Vampirella appreciation/news/reviews thread

[Milk Tray Guy]

I used to love her comics (published by Warren) in the late 70s/early 80s. Thought they were long thrown away but I found a batch in an old box that I had in storage! Been dipping into them over the past week or so. It's made me want to hunt down some of the collected editions.

Anyone else a fan?

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished reading The Best of Vampirella: Masters Series Omnibus which collects stuff from various eras. I was impressed at some of the writers, people I had no idea had written for Vampirella;

Grant Morrison
Mark Millar
Warren Ellis
Alan Moore
Jeph Loeb
Kurt Busiek

Some great artwork too. I loved Amanda Conner's rendition of Vampi and it was nice to see Tim Sale collaborating with Jeph Loeb again

 

[Lobo]

I have only ever read a few issues. I enjoyed what I read, but never got fully into her books.

Would you recommend the Omnibus?

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I have only ever read a few issues. I enjoyed what I read, but never got fully into her books.

Would you recommend the Omnibus?

Definitely. They've started to take her more seriously than just being an excuse for cheesecake art (although there's still plenty of that!) and worked on her whole mythology/world in ongoing story arcs. Kind of like a combination of Underworld, Blade, and Buffy.

 

[Kurt Turk]

Dynamite seemed to have realized they are in the business of selling comic books with both story and art.
Became clear when they did Sword of Sorrows and brought in every heroine they publish.
Since then there have been some great cross-overs.
Vampirella vs Aliens was my favorite
More recently Vampirella meets Hack/Slash

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Dynamite seemed to have realized they are in the business of selling comic books with both story and art.
Became clear when they did Sword of Sorrows and brought in every heroine they publish.
Since then there have been some great cross-overs.
Vampirella vs Aliens was my favorite
More recently Vampirella meets Hack/Slash

I haven't read Sword of Sorrows. Can you tell me a little about it? Sounds interesting.


Edit: Just found this on the Dynamite website

Dynamite's fiercest females appear in a massive genre-spanning crossover event featuring an all-star line-up of female authors, headlined by Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey)! The ultimate pulp adventure features Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, Red Sonja, Purgatori, Lady Demon, Chastity, Jungle Girl, Jennifer Blood, Kato, Lady Zorro, and many, many more! Villains and heroes from a dozen worlds and eras face off against a legendary evil that threatens all their homelands. Written by Gail Simone, Mairghread Scott, Nancy A. Collins, G. Willow Wilson, Erica Schultz, Leah Moore, Marguerite Bennett, Emma Beeby, and Mikki Kendall, and featuring artwork by Sergio Davila, Mirka Andolfo, Dave Acosta, Noah Salonga, Francesco Manna, Crizam Zamora, Rod Rodolfo, and Ronilson Freire!

Dynamite® Swords Of Sorrow: The Complete Saga Trade Paperback

Actually sounds pretty awesome!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished the Vampirella: Forbidden Fruit trade, which is vol.1 under Paul Cornell's writing and Jimmy Broxton's art, and collects issues 0 - 5. It's a bat**** crazy story where Vampirella is revived in a desert tomb after a thousand years (very Blade:Trinity) to discover that she's the 'one who wakes', foretold to rescue mankind from a nightmare existence under the rule (in this life and the next) of someone who's definitely not God!

It's an interesting concept but I gotta say that neither Cornell nor Broxton seem quite up to the task; the writing's okay, the art's okay; but nothing really stands out. Vampirella has been reinvented several times over the years, under various publishers, not always to the greatest success. She's given yet another new look here (pretty meh - although most of the variant covers included have her in the classic red one-piece with white collar). She also gets two new companions - a human and a cat. The story does have a nice go at unifying her various origins (the girl's history could give Hawkman a serious run for his money) with an explanation that I hope gets developed further.

Overall, despite it's shortcomings it managed to interest me enough to try the next volume.

6/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished Vampirella: The God You Know (collecting Vampirella issues 6 - 11). This is the follow-up volume to Forbidden Fruit (see post above) and it's a great improvement.

The first plus is that Paul Cornell disappears from writing duties part-way through issue 7 to be replaced for the duration by Jeremy Whitley. The second is that artist Jimmy Broxton is replaced throughout (aside from a few covers) by Andy Belanger (assisted by Crees Lee, Paulo Barrios, Matt Gaudio, Alex Sanchez, and Rapha Lobosco).

