Comic readers are no strangers to vampire stories, as there have been quite a few stellar spins on the horror mainstays over the years. That means it’s only that much harder to make a big first impression with a new vampire story, but the team of Mark Millar and Per Berg have managed to do just that, and it’s in the form of Dark Horse Comics’ brand new series Vatican City. The debut hits the ground running and never looks back, and the series only looks to pick up speed from here.
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Vatican City wastes little time in kicking the story into high gear, as literally two pages in we are already getting a low-level and high-level view of this Vampiric takeover, and it’s as bloody and brutal as you would expect. Things move quickly from there, establishing just how much of the world has fallen, and that high-octane approach is a brilliant fit for the overall almost action-blockbuster vibe of the issue.
Millar soon introduces us to Guido, who will be a major fixture of the series and acts as the main human touchstone, at least of now. Other than one of the main villains on the Vampire side, we don’t get much time to know many other characters, but the action and tension is so frenetic and constant that you don’t really feel as if you’re missing anything.
Those consistently high takes are one of the issue’s biggest strengths, crafting an almost Cloverfield-esque atmosphere that keeps you honed in on the last survivors and the hope that they stand a chance against a vampiric horde. The sheer brutality of that horde can’t help but leave an impression thanks to Berg’s bloody visuals, and yet these are in stark contrast to the radiance of St. Peter’s, though even that last bastion of hope can’t keep all of the darkness at bay.
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It’s not until the final few pages that you truly start to understand the stakes of this final battleground, though only one side seems to be fully equipped for that fight. How the series starts to develop this last group of humanity holding the darkness at bay remains to be seen, but it will be crucial in keeping you invested in the human story at the center of this vampire onslaught.
I greatly enjoyed Vatican City, and if the series keeps moving at this same breakneck speed, we are surely in for a wild ride.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Published by Dark Horse Comics
On April 9, 2025
Written by Mark Millar
Art, Colors, and Letters by Per Berg
What did you think of Vatican City’s debut? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things comics with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
