YMMV / Vampire: The Masquerade (Vault)

• And You Thought It Would Fail: A comic based on a tabletop gaming property that peaked in the 90s and has struggled to get a sequel out to its most popular spinoff. The series was widely predicted to be cancelled after five issues that it was initially commissioned for. Instead, it was renewed due to the immense fan response. The comic has been a hit with Tim Seeley, Tini Howard, and Blake Howard introducing the World of Darkness to a whole new audience.
• Anticlimax: The Anarchs have been traveling to the Twin Cities for five issues and confront Cecily Bain. They turn out to be old friends and part on good terms.
• Magnificent Bastard:
  • Cecily Bain, Sheriff of the Twin Cities in all but name is the enforcer to Prince Samantha Merrain. A ruthless, intelligent Brujah and former Anarch, Cecily takes the fledgling Caitiff Ali under her wing, passing her off as Cecily's own Childe. Upon being framed for Prince Samantha's murder, Cecily turns the tables to win herself a place back at the table, evading a full Blood Hunt in the process, even securing the life of her enemy Erin while still winning over her. Later betrayed by Ali, Cecily manages to arrange for the fall of Ali's plans, having Ali cornered and diablerizing her protege to ascend to the rank of Prince.
  • Calder Wendt, Tremere Primogen, is the murderer of Prince Samantha, which he considers a form of euthanasia as he knows the coming horrors will break her. Spreading a plot to divide Minneapolis and Saint Paul while framing Cecily to take over and become Prince, Calder attempts to take Ali under his wing during a Cull of mortals. When the vampire in charge reveals a ten year old boy as well, Calder pardons the boy using his authority as Primogen but allows Ali to mercy-kill the nurse of Cecily's human sister. Helping in the downfall of Ali's plots, Calder ends as the Sheriff under Prince Cecily, still weaving his plans and sparing his arch-rival Erin Runningbear once she gives him the information he needs.
  • Alejandra "Ali" DeLuna is the daughter of famed Hunter "The Mortician". Having been sired by an unknown vampire thanks to her father feeding her to it, Ali allows Cecily to take her in while she learns all she can from the older vampire. Finally realizing what she wants most is power, Ali fakes the death of a young hunter and gives information to the Mortician's Army to bring them all down upon the Camarilla's heads. Ali proceeds to position Cecily to intervene and betrays the Hunters to massacre them so she and Cecily can be heroes. When her plans fail, Ali allows Cecily to diablerize her, all to make Cecily a feared Prince while Ali lives on within her.
• Moral Event Horizon: Calder Wendt crosses this line twice, which is rare. The first time when he threatens Cecily's demented sister and the second when its revealed that he attempted to have her innocent nurse fed to the Cull. While he attempts to walk back the latter, it's revealed he's perfectly happy to have a ten year old murdered when he doesn't get his way.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Issue #3 had two of these. Many fans were interested in developing Cecily's rivalry with Cordell Block. We also were barely getting to know Prince Merain.
  • Issue #7 has Elena Kowalski introduced as a sadistic, murderous, violent vampire who is easily the worst of the ones we've met so far. She could have been a recurring antagonist but falls to Hunters at the end of the issue.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: A lot of fans were interested in the revenge attempt by Cordell Block against Cecily Bain for killing his girlfriend. Instead, Cordell dies in issue #3 at the hands of organ-harvesting Hunters with no resolution to his plot.