Once Whitley takes over he pretty quickly retcons a huge part of Cornell's vol 1 storyline and does far more with the premise than Cornell did. Also, Cornell's prior unification of Vampirella's origins is expanded upon with a pretty darn cool chapter involving all the previous Vampirellas - a sequence that had me thinking back to Christopher Reeve's scrapyard fight in Superman III. There's also another callback to the movie Blade: Trinity (see post above for the first) which I won't spoil. Throw in some Mad Max: Fury Road, and the truth about God, and in TGYK we get a book that's just as crazy as the first but which reads and looks a lot better!

7.5/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished Prophecy (Dynamite comics first major crossover), featuring Vampirella, Red Sonja, Dracula, Eva (daughter of Dracula), Pantha, Athena, Herbert West (Reanimator)... and Ash (Evil Dead) Williams!

After a fierce battle Sonja pursues her long-time nemesis Kulan Gath through time, the two of them landing in 2012 where Gath intends to ensure an ancient Mayan prophecy is fulfilled and the world destroyed. As Gath makes preparations for global destruction, Sonja encounters Vampirella, Dracula, Pantha, Eva, and Herbert West who are seeking to prevent the coming armageddon. Setting aside their initial distrust of each other, they decide to work together. As events unfold they're joined by the goddess Athena, and later by Ash Williams. What follows is literally a race against time...

Part of the joy of crossovers is seeing characters interact who you'd never have imagined appearing together, and Prophecy certainly delivers that. Ash Williams standing side-by-side with Dracula? Vampirella fighting back-to-back with Herbert West?? It's pretty cool. Kulan Gath makes a great 'boo-hiss' villain (all that's missing is a big, twirly moustache) with a nice line in corny megalomaniac threats, and the stakes, well they don't get much higher than the destruction of the planet.

The story rattles along at a fast pace - if anything a little too fast. The heroes individual battles against 7 ancient deities, for example, feel rushed, as does the final battle scene. Originally the story ran across 7 issues. A lot can be told in 7 issues (DC's Infinite Crisis showed that), but for me Prophecy should have been at least one issue longer (alternatively, they could just have ditched the whole parallel storyline featuring Sherlock Holmes, Allan Quartermain, and Dorian Gray, which whilst having a loose connection with the main narrative doesn't actually effect anything). Overall though, the plot is gripping, despite Ron Marz's writing feeling a little stilted in places, and Walter Geovani's artwork is gorgeous. The girls all look insanely hot and badass (without those out of place 'cheesecake' poses that often creep into comics featuring women not wearing a lot), the bad guys are really 'bad', and the whole thing has an epic sense of scale.

7.5/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Found this Vampirella chronology online. It's split into the Warren, Harris, and Dynamite eras (her three publishers to date). Only runs up to 2015 sadly (with one 2016 mention), but it's pretty detailed.

Vampirella Chronology (the Warren years)
Vampirella Chronology (the Harris years)
Vampirella Chronology (the Dynamite years)


Edit: Also found this reading order guide to the Dynamite years

Vampirella Comic Books Reading Order (Dynamite)

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Recently finished Swords of Sorrow: The Complete Saga, a major Dynamite comics crossover event from 2015, featuring just about every female lead that Dynamite currently owns or licences, which includes Vampirella, Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris, Pantha, Jennifer Blood, Irene Adler, Jane Porter, Purgatori, Chastity, Bad Kitty, Voodoo Childe, Mistress Hel, Jana the Jungle Girl, and many more.

A mysterious woman known only as the Traveller sends her agent, the Courier, across time and space to bestow ebony blades on female adventurers. Her mission is to prepare a last line of defence against the Prince of All Universes, a lovelorn despot with the power to shatter realities. United by these 'Swords of Sorrow' the courageous adventurers must face the tyrant and the army he has assembled, to protect their various universes and prevent the destruction of all they know and love!

