Bruce Jacobs now wields the power of all deceased vampires, and they won’t let him forget it. Haunted by their spirits and attempting to satiate an unquenchable thirst, the last vampire has never been more dangerous. Meanwhile, Clyde Benton continues his hunt for Bruce and learns the shocking reason for his exile. But the discovery will come at a terrible personal price for the vampire hunter.
SPOILERS FOR VOLUME ONE IMMEDIATELY AHEAD!
The
end of the first volume of Sucker sees the last Vampire, Bruce Jacobs, escape confinement within Frontier Innovations with Dani, a hooker with a heart of gold, in tow. Meanwhile, Clyde Benton and his partner Father Harrison are once again on the hunt for the elusive vampire, despite his massively overdeveloped vampiric powers. The end of the second volume of Sucker leaves all of our characters in nearly the same positions as before, but with a more detailed backstory which manages to make Jacobs even less appealing.
That’s not to say that nothing happens in this volume, just that most of it is purely expository or doesn’t have much bearing on the larger plot of Sucker. For example, the early scenes of Bruce hunting, Clyde being a terrible parent, Bruce and Dani checking into a hotel, and Clyde unapologetically murdering people for dubious reasons don’t really serve a purpose– at least, not in this volume. The real problem I have with the book is that it’s clearly setting up a fistful of plot points to pay off in future volumes, but this one feels incomplete for it. Wasted Years is clearly a bridge to the series’ climax in a future volume, but it largely fails to be a satisfying narrative on its own rather than a series of vignettes.
From a visual standpoint, Sucker continues to impress. From the extravagant gore to the strange artistic depictions of Bruce’s powers, the entire book looks great. Early on in Volume Two we’re treated to a full-page spread of Alphabet City, which is like a grimy Where’s Waldo page from eighties New York. Sucker is just downright fun to look at, and I’m sure there are plenty of easter eggs and slick visual cues that I failed to pick up on. Honestly, the art alone may make the series worth the price of admission.
Ultimately, my opinion on the series remains largely unchanged from the first volume. If you’re a fan of things like The Lost Boys, Blade, and Ash Vs Evil Dead, you’re likely going to love Sucker. The tone is mostly light and fun despite the heavy gore and nudity, and I still expect the story will build to a satisfying conclusion which is more than the sum of its parts. I only wish this volume had done more in service of creating that high stakes endgame. I’d definitely still keep an eye on the series, and the fact that you can get both volumes for cheap means there’s no reason to sleep on either book, just make sure you go into this one knowing that it doesn’t aim to answer questions or wrap up loose ends and is meant to serve more as a bridge to the series’ eventual conclusion.
