoilers below.
-Several plot points about male vampire pregnancy (in the fingers and back, respectively)
-Vampire circus elephant, just for the hell of it
-A Russian plot to destroy the world; and the Good Guy response is to destroy the world first so the Russians don't win. Somehow they think this will save lives?
- A character flies into the sun because for some unfathomable reason, this will save the world. He does not die.
-A giant alien head, for some reason.
The first few American Vampire books were ranging from good to excellent, but this last one's 144 pages flew by in a blur of muddy plots that made no sense, and bizarre content added simply for shock value. This volume was confusing and pointless. Nothing of particular merit happened until the end, but this particular plot has dampened my interest in the series. I'll read more if they make more, but I'm not especially excited for more.
It gets weirder, but not in a good way. It becomes almost nonsensical. Spoilers below.
-Several plot points about male vampire pregnancy (in the fingers and back, respectively)
-Vampire circus elephant, just for the hell of it
-A Russian plot to destroy the world; and the Good Guy response is to destroy the world first so the Russians don't win. Somehow they think this will save lives?
- A character flies into the sun because for some unfathomable reason, this will save the world. He does not die.
-A giant alien head, for some reason.
The first few American Vampire books were ranging from good to excellent, but this last one's 144 pages flew by in a blur of muddy plots that made no sense, and bizarre content added simply for shock value. This volume was confusing and pointless. Nothing of particular merit happened until the end, but this particular plot has dampened my interest in the series. I'll read more if they make more, but I'm not especially excited for more.
February 3, 2019
The last book of AMVAMP. And it does not feel like one. It's rushy, hectic and with an unsatisfying end. There is so many traitors and heroism, that if any of the party had any plans, it doesn't matter. It's pure madness. I always imputed the inability to capture the zeitgeist to Snyder, but on the other hand he did a great job on the story itself. But this last book (well, previous one little bit too) is pure chaos. It's like somebody made a cake, and accidentally smashed it on the floor, and then picked up pieces and put them together. Well, it's cake, but it ain't pretty.
January 23, 2016
ORIGINALLY POSTED: http://bibliomantics.com/2015/11/30/m...
Just when you didn’t think American Vampire could get any crazier, Scott Snyder ends his second cycle with a bang. Vampires in space? Vampires in motherfucking space. There are plenty of other crazy plot twists throughout the latest arc, but I refuse to spoil any of them.
Just when you didn’t think American Vampire could get any crazier, Scott Snyder ends his second cycle with a bang. Vampires in space? Vampires in motherfucking space. There are plenty of other crazy plot twists throughout the latest arc, but I refuse to spoil any of them.
August 13, 2016
The great thing about long-running series is that you hit a certain point where the reviews become incomprehensible to anyone on the outside, because the story has developed so much of its own history, and that history is so inseparable from the characters, that it gets hard to simplify it. With this volume of American Vampire, my "not even trying" review would be: this is my favorite volume yet, because the Gray Trader's bite, and the pervasive influence of the Tongue, adds so much immediacy to Skinner Sweet's character development. Also, you get vampires in space.
But, okay. I'll try harder.
The second cycle of American Vampire has mostly moved away from the humans vs. vampires and vampire-on-vampire infighting. Snyder's big achievement in the first volume of the series was making vampires scary again, but he's smart enough to know that familiarity lessens fear. Even with all the new species--and the flexibility of their particular skills and vulnerabilities--using them for pure horror (a genre that thrives on the unknown) for too long would get stale. So instead, he works with that limitation. The Vassals of the Morning Star, the dedicated anti-abomination agency, have spent the last few decades (and last few volumes) learning to recognize that most vampires can control their blood-lust: they've moved from "kill all vampires" to "kill the vampires who are actively murdering people, and, if you can, hire the rest." And now they've discovered that there's something much bigger, much older, and much worse than vampires. It's looking to come back into the world, and when it does, no one--living or undead--will be safe.
The Vassals are running a little behind schedule, though, because the new evil has already spread, converting humans into "witches" who do its will and can pass undetected. Things are urgent enough that Pearl and Skinner get roped back into the fold, despite Pearl's retirement and Skinner's past betrayal.