Dynamite's decision to showcase nigh on all their female leads in one crazy adventure certainly does that. The ladies are front, centre, and anywhere else you can think of. They squabble, they fight (sometimes with each other), share an occasional joke, and bond. And they shine. Many of them will be already familiar from comics over the years, others perhaps more from their literary origins (e.g. Dejah Thoris, from Edgar Rice Boroughs' John Carter books; Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes; Jane Porter - again from Boroughs, this time from Tarzan); both in-story and out they're from wildly different worlds and times. Yet, they answer the call, and when the time comes they unite. With women from such differing times and places (and customs) there are predictably differences in how they see their worlds and their places in them, and that's seized upon by the creators, highlighting action sequences and light-relief alike (perfectly illustrated in the Red Sonja/Jungle Girl mini series, which plays on Sonja's worldly experience and Jana's contrasting innocence).

Other team-up ventures feature Black Sparrow/Lady Zorro (one-shot), Dejah Thoris/Irene Adler (mini series), Masquerade/Kato (one-shot), Miss Fury/Lady Rawhide (one-shot), Pantha/Jane Porter (one-shot), and Vampirella/Jennifer Blood (mini series). There's also a one-shot prequel issue, Swords of Sorrow: Chaos! Prelude, so called because it centres around the Prince recruiting an army of characters that used to be owned by Chaos! Comics before Dynamite acquired them. My own favourite tie-in was Vampirella/Jennifer Blood. Vampirella pursues a supernatural serial killer through a mysterious portal into Jennifer Blood's world (which has no supernatural elements of its own), soon encountering Blood, who's after the same killer (he's been hopping between the two worlds to choose his victims). Written by Nancy A Collins it's a nice, everyday tale of 'monster madness meets urban vigilantism' with entertaining banter between the two leads, and the level of gore you'd expect.

The core series is written by Gail Simone (who coordinated the whole venture, including personally selecting the writers who wrote all the tie-ins). I like her work, and her series here by and large shows the quality I'd expect from her, in terms of both plot and writing. However, as 'showrunner' she has to accept some responsibility for things that don't work. In addition to the core SoS series of 6 issues, there are a further 3 tie-in series (each running 3 - and in one case 4 - issues), and 5 one-shots. That's 21 issues. Kudos to Dynamite for putting it all in one volume, but the way it's been done does cause some problems. The preface states that the saga has been presented "in the order that the issues were published to preserve the continuity". Except that it doesn't. Although the mini series were published monthly the events contained in those series were supposed to occur over a relatively short time; it would have made more sense to print (for example) the whole of the Vampirella/Jennifer Blood series together. But because they've printed every issue - including the core series - in publication order you find yourself going from one issue of (to continue the example) Vampirella/Jennifer Blood to an issue of the core series where those same two characters are doing something completely different, and then later on back to their mini series where they're still doing what they were doing in their own previous issue. It's confusing.

There are also some plot threads left hanging. Objects (I won't spoil) said to hold great significance and that sometimes heroes risk their lives for are never mentioned again - communication seems to have been lacking between Simone and some of the other writers; three of the Swords are said to have been made by one character "at great personal cost" but we never find out what that cost is; and a character who's an unwitting but nevertheless key contributor to the Prince's tyranny and whose safety becomes an important plot point is seen just twice (and speaks just once). And those last two examples are in Simone's own issues. I realise that coordination of a project of this scale is a massive undertaking but hey, that's what professional writers and editors get paid for.

One other thing about the plot. As this story progresses it becomes very clear that Dynamite wanted their own shared universe. With all the properties that they've created, bought, and licenced from various sources over the years, most of their characters had been operating in their own universes. Dynamite obviously wanted to resolve that. And what's the biggest, best known comics crossover that distilled many universes down to one? DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths. And as I was reading Swords of Sorrow I realised that's what this is. Dynamite's own Crisis. Take this line of dialogue from the Courier to Vampirella;

"There is a great disturbance amongst the various realities that fill this universe, resulting in a multitude of worlds colliding and merging into one. You, yourself, have already experienced one such brief intersection of present and past".

The similarities stand out a mile,

The Traveller (SoS) = The Monitor (CoIE)
The Courier (SoS) = Harbinger (CoIE)
The Prince (SoS) = The Anti-Monitor (CoIE)
The Prince's Shard Men (SoS) = The Anti-Monitor's Shadow Demons (CoIE)

Whether Simone used Crisis as a deliberate template as a 'tip of the hat', who knows.

Lastly the art. The core series is illustrated throughout by Sergio Davila and it's fantastic. The mini series/one-shots are illustrated by various artists, some of whom I liked and some I didn't. And because of there being such vastly contrasting art styles it was a bit jarring going from one to another, then back again. The covers (including alternates) are printed at the back of the book and they're all pretty spectacular.

