surprised at the manner in which the story plays out. The dialogue and characterization are effec- tive, however, and should please all but the picki- est DARK SHADOWS and VAMPIRELLA fans. After all, the real fun of a crossover like this one is seeing our favorite characters from different fictional uni- verses interact with each other for the first time. Especially entertaining is the interaction between Quentin Collins and Pantha who become very close over the course of the story. Andreyko is very aware of the bestial implications of such a pairing and makes sure that we are too. In short, the DARK SHADOWS/VAMPIRELLA crossover is solid pulp entertainment, worthy of its dual inspirations. For fans of the series’ popular forays into the distant past, a DARK SHADOWS: YEAR ONE series debuted in April 2013, chronicling the origin of Barnabas’ vampire curse and promising an expan- sion on the earliest exploits of the Collins family depicted on the show. DARK SHADOWS fans who aren’t in the habit of visiting their local comic retailer every month will be pleased to learn that all of the comics discussed here, with the exception of the ’90s Innovation series, are (or will be) available in compilation form
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in either hard or soft cover. The Gold Key series has been released by Hermes Press in a series of hardback volumes with a SRP of $49.99 each, though they can be found at significantly lower prices through online retailers. Hermes also offers a single volume BEST OF compilation. Pomegran- ate Press lists a soft cover collection of the entire newspaper strip run at a SRP of $19.95. And, fi- nally, Dynamite offers the collected Manning/ Campbell arc of the new series for $16.99 and the entire DARK SHADOWS/VAMPIRELLA series for $19.99. Presumably, the Raight issues as well as the YEAR ONE series will also be issued as trade paperbacks at a future date.
With dozens of storylines, countless characters and hundreds of episodes in the DARK SHADOWS canon, hardcore fans are nonetheless perennially interested in spending more time with their favor- ite family. For DARK SHADOWS fans who also enjoy reading comics, checking out the Dynamite se- ries is a no-brainer. Fans who aren’t as accustomed to graphic novels may want to take a chance. They will find a fairly seamless continuation of the Collins family saga that preserves the spirit of the show in a medium where anything is possible.
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