The stakes are high, and that's perfect for giving Pearl an opportunity to showcase her hard-won heroism and get back in the game (through a thrilling infiltration of Area 51, no less) and letting Skinner's gradual, complex redemption--or at least his increasing ambivalence about massive selfishness and indiscriminate slaughter--take center-stage. He's infected with the same viral contaminant that turns humans into witches, and while he's trying to fight it, it's taking an awful lot of willpower and he's having an awful lot of hallucinations, all while surrounded by people who are, understandably, pretty skeptical about whether or not having him alive is a good thing, least of all if it means he might, at any moment, flip out, become a servant of darkness, and kill them all. Partnering him up temporarily Calvin Poole and sending them into space takes Calvin's goodness, Skinner's tension, and a massive amount of danger into a pressure-cooker, and those pages flew by.
What else? The art in this book, especially in the space scenes, struck me as particularly impressive: there's an eerie beauty to the wonder and horror on Poole and Skinner's faces in those scenes. And while I wasn't initially wild about the level of "since the dawn of time" in-world mythos this volume adds, I was won over by the end--it's well worked-out, and the revelation of the nature of the weapon Pearl and Felicia spend the book trying to retrieve is great. And again: vampires in space.
But, okay. I'll try harder.
The second cycle of American Vampire has mostly moved away from the humans vs. vampires and vampire-on-vampire infighting. Snyder's big achievement in the first volume of the series was making vampires scary again, but he's smart enough to know that familiarity lessens fear. Even with all the new species--and the flexibility of their particular skills and vulnerabilities--using them for pure horror (a genre that thrives on the unknown) for too long would get stale. So instead, he works with that limitation. The Vassals of the Morning Star, the dedicated anti-abomination agency, have spent the last few decades (and last few volumes) learning to recognize that most vampires can control their blood-lust: they've moved from "kill all vampires" to "kill the vampires who are actively murdering people, and, if you can, hire the rest." And now they've discovered that there's something much bigger, much older, and much worse than vampires. It's looking to come back into the world, and when it does, no one--living or undead--will be safe.
The Vassals are running a little behind schedule, though, because the new evil has already spread, converting humans into "witches" who do its will and can pass undetected. Things are urgent enough that Pearl and Skinner get roped back into the fold, despite Pearl's retirement and Skinner's past betrayal.
The stakes are high, and that's perfect for giving Pearl an opportunity to showcase her hard-won heroism and get back in the game (through a thrilling infiltration of Area 51, no less) and letting Skinner's gradual, complex redemption--or at least his increasing ambivalence about massive selfishness and indiscriminate slaughter--take center-stage. He's infected with the same viral contaminant that turns humans into witches, and while he's trying to fight it, it's taking an awful lot of willpower and he's having an awful lot of hallucinations, all while surrounded by people who are, understandably, pretty skeptical about whether or not having him alive is a good thing, least of all if it means he might, at any moment, flip out, become a servant of darkness, and kill them all. Partnering him up temporarily Calvin Poole and sending them into space takes Calvin's goodness, Skinner's tension, and a massive amount of danger into a pressure-cooker, and those pages flew by.
What else? The art in this book, especially in the space scenes, struck me as particularly impressive: there's an eerie beauty to the wonder and horror on Poole and Skinner's faces in those scenes. And while I wasn't initially wild about the level of "since the dawn of time" in-world mythos this volume adds, I was won over by the end--it's well worked-out, and the revelation of the nature of the weapon Pearl and Felicia spend the book trying to retrieve is great. And again: vampires in space.
September 24, 2016
This is a fine example of the problem that I have with series. First of all, too much time passes between the volumes to remember exactly what happened. Secondly, the plots just gets more evolved/outlandish to get into. I understand the author's need to up the game and so now vampires are in space and there is a prehistoric evil to defeat and it's all just a tad silly. Still plenty entertaining and the art, as always, is most impressive, with some simply stunning color panels and so a perfectly serviceable way to pass an hour, but the greatness and excitement, the early thrills of character driven plotlines isn't there anymore. Fun enough though.
April 6, 2018
The series is progressing, but as it does it's getting away from the more traditional horror elements I liked about the series in the beginning. This volume had a sci fi slant as we had vampires in space, which isn't as campy as it sounds, but still. We are also seeing a great monster and his great enemy, and I may be reading too deep into it but it almost sounds like they are meant to be the basis for God and the devil.