Despite the gripes I've mentioned, I enjoyed the book overall. What's good is very good. It's a real epic, with some great action and characterisation, and I was actually quite sad to finish it (it also made me keen to seek out solo adventures for some characters that I wasn't too familiar with going in).

8/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Dynamite Entertainment crossover with Archie Comics,

Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica

Started last month.

Mystery, murder, and mayhem descends on Riverdale as four of your favorite comic book women meet for the first time. A string of paranormal, unsolved murders leads the vampire hunter Vampirella and her sword-wielding barbarian partner Red Sonja to the small, sleepy town where things always seem to happen... There they discover Betty and Veronica, investigative reporters for the high school newspaper, also hot on the trail of the same killer.

Written by Amy Chu, art by Maria Sanapo.

Looks like fun!

Dynamite® Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica #1

 

[Gee]

I'll definitely check out the new #1 with Christopher Priest being the writer.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

I'll definitely check out the new #1 with Christopher Priest being the writer.

Yes, the TDKT/MoS kind of idea sounds really interesting. I'm a trade waiter but it's on my list.

Btw, thanks for dropping by! It's normally just me and the tumbleweed!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished reading Vampirella Annual 1972: Origin of Vampirella.

Vampirella's origin has been told, retold, retconned, and re-retconned many times. She's an alien from the planet Drakulon; no she's a vampire, daughter of Adam's first wife, Lilith; wait, she's both those things - but Drakulon isn't a planet... it's a suburb of Hell! In fact, as of 2017 (courtesy of Vampirella: Forbidden Fruit/Vampirella: The God You Know, reviewed above) all her origins are true, which makes things a lot simpler!

Despite the cover proclaiming it 'The New Origin Story!' and the contents page calling it 'An Original Story. Never before seen', the version here is basically a retelling of her first origin from a few years earlier, albeit with some minor alterations. Vampirella (a member of the blood-drinking race, the Vampiri) is on her dying home world Drakulon, reminiscing about her former lover Tristan, a good person but one sadly lacking Vampirella's survival instincts. She remembers the arrival of explorers from Earth and a tragic confrontation... Then, having been suddenly jolted out of her reverie by a surprise event, Vampirella decides to leave Drakulon in the astronauts' spaceship, seeking salvation for herself on another world. The final panel strongly implies that she's landed on Earth (which makes sense, considering that's where the vast majority of her adventures take place!).

Art is by fan-favourite Jose Gonzales, who does a great job of moody atmosphere mixed with sci-fi camp. Vampirella herself looks amazing (of course).

However, the writing - by JR Cochran (also the magazine's associate editor) - is heavy going at times. Not that there's anything wrong with it as such, but it's very much of it's time. Reading it today it does seem pretty corny and overblown in places. As for the plot, it's very simple and does just what it needs to do - gives Vampirella reason and means to be on Earth.

The whole things definitely screams 1970s - but that's no bad thing

Overall, it's a pretty nice trip down memory lane.

6.5/10

(There are other horror tales in the annual - this rating is just for the Vampirella cover story)


Edit: Vampirella's origin was retold yet again just three years later in Vampirella #46, reprinting Jose Gonzalez's artwork in its entirety from the '72 version but with a completely new text by Budd Lewis. Whereas Cochran's tale was told in the third person, Lewis' version is all first person from Vampirella's PoV. There are slight changes to the storyline, including the visiting astronauts being peaceful explorers rather than the would-be conquerors they come across as in '72, and several references to Drakulon's scientists trying to save the dying planet, giving the story an echo of Superman's. Lewis' writing reads easier than Cochran's (less 'purple prose'), although an obvious error in the sequencing/attributing of 'thought balloons' (not his fault, I know) around the half-way mark jars, leading to some head-scratching and rereading.

Honestly, it's not better, just slightly different.

6.5/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished the trade Vampirella: Hollywood Horror, collecting writer Kate Leth's 2016 six-issue run, illustrated throughout by Eman Casallos.

