In Review: Vatican City #2 – Secrets Beneath Vatican City

Synopsis: The siege continues with the last humans on Earth trapped behind the walls of Vatican City as billions of vampires wait outside, afraid of the holy relics. But something is buried beneath the Vatican itself and the vampires want it more than even the human blood inside.

The Story

The world has nearly been overrun by vampires. All of America and most of Europe have been wiped out. News of the global devastation has reached as far as Russia, which remains intact — for now. But the Russian President is growing concerned, especially by reports of a small group of survivors managing to keep the vampire horde at bay behind the walls of Vatican City.

Inside the Vatican, resistance leader Guido Cavelti and the monsignor work together to access the city’s ancient armory in a desperate bid to defend what remains of humanity. But their problems don’t end at the gates — the vampires have enslaved humans and forced them to dig beneath the Vatican, searching for something far worse: the long-buried vampire Queen.

Artwork

Per Berg continues to deliver fantastic artwork throughout the issue. I especially enjoyed the panels showing Guido and the monsignor navigating the shadowy halls of the Vatican, trying to gain access to the armory and the Vatican library. The atmosphere is rich with tension and history.

Another standout moment is the visual retelling of vampire history, shown as the monsignor recounts the rise of the Vampire Queen. The scenes depicting their two-thousand-year reign — and her eventual burial beneath the Vatican — are both eerie and beautifully rendered.

Overall

This second issue does a brilliant job of building on the events from the opening chapter while also taking time to explore the characters in more depth. One standout moment is the speech delivered by the lead vampire to a human captive, explaining why humanity had no idea vampires still existed. The reason? History is written by the victors — and when the vampires were defeated 2,000 years ago, they were effectively erased from the record, leaving no one to question their absence.

I also appreciated the leadership role Guido has taken on. Watching him initiate a forced dialogue with the lead vampire was compelling — a risky move that adds tension to the story. The question now is: how long can Guido keep up this gambit before it all falls apart?