The Hills are not the first people to visit the Vampires’ prison. Are the Vampires still there, and how will this affect their mission? Find out in The Bloody Dozen #3 from Image Comics!

THE BLOODY DOZEN #3

Writer: Charles Soule
Artist:Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Letterer: Chris Crank
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: February 14, 2024

Previously in The Bloody Dozen: The Hills learn about the Vampire Wars and that a magical prison was designed to contain them, a prison near the sun. The Shrouded College has a deal for them – youth, health, money – if they agree to the contract. They do. After drinking a special potion and going through training, they are ready to go. The only problem? They still all hate each other, and they are going on a mission where they need to rely on one another. It is a long trip to the prison, and when they arrive, they discover that they were not the first ones there.

NEW VARIABLES IN THE MISSION

The Bloody Dozen #3 opens with a flashback to 1875, the last day of the Vampire Wars, when a group known as the Artisans hunts down Agvar, the last of the Vampire Lords. Between the sun and the silver weapons, the Artisans could kill him, but instead, they have a proposition for him. They could let him live, imprisoned forever, as they study him. He accepts. After all, he says, time means nothing to him.

The Hills look out at the floating prison and the other spaceship. The prison’s windows are dark, probably carbonized by the sun. But there goes one level of safety for them. George identifies the other ship as a Soviet shuttle design that he did not think had ever been built. Glory wonders if they released the Vampires. Greta suspects the Soviets died here. At any rate, they still have a mission to find the Vampires, propose their deal, and transfer the coffins to their ship. George and Glory head out while Greta remains behind to facilitate the transfer or offer the others a quick getaway.

George decides they should investigate the Russian shuttle before going into the prison. It is badly damaged, and from what they can see of the interior, it is full of floating wreckage. They turn toward the prison and Glory is attacked by a Vampire wearing a Soviet space suit. Its claws and fangs cannot penetrate her suit. George tackles it and moves it from the darkness to where it is exposed to the sun, and it burns. Glory, for once, is shaken. She understands just how real these Vampires are. Overhearing all of this on the radio, Greta wants to come with them and help, but they insist she needs to stay with their own ship.

George uses a device from the Shrouded College to unlock the door and they go inside. We can hear, although they cannot, the voices of Vampires who can sense the presence of human blood. The Vampires are also cautious – they don’t look like the Artisans, and plainly they are protected. George and Glory reach the center of the prison and find the suspended coffins in place, but all open and all empty.

A wizened Agvar steps out to talk to them. He tells them about the cosmonaut who found his way in. The weakened Vampires got a little blood from him, but he fled, and they could not follow. They may not be fully restored, but they would certainly like more blood. George identifies him as Agvar and warns him to stay back. Glory announces they have an offer for them and asks where the others are.

The other Vampires step out, and we get to meet the rest of the group, who have come from all around the Earth: The Crane, Xueshui, Franz the Baker, Isabella, Captain Randall Worth, Captain Bertrand Worth, Dr. Ortolan, and Essie Longyear. George holds up a vial of blood. There was meant to be one drop for each of them, a drop of blood to revive them so they could talk with them. They have already been revived, but George gives them the vial as a gesture of goodwill. Agvar takes a drop and orders all the other Vampires to do the same.

George holds up a magical device that projects Sir Isaac Newton giving the Shrouded College’s offer. A new war among all the supernatural powers on Earth is brewing. He wants the Vampires to fight for them. They would be magically bound into their service (basically trading one form of enslavement for another), but when the war is won, they would be set free. And if they do not agree, he claims the Hills have the means to end them all.

MAKING THE DEAL

The art of The Bloody Dozen #3 is energetic and evocative of the story. There is good use of light and strong shadow, which makes sense for being significantly closer to the sun. The backgrounds are not heavy in detail, but instead contain just enough for us to understand where the characters are, and that is fine. The story is about the characters. There is a nod to the Hills being in outer space and weightless, again, just enough to get that feeling. Characters, especially those who are interacting, tend to be in the same orientation which is a good choice as it keeps things from getting confusing.

So far, we have only seen brief sequences of the Vampires on Earth, back in the day. Now we get to meet a whole bunch of them. I do love that they come from all over the world, and I appreciate that their outfits have not disintegrated into rags. With nine of them, it helps to have a way to tell them apart quickly. I also like that there is a strong sense that these Vampires are old, that even before they were imprisoned, they had existed for a very long time. Agvar does seem to have rank among them, but we also get the impression that any one of these Vampires would be very powerful and dangerous on their own.

BOTTOM LINE: WILL PATIENCE PAY OFF?

The Bloody Dozen #3 takes us to where the story gets interesting – where things are not entirely as expected. The Vampires are not impetuous monsters. They are formidable creatures who have the patience to bide their time.

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.