Overall not bad but not as good as the early volumes.
Overall not bad but not as good as the early volumes.
January 3, 2017
4.5 stars
That was a humdinger of an installment, with a twist I never saw coming. The villain's monologuing toward the end was a little excessive, but on the plus side, I know exactly what's going on now. Well, mostly.
That was a humdinger of an installment, with a twist I never saw coming. The villain's monologuing toward the end was a little excessive, but on the plus side, I know exactly what's going on now. Well, mostly.
September 6, 2021
Vampires in space! The Grey Trader is on the rise! The gates of Hell are about to be unleashed upon American soil!
It’s 1965. American vampires Skinner Sweet, Pearl Jones, and Calvin Poole are on the run from the creeping tendrils of the Grey Trader, the mysterious ancient vampire that guards the primordial beast below, the creature that is the source of all vampires. Now, vampires and vampire hunters must work together to save the planet.
In a plot that involves infiltrating NASA, American vampires must go to space to battle evil Russian cosmonaut vampires. Meanwhile, on Earth, Felicia Book and Pearl must get their hands on a super-weapon known only as Iskakku, but the Grey Trader’s minions won’t make it easy.
Scott Snyder’s American Vampire series is awesome. Volume 8 is the last of Snyder’s series to be published under the Vertigo line, which DC ended in 2020. Thankfully, the series has continued (after a few years hiatus) under the new DC Black Label.
It’s 1965. American vampires Skinner Sweet, Pearl Jones, and Calvin Poole are on the run from the creeping tendrils of the Grey Trader, the mysterious ancient vampire that guards the primordial beast below, the creature that is the source of all vampires. Now, vampires and vampire hunters must work together to save the planet.
In a plot that involves infiltrating NASA, American vampires must go to space to battle evil Russian cosmonaut vampires. Meanwhile, on Earth, Felicia Book and Pearl must get their hands on a super-weapon known only as Iskakku, but the Grey Trader’s minions won’t make it easy.
Scott Snyder’s American Vampire series is awesome. Volume 8 is the last of Snyder’s series to be published under the Vertigo line, which DC ended in 2020. Thankfully, the series has continued (after a few years hiatus) under the new DC Black Label.
August 27, 2017
All right so pretty much most of the issues I had with the prior volume were resolved here. The characters and story arc do seem to rush to a conclusion, but at the same time everyone's actions make senses. Those who commit betrayal are surprises, well for the most part. Those who do not betray VMS are also minor surprises.
But,
SPOILER SPACE
I though this was supposed to be the final volume in the series. Wrong, at the end of volume 8 it says The Third Cycle is coming. I do not know if the issue is the artist's availability, as it was an issue previously, or Snyder is too busy with his other DC Comics projects, and The Witches to get back on track.
Regardless I do recommend this as the vampire story for those who do not like vampire stories.
But,
SPOILER SPACE
I though this was supposed to be the final volume in the series. Wrong, at the end of volume 8 it says The Third Cycle is coming. I do not know if the issue is the artist's availability, as it was an issue previously, or Snyder is too busy with his other DC Comics projects, and The Witches to get back on track.
Regardless I do recommend this as the vampire story for those who do not like vampire stories.
May 4, 2019
Alright, the story seems juiced out but it's still a decent comic book, don't get me wrong. I just feel that the plot is being stretched too thin and the big scheme of things which has been long coming is too fresh actually to take a real root in the readers memory. Since I hate cliffhangers I want to know how it's all going to unravel but that's another problem - there's been a break in the making of the comic so who knows when we'll get another collected volume. But as they say in the comic, there's HOPE so maybe the end will wow us all.
July 31, 2018
I honestly don't know how I feel about this volume. It wasn't a terrible comic, but there was a lot of weirdness in here. Not like the normal, run of the mill weirdness from this series. Like 1960's space travel/nuclear war inspired weirdness. I also have no idea who all the villains are at this point. I feel like this series is spent, but they won't quite let go. The things I really enjoyed about this early on are also gone, so.... maybe I'll read more... I dunno.
