BRONZE AGE MINUTE: Planet of Vampires #3

BRONZE AGE MINUTE: Planet of Vampires #3

Atlas (Seaboard); July 1975
Cover by Russ Heath

Title: “The Blood Plague!”
Synopsis: The astronauts attack the vampires’ dome in a last-ditch effort to save their wives – but are they already too late?

Writer: John Albano
Penciler: Russ Heath
Inker: Heath

Review: Story wise, this is the best of the three issues of Planet of Vampires. The concept of a rich overclass reverting to savages when deprived of the blood of the underclass is an unsubtle metaphor at best, but at least writer John Albano is trying for something. His dialogue can be awful, though, especially when awkwardly recapping the previous two issues. Russ Heath replaces Pat Broderick on art this time out; his work is certainly more polished, but lacks the youthful exuberance. This issue gets bonus points for working as a series finale, something rare for the Atlas (Seaboard) line.

Grade: B

Cool factor: Let’s go with the giant, vampire spiders. Hard to go wrong with that.
Not-so-cool factor: The cover is just wrong, wrong, wrong. Who is the red-headed astronaut? And the white woman in bondage? She’s not part of the group, either.

Character quotable: “She’s dead. T-this planet is damned – it’s hell! E-everything that’s beautiful dies! Everything!” – Capt. Cris Galland, survivor

A word from the artist: “Whoever was buying and in business was whoever I worked for. I just got the stuff to take home, do it and get my check!” – Russ Heath, on whether or not he wanted to do Planet of Vampires, in Comic Book Artist #16 (December 2001)

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