Vampirella, her werewolf boyfriend Tristan, and her loyal butler/chauffeur Coleridge, have just moved into a stately mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Before they finish unpacking however, she's attacked by a shadowy figure crashing through the bedroom window. The fight moves outside to the garden, where she's photographed in all her thong-swimsuited glory. Next thing she knows, her picture's all over the internet and she's a social media sensation. As Vampirella tries to come to terms with her new high profile she embarks on a hunt for the person behind the attack, as well as investigating the disappearance of several 'extras' and bit-part actors in Hollywood. As things progress Vampirella soon faces the realisation that she and her boyfriend aren't the only extraordinary creatures in 'Tinseltown'.

I've never read any of Leth's other work, but she does a pretty good job here. The mystery intrigues from the start, and things move along at a good pace. There are some annoying continuity errors (difficult to give examples without spoiling) which I can only guess are the result of rewrites/revisions, and whilst I like the voice she gives Vampirella, several of the other characters come across as pretty generic 'cutouts'. Still, the plot is a great one. Setting a Vampirella story against a backdrop of old (1930s/40s) Hollywood horror movies, and coupling that with the ultra-modern notion of her becoming an unwilling 'social media celeb' was inspired thinking (at one point it leads to Vampirella becoming an Elvira-style horror hostess, paying homage nicely to her early days of doing just that in her original Warren-era magazines). I'm a huge fan of the old (usually Universal) b&w horror movies, and Leth invokes a real sense of nostalgia. And after all, it kinda makes sense; if you're a monster (with other monsters on your payroll), why wouldn't you hide out where the public expect to see monsters?

Casallos' art is a little inconsistent. At times it looks great (Vampi herself, gothic architecture, stormy skies, the crowd at comic con - pretty sure I spotted a 'Batman', a 'Harley Quinn', and a 'Deadpool' in there). But some of the character designs look a little, I don't know, rushed and light on detail. Also, his action has an annoying tendency to 'jump'; the story will cut away from an action scene, but when it returns to it a page or so later it's difficult to reconcile what's going on now with what we saw when we were last there. It really jars.

This tale did cause some angst amongst fans when it was first published, due to the replacing of Vampirella's traditional physics-defying swimsuit and thigh-high boots with a little shorts and jerkin combo (although the boots still reach over the knee). The traditional costume does appear though, and whilst that's the one I prefer, I don't hate the new version.

Outraged fanboys/girls aside, it's an enjoyable read, with pretty good writing, pretty good art, and a great plot.

7.5/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished the hardcover edition of Vampirella: Roses for the Dead, which collects the four-issue mini-series written/illustrated by husband and wife team Kristina Deak-Linsner and Joseph Michael Linsner.

Vampirella is on the trail of a rapist-murderer who has attacked several women in recent months, leaving all but one dead. A lead takes her to a Philadelphia bar where she manages to attract the attention of her target, and the two of them leave together. She is about to avenge the murdered women when - under the mistaken belief that Vampirella is about to become a victim herself - a second woman intervenes. In the ensuing confusion Vampirella's target escapes. The woman reveals herself to be Evily, a powerful witch with a connection to the single surviving victim. Together she and Vampirella set out to find the killer once more...

Kristina Deak-Linsner's writing is generally good. Her characterisations are convincing as actual people, and her dialogue rings true. Characters' actions make sense and there's a strong sense of urgency throughout. That said, there are a few times when the tale feels a little 'flat'. It's not that things aren't happening, it's just that now and then I'd find my attention wandering. Maybe it's a pacing issue (I gather she's more experienced as an artist in her own right than as a writer). But that aside, the story certainly engages. Some online have opined that this is a Vampirella tale for the #MeToo movement. It's easy to see why, although according to the forward the tale was conceived and written before that movement hit it's current public profile. Nevertheless, it's inline with the zeitgeist. Yet to its credit it never comes across as 'preachy' or 'man-hating'. There's a man who's hated, but it's a man - not all men. Consequently the tale avoids putting backs up, making it very accessible. At the end of the day, if you've got something to say you want people to be listening.

The plot is a well-balanced combination of 'real-life' human tragedy and supernatural mystery. The human dramatics aren't so heavy-handed as to frustrate those who 'wanna see Vampi kick monster butt', whilst the supernatural aspects aren't allowed to overshadow the appalling and all too realistic events driving the story. The cover states that the tale 'takes Vampi back to basics', although I don't remember ever reading a Vampirella story quite like this one. And for that it's to be applauded.

