vs. The Horror From Beyond, or “oh no he didn’t 
After reviewing the most awful Superman & Batman vs. Vampires & Werewolves #1, I said I would probably not review issue two. When I wrote that, little did I remember that I had already pre-ordered the second and third issues. And since I’m pressed for time, I took a gander at the issue and found it not as bad as the last.
Okay, check this out; SABVVAW is a joke of a book, in the same way National Lampoon’s Vacation was a glimpse at the American past time of the family road trip. It is supposed to be silly, it is supposed to be some kind of schlock played out for kicks in hopes of parting the fool with his money, and yes, I do realize I paid for the first three issues in advance. But even though this is goofier than a two dollar bill, your $2.99 can bring you joy when looked at from a goofy perspective.
About that title – SUPERMAN once again does not show up in the issue, until the very last page. If anything this issue should have been called Batman & Nightwing vs. Vampires, Werewolves, & Cthulhu. Heck, it should have been called DC’s Halloween Extravaganza, Featuring Characters You Know and Love Who Appear at Some Point. But whatever…
NIghtwing nabs a werewolf and takes it to the Batcave, while Batman takes down a vampire about to feast on a young child, and brings him to the cave as well. Nightwing used, sedatives, while Batman used a brick wall. Heh, nice humor in this issue.
It all points back to Dr. Combs, who lied to Batman last issue about his knowledge of the beasties currently running around Gotham. When Batman arrives, he finds Dr. Combs being transformed into Something From Beyond. This isn’t a cheesy B-Movie, this is the start of a Lovecraft fright fest B-Movie, and if Dr. Combs is any reference to Jeffery Combs, then I owe Kevin Vanhook and Tom Mandrake an apology.  With the help of another vamp, Batman is able to take down the first monster only to discover the doctor’s assistant has transformed into something much worse. It’s not Cthulhu, but it is a giant bug eyed monster that looks like it will destroy downtown Gotham.
And that’s when Superman decides to make an appearance. Yes, two full issues before the Man of Steel offers to make an appearance.
Vanhook is telling a slightly different tale than the first issue. If the first issue was an homage to the classic vampire and werewolf tales from the 70’s, then the second issue is an homage to Lovecraft, even down to the narration. Tom Mandrake follows that with art that also fits with the story.
Even though I’m a bit giddy on late night fun and quite possibly buzzed from a Full Throttle drink, I’m not letting that cloud my judgement on the story. It isn’t the best, but it is a step up from the first. I’m upping my score to a full 2 Stars this time, and will give issue three a read, simply because I want to see one of the title characters finally do something.
27/27
