Death and Deception Everywhere in Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #3
The World of Darkness will never die, not while tales from that captivating world still pop up. In Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #3, two differing vampire tales continue, providing a dark view into their lives.
This issue, like the first two, is split into two parts. The first half of the issue continues to tell from “Winter’s Teeth.” A courier for the Camarilla, and all of the woes that follow her and the prince she has sworn to.
The second half surrounds the “Anarch Tales” as a group of misfit vampires, a coterie, are assigned a task that has gotten infinitely more complex in very little time. It’s not that unusual, all things considered.
Winter’s Teeth
Vampire The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #3 dives right into the tale of “Winter’s Teeth“, the story of Cecily Brine. She’s a courier, but she’s also so much more than that. Her life has recently become more complicated, but then again, she is a vampire; it’s to be expected.
Written by Tim Seeley, this issue shows a different side of vampire life (unlife?). The last issue portrayed the horrors, and now we’re seeing a bit of the politics. Of the power. And the cost. It’s brilliantly written, as intense as one might imagine, with many hints of the supernatural abilities that run through the fiction fans have come to love.
Devmalya Pramanik (art), Addison Duke (colors), and Andworld (letters) all worked hard to bring this half of the issue to full form. The abilities and tension practically pop off the page, making the events feel delightfully (and terrifyingly) real.
The artwork really did an excellent job of setting the scene here. It simultaneously told two stories. Cecily’s current predicament is a reminder of just how bad things could get if the bigger picture is forgotten.
The Anarch Tales
The second half of Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #3 is the third part of “Anarch Tales.” It shows a completely different side of vampire life – those considered abnormal, even by their own kind.
Written by Tini Howard & Black Howard, this plot isn’t afraid to get dark. Yet it also did a wonderful job of reminding readers of humanity’s role in vampiric events, not just in reaction to vampires but as part of their past. It went a long way to adding tension and even a bit of heartbreak to current events.
The artwork created by Nathan Gooden (art), Addison Duke (colors), and Andworld (letters) helped to complete that look and feel. It is dark; of course it is. But it also goes beyond that. It portrays two totally different worlds, all by using one character.
The humanity shines through in this telling, which is both ironic and horrific. Which was surely the intention. The end result is unsettling, leaving us hoping for a short wait to see what happens next.
Conclusion
Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth #3 is a dark and harrowing experience, as intended. It shows two different sides of the vampire underworld. And it does so to wonderful effect. All while setting up for larger events down the line.
This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.
Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat’s Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Quirky Cats Comics 
Leave a comment