Joseph Michael Linsner's artwork is generally pretty good, although it's a little inconsistent. I don't know if deadline issues played a part (I know that when Roses for the Dead was originally published as a mini-series there were some publishing delays) but there are some annoying gaffs, such as; a character sitting with their arms folded - which in close-up are folded the other way; Vampirella's appearing/disappearing/reappearing shoulder bag; and - bizarrely - Evily using her magic to accelerate the growth of a rose from bud to full bloom, then making it wilt, die, and turn to dust, only for Vampirella to be amazed at this demonstration of Evily's ability to reverse time! When what's shown is a very clear example of time being accelerated forwards! Obviously there was some miscommunication between husband and wife - although the editor should have caught it. Also, just once or twice character faces look a little rushed. Where the art is good though, it's very good.

The hardcover edition is nicely presented; it's well bound, with great cover artwork, an interesting forward and afterward, and over 25 pages of character sketches and variant covers. So it's a shame that having gone to all that trouble on presentation, one page is printed completely devoid of dialogue balloons. It's a scene where soon after their first meeting Vampirella is explaining her origin to Evily. The artwork pretty much tells the story (if you know it) but it had me thinking that if it was intentional it seemed out of place. A look online later at a review of that particular single issue (#1) happened to show a scan of that same page from the original comic - including dialogue! So it was a foul-up.

Overall, an interesting, appealing tale with genuinely worthy aspirations, frustratingly let-down by a few lapses.

7/10.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Just finished the trade Vampirella/Deja Thoris, which collects the five issue 2018/2019 mini-series, written by Erik Burnham and illustrated by Ediano Silva.

Fleeing her dying home world of Drakulon, Vampirella crash-lands her spaceship on Mars. Martian princess Dejah Thoris is despatched by her father to investigate. She soon encounters Vampirella, blood-lusted and hungry from a longer than planned space flight. When Vampirella's mind clears she reveals that two hundred more of her race will be arriving soon - likely in a similarly feral state! The two women then embark on a quest to find some way of saving what remains of Vampirella's people, whilst at the same time dealing with the impending arrival of two hundred hungry vampires!

Unusually for Vampirella (these days), there is no supernatural element here at all. This is a sci-fi story. Vampirella's origin is that of an alien from a planet with rivers of blood, looking for another world now that those rivers have dried up and her world is dying. No Hell, no Lilith, no false memories, just an alien trying to survive.

Erik Burnham's writing is tight. He moves the plot along at a good pace, and Vampirella (in classic costume throughout!) and Dejah Thoris have distinct personalities that highlight them as individuals. Vampirella exhibits a nice, subtle humour at times, whilst Dejah Thoris convinces as the respectful - albeit slightly rebellious - daughter/Princess, and the interplay between them is entertaining. As their journey unfolds they gradually learn more about each other and their backgrounds, with an engaging combination of fascination, respect, and good old-fashioned banter. The central thread of the two women's adventure is interwoven with subsidiary ones of matters-of-state, suspicion, and eventual (if temporary) trust. We also learn about Mars' social structure, animal life, geography, and - importantly - mythology. But have no fear, there's plenty of action (as well as enough gore to satisfy most hardcore Vampirella fans)!

The artwork by Ediano Silva is generally excellent and at times downright fantastic. His figures, faces, poses, landscapes, starlit skies, and eye for action are spot on. I'd say more, but honestly it would be repetition. I just wish every comic book's art was this consistently good.

Vampirella's continuity is still pretty confusing, despite efforts by Dynamite to unify it. This is definitely a new continuity story (and presumably, a standalone). It's made quite clear when Vampirella lands on Mars that it's the first planet she's reached since leaving Drakulon. No visits to Earth on the way. It's also clear that Vampirella and Dejah Thoris don't know each other, although they were both featured in the 2015 Dynamite crossover Swords of Sorrow (reviewed above). This could possibly be explained by a hint dropped towards the end of this story that it takes place around the early to mid 1800s. Except that in that case they should have already known each other in Swords of Sorrow - yet they didn't. So it's best to just take it as its own thing.

This collection includes many variant covers throughout and in a gallery section at the back. Most are drawn/painted (by various artists) although there are several cosplay as well. Again, some beautiful work.

