Vamps #5

Issue five of DC/Vertigo's Vamps arrives with a cover by Brian Bolland that is genuinely hard to look away from — a stark, extreme close-up of blood-slicked lips parted just enough to reveal sharp white teeth, dripping crimson against a pale, nearly featureless face. It's an arresting, almost photorealistic image that captures the series' blend of sensuality and menace perfectly. Written by Elaine Lee with art by William Simpson, this penultimate chapter carries the evocative subtitle "Vamps in New York, Part II: The Poison Apple," promising dark fairy-tale undertones in one of Vertigo's more distinctive 1994 offerings.