This week, Dark Horse releases the finale to Mark Millar and Per Berg’s Vatican City. This fast-paced and action-packed mini-series has centered around a group of humans who have taken refuge in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City after vampires have laid waste to North America and most of Europe.

For a three-issue series, Millar accomplishes a great deal of world building. In this world, vampires had once ruled the globe until humans forced them into the shadows. In the present, a vampire horde has been unleashed and they seek to awaken their fallen Queen who is entombed below the Vatican. Most of the narrative takes place during a tense standoff between the vampires and the survivors led by Guido Cavelti. Cavelti had come to the Vatican in the hope of joining the Swiss Guard who protect the Pope and the city.

Millar keeps the tension high with a big assist from Berg’s artwork. Berg handles everything: pencils, inks, colors, and lettering. These vampires are frightening animalistic engines of destruction. The fearsomeness of these creatures creates a palpable sense of hopelessness for our survivors. How can this small group of people stand against such a primal force? Berg’s work is highly stylized with an anime flair that may not be for all readers. There are some instances where the action became almost too frenetic, making it difficult to follow. Berg’s use of blacks and grays in his coloring is amazing and allows him to fill the pages with an eerie light. Some panels purposely feel claustrophobic and closed in, adding to the suspense of the scene.

Millar’s plot moves without letting the reader breathe. This is a blockbuster action horror movie and pure Millar. I wish we had more than three issues to get to know our characters better. Without more, it was hard to form attachments to any given character, making the deaths in this book feel empty. The same is true for the “main” villain, a vampire named Karl. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a fun action horror book in the vein of World War Z. And there is a lot of fun to be had in this series. Millar has made his career in creating memorable characters. In Vatican City, plot and world building tension over character.

Vatican City offers an interesting take on the vampire genre with potential for future installments that needed more than three issues to tell its story. A taut and fun thriller to pick up.

Creative Team: Mark Millar (Writer). Per Berg (Artist, Colorist and Letterer)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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