Although I'm more a fan of Vampirella's supernatural/horror adventures, for a sci-fi tale this was entertaining. Writing and plot are very good, and the artwork is outstanding. Personal preference for horror over sci-fi knocks off half a point, but this still gets a...

7.5/10

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Nancy A Collins Writes Vampirella Novel For New Prose Line, Dynamite Books

Dynamite Entertainment has published a number of prose e-novels. They are now planning an imprint for these titles both digitally and in print - Dynamite Books - beginning with a new novel by horror writer Nancy A Collins, featuring Vampirella, called Blood Invasion;

VAMPIRES FROM OUTER SPACE INVADE EARTH TO FEAST ON THE BLOOD OF THE LIVING! Years ago, Drakulon - a planet of living vampires, where it rains blood instead of water - was faced with a terrible drought. So they sent Scouts out into the cosmos to search for a new home - one where blood was plentiful. The bravest of these volunteers was the beautiful and bold Vampirella, who found herself marooned on a strange new world - Earth. Unable to return to her home, Vampirella sets about making a new life for herself on a planet where all other vampires are undead creatures born of evil. Over the years she becomes famous as a monster hunter and defender of the weak. She finds friendship and, for a time, love. But, one day, the skies of Earth fill with spaceships as Vampirella’s people, led by General Orlok, finally arrive on the only other planet in the universe where blood flows as freely as it did on Drakulon. Vampirella is, at first, delighted to be reunited with her long-lost love, Tristan, and eager to help her people make a new beginning on her adopted home-world. But when she rebels against General Orlok’s dark plans for Earth, Vampirella is branded a traitor and made a political prisoner, until she escapes with the help of her sworn enemy, Count Dracula! Together with her best friend, the were-woman Pantha, Vampirella must put aside her hatred of monsters as she fights alongside an unholy rebel army of witches, the living dead, and Dr. Frankenstein and his patchwork creations, in order to save not just the human race, but the Earth itself!


Nancy A Collins Writes Vampirella Novel For New Prose Line, Dynamite Books,

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

A (very) brief summary of some of Vampirella's classic storylines - presented by Vampirella cover model Ani-Mia (yup, that's her in the outfit below).

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Actresses who could play Vampirella live-action?

Back in the 1970s horror giants Hammer were planning a big screen adaptation of Vampirella. Their choices for the lead role included Caroline Munro and Valerie Leon, both of whom had worked for the company before (Caroline Munro was under long-term contract). However, both passed once they realised the amount of nudity involved (neither had appeared fully nude onscreen before). After further searching Hammer decided on American actress/model Barbara Leigh, who'd already posed for Playboy and had no problem with the nudity.

Sadly, it all fell through (money), and the movie never happened.

Then, in 1996, a straight-to-video effort appeared, starring Bond Girl Talisa Soto as Vampirella, and The Who's Roger Daltrey as the lead villain. It was panned, and a planned sequel was quickly cancelled.

Since then we've had no live-action (or even animated!) Vampi. But every now and then the voice of fandom calls out for another attempt to launch a Vampirella movie. And the biggest discussion always centres around casting the main role. So, who could do it?

These are some names that crossed my mind (assuming they'd be happy to appear in a comic-accurate, gravity-defying, swimsuit!);

Catherine Zeta-Jones (too old now, but at the time of Chicago - she was 33 - she'd have been great)
Angelina Jolie (likewise, too old now, but at the time of Tomb Raider - she was 26 - she's have been a fantastic choice)
Megan Fox (after seeing her in Jennifer's Body)
Anne Hathaway
Jessica Alba
Mila Kunis
Olivia Munn
Gemma Arterton
Jessica Biel
Olga Kurylenko
Vanessa Hudgens


I'll update this list as and when I think of more - but if anyone has any suggestions, please post them


Edit: List updated

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Coming soon...