December 18, 2016
I was a bit tensed to see the rating for this volume, especially knowing is gonna continue with the main story and I am so glad it was not how it was presumed.
For me - it was perfect. I loved every single page of it and I am in a wait for August 8, 2017
For me - it was perfect. I loved every single page of it and I am in a wait for August 8, 2017
October 4, 2021
Vampiric blood bath in space. COOL!
So... is this it? there won't be a third cycle? I mean, it's been years since the last one was released... kinda bittersweet, the last issue doesn't feel like closure at all, there were other volumes where you could say: oh, well, I wish there were more, but this feels like a good ending and this is not it.
March 1, 2016
Stakes get higher and higher (pun intended).
This series is one of the best on the market period. With the second arc of the second cycle we get more insane world building, character development and higher and higher stakes, this be awesomeness.
World: Albuquerque's art is all it's own, he's elevated this series simply by putting his touches on it, I cannot imagine another artist doing this series and hey, he's part of the creative team so I won't have to. The world building this time around springboards from the last arc with more Grey Trader, I won't spoil it for readers but man, they really ratchet up the world building by tying the history of this new threat to all the stuff that came before. There is so much here that I am exploding with happiness, plus it's presented in such a organic and effective way that it never feels like it's info-dumping on you. Amazing!
Story: Vampires in space, what's not to love? Putting this arc during the space race era was great, not only does the world tie into this story, but it also gives this story something fresh to play with. That's one of the strengths of American Vampire's world building, how it allows for stories to exist in different eras and keeps the grand arc fresh. I won't ruin the story for you, but it's awesome, it's everything you want from an AV story and it delivers, I can't wait for the Third Cycle.
Characters: A lot of character development here, and it's deceptive. A lot of action is found in this arc and it seems like there is no time for them to breath, but there is. It is in those moments that we get huge chunks of character building and wonderful back and forth dialog between the characters. A lot of the characters are established ones so they don't really need much introduction, most of the time in this arc is spent on the Grey Trader and the Pit and it's great cause they are good villains. The end of this arc also once again informs characters and what they are at their core, there are no cheats here and no sudden changes of heart, what we have here is pure character development and them acting they way you expect them to act.
This arc is amazing, it builds upon what's established and raises the stakes higher and higher. I can't wait for the Third Cycle!
Onward to the next book!
This series is one of the best on the market period. With the second arc of the second cycle we get more insane world building, character development and higher and higher stakes, this be awesomeness.
World: Albuquerque's art is all it's own, he's elevated this series simply by putting his touches on it, I cannot imagine another artist doing this series and hey, he's part of the creative team so I won't have to. The world building this time around springboards from the last arc with more Grey Trader, I won't spoil it for readers but man, they really ratchet up the world building by tying the history of this new threat to all the stuff that came before. There is so much here that I am exploding with happiness, plus it's presented in such a organic and effective way that it never feels like it's info-dumping on you. Amazing!
Story: Vampires in space, what's not to love? Putting this arc during the space race era was great, not only does the world tie into this story, but it also gives this story something fresh to play with. That's one of the strengths of American Vampire's world building, how it allows for stories to exist in different eras and keeps the grand arc fresh. I won't ruin the story for you, but it's awesome, it's everything you want from an AV story and it delivers, I can't wait for the Third Cycle.
Characters: A lot of character development here, and it's deceptive. A lot of action is found in this arc and it seems like there is no time for them to breath, but there is. It is in those moments that we get huge chunks of character building and wonderful back and forth dialog between the characters. A lot of the characters are established ones so they don't really need much introduction, most of the time in this arc is spent on the Grey Trader and the Pit and it's great cause they are good villains. The end of this arc also once again informs characters and what they are at their core, there are no cheats here and no sudden changes of heart, what we have here is pure character development and them acting they way you expect them to act.
This arc is amazing, it builds upon what's established and raises the stakes higher and higher. I can't wait for the Third Cycle!
Onward to the next book!
March 7, 2020
3/6/2020 - interesting that I finished my re-read exactly four years to the day that I finished the first reading. And where is my conclusion, eh? I ended this re-read pretty angry that - while I liked the storyline of this much better than the last two installments - it REALLY left us on a cliffhanger and where the hell is my resolution? I'm hoping it's a good sign that some of my favorite characters - and some pretty incredible art - won't be given a craptacular ending. Fingers crossed. Now where is it???
