Review: Curse of the Mutants: X-Men vs. Vampires #1

This anthology features four stories of the X-Men's individual encounters with Dracula's vampires throughout the streets of San Francisco.
 

The Good

Peter David's subtle spoof of the "love never dies" plot typical to vampire stories was greatly entertaining; doubly-so if you're familiar with the tropes and cliches of this genre. I loved the look on the suave fangster's face when he realized that the soul of his long-lost love wasn't in Rogue's beautiful body, but Ernst's shriveled form. Magneto's wrenching reunion with a boyhood friend was a powerful reminder of the character's history - - although I would've liked a punchier button line it.

The Bad

Three out of the four stories in this anthology start off with an X-heroine interrupting an attempted vampire assault/seduction in an alley, so there's a bit of redundancy. I also feel like the first two stories could've been combined or, at least, had just a little more complication.

The Verdict - 3/5

If you aren't getting enough "mutants vs. vampire" action to whet your thirst, this anthology will give you some interesting angles on this current curse storyline. It isn't as strong as other anthologies that've been coming out, but there are some good shorts - - the Rogue and Magneto ones being the stand-outs. An added bonus is a back-up reprinting some early Bill Sienkiewicz art. As a fan of his work, it was really strange to see what his art looked like before he got experimental.