3/6/2016 - The art and storytelling still continues to be excellent, visceral, and gripping in this eighth volume - one of my favorite series of any genre ever. There was a weird aspect of the art this time where I couldn't tell who was who when they were wearing astronaut helmets and that wasn't my favorite. As far as the story goes, I'm starting to hate being left hanging at the end as the last few volumes have done. The stories in the first few volumes seemed to have some sort of closure. This last volume has some intense events that now have me dying for the resolution. Even though Skinner is supposed to be a legitimately bad, evil vampire, not the sparkling-in-the-sun kind, he's an amazing character and I can't stand seeing anything bad happen to him. I may just have to go reread the series now. Ahhhh, yesssss
3/6/2016 - The art and storytelling still continues to be excellent, visceral, and gripping in this eighth volume - one of my favorite series of any genre ever. There was a weird aspect of the art this time where I couldn't tell who was who when they were wearing astronaut helmets and that wasn't my favorite. As far as the story goes, I'm starting to hate being left hanging at the end as the last few volumes have done. The stories in the first few volumes seemed to have some sort of closure. This last volume has some intense events that now have me dying for the resolution. Even though Skinner is supposed to be a legitimately bad, evil vampire, not the sparkling-in-the-sun kind, he's an amazing character and I can't stand seeing anything bad happen to him. I may just have to go reread the series now. Ahhhh, yesssss
March 30, 2016
When American Vampire first started publication it was co-written by Stephen King and while Snyder has kept the quality fairly consistent I do feel that the concept is wearing a bit thin after all these years. The comic did go on hiatus awhile back and was relaunched as American Vampire Second Cycle and this collection brings that arc to a close for the beginning of another hiatus. So, the characters have now been brought into the 1960s and all the enthusiasm of the space race permeats even the lives of these vampires. Crazy. There have been so highs and lows in this series. Sadly, vampires in space didn't do much for me. It wasn't terrible, like I said the quality is fairly consistent, I guess I just feel the series has "jumped the shark" for me. At this point I don't know if I'll be back when American Vampire Third Cycle begins, I'll have to how I feel after the hiatus.
August 7, 2018
A great romp including my normal pros that I out against this series, add to that a really tense story that could have went either way so it kept me guessing until the very end. All great, so why only 4 stars? The ending, it ended although there was another volume to follow and from my understanding apart from a few side stories that's the end of the series. I'm not necessarily against things ending openly but this felt although it ended unfinished as opposed to open. Dare I say it even felt like a lazy ending?
Amazing series but I feel a little deflated with how it's ended which is sad, still, worth a read.
Amazing series but I feel a little deflated with how it's ended which is sad, still, worth a read.
December 17, 2020
This is the last volume of American Vampire and it ends on a cliffhanger... did the series get cancelled???
Come on Snyder and Albuquerque!!!
Come on Snyder and Albuquerque!!!
September 18, 2017
This fell flat. It didn't work as well for me and I was surprised after the previous volumes being so strong.
There was so much potential here, especially with space travel! But it didn't seem as fine-tuned as other volumes. Out of all the other volumes, this one seems the least likely for me to read again.
It's alright, especially if you like the series -- there are some advancements that are worth knowing about. Other than that, it's not all that worth reading.
There was so much potential here, especially with space travel! But it didn't seem as fine-tuned as other volumes. Out of all the other volumes, this one seems the least likely for me to read again.
It's alright, especially if you like the series -- there are some advancements that are worth knowing about. Other than that, it's not all that worth reading.
March 17, 2021
Going downhill. I think vampires in space + jumping the shark.
This wasn't awful, but I just can't get into the Gray Trader storyline. He is a lame villain whose main claim to fame seems to be seniority on other available villains.
This wasn't awful, but I just can't get into the Gray Trader storyline. He is a lame villain whose main claim to fame seems to be seniority on other available villains.
April 13, 2016
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Vampires... In SPACE!
Vampires... In SPACE!
February 28, 2017
The ending just blew my mind !!!!!!! I need to read the next one asap but it's not out yet !!!!!
Dying here, just so you know :P
Dying here, just so you know :P
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