VAMPIRELLA: SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT VOL. 1 TRADE PAPERBACK

Cover: Alex Ross
Writer: Christopher Priest
Art: Ergun Gunduz
Publication Date: April 2020
Page Count: 160 Pages

Celebrating the Daughter of Drakulon's historic 50th anniversary, Dynamite has assembled an all-star crew to put together the most captivating take on Vampirella ever! Join legendary writer Christopher Priest (Black Panther, Deathstroke) and Turkish talent Ergun Gunduz on this Netflix-inspired tale, both serving as a perfect jumping-on point and subtly incorporating characters and Easter eggs from throughout Vampirella's five glorious decades. Nuns with guns, scandalous love triangles, psychotherapy and every classic villain teaming up against our heroine, and it all centers around a mysterious, tragic plane crash!
Collecting Vampirella (2019) #1-6 and the Free Comic Book Day #0, plus an expansive cover gallery featuring the likes of Artgerm, Alex Ross, Adam Hughes, J. Scott Campbell, Frank Cho, Joe Jusko, Lucio Parrillo, Derrick Chew, Joshua Middleton, Terry Dodson and countless more!

Dynamite® Vampirella: Seduction Of The Innocent Vol. 1 Trade Paperback

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

It's been a long hard road, but this thread has finally crossed 2,000 views!

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

New Vampirella book, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures. Written by Steve Roman, published by StarWarp Concepts

Press release:

THE QUEEN OF COMICS’ BAD GIRLS GETS
AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY

From the Stars…a Vampiress Examines the History of Vampirella

In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon; over 300,000 music lovers flooded into a farm outside Woodstock, NY for the ultimate concert; the Beatles recorded their final album. And crashing to Earth aboard a damaged spacecraft was a refugee from the distant planet Drakulon, whose inhabitants had drunk from rivers of blood―until they ultimately ran dry. A lone survivor of a dead planet who discovered that the sustenance she needed in order to live flowed not in rivers but in the veins of the humans of this strange new world. A huntress named Vampirella!

Created in 1969 by comics publisher James Warren and writer/editor Forrest J Ackerman, Vampirella is the femme fatale from outer space known for fighting monsters while wearing a one-piece swimsuit and a pair of go-go boots, and who celebrated her 50th anniversary last year with the launch of a new series by her current rights owner, Dynamite Entertainment. And it’s the fascinating history of this character that’s explored in the nonfiction book FROM THE STARS…A VAMPIRESS: AN UNAUTHORIZED GUIDE TO VAMPIRELLA’S CLASSIC HORROR ADVENTURES (ISBN: 978-0-9982361-4-8), now on sale from independent publishing house StarWarp Concepts.

Written by Steven A. Roman, bestselling author of the novels X-Men: The Chaos Engine Trilogy and Final Destination: Dead Man’s Hand, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is an extensive look at Vampi’s early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983:

The Vampire Who Fell to Earth: It’s the story of the life of Vampirella at Warren Publishing: her 1969 development by cocreators James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman, with the assistance of artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins; the adventures she went on via the writing and artistic talents of such visionaries as Archie Goodwin, Bill DuBay, Jose Gonzalez, Enrich, Gonzalo Mayo, and many others; and the cancellation of her series in 1982 when the company collapsed. It also looks at the work of four Vampi writers who were just as talented but not as well known: Mike Butterworth, who wrote under the pseudonym Flaxman Loew; T. Casey Brennan; Rich Margopoulos; and Gerry Boudreau.

The Vampirella Episode Guide: The largest section of the book, it examines every story starring Vampirella during the Warren Era: over 100 entries, some with little known behind-the-scenes details. Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!

Vampi Goes to Hollywood: In 1975, Hammer Films announced the development of a Vampirella movie starring model/actress Barbara Leigh and the legendary Peter Cushing. The project crashed in spectacular fashion, but the details have always been murky. Roman attempts to clear up the confusion surrounding it, detailing the production from its launch to its unfortunate ending. And then he takes a critical look at the Vampirella movie that was made in 1996, starring Talisa Soto and rock god Roger Daltrey of the Who—and probably shouldn’t have been!

The Literary Vampiress: From 1975 to 1976, Warner Books published a series of Vampirella novelizations by science fiction and pulp author Ron Goulart. Roman takes a look at each novel, and explains why they’re worth tracking down…if you can find copies!

The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist: A list of every Warren Vampi story, plus every reprint volume from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment, along with little-known trivia!

From the Stars also features: a foreword by Sean Fernald, the Official Vampirella Historian; a peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the 1976 Vampirella screenplay; a frontispiece by legendary artist Bob Larkin, who painted covers for Warren’s Vampirella, The Rook, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland; and rare photos from the collection of Forrest J Ackerman.

From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available for order from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, brick-and-mortar bookstores, and from the StarWarp Concepts website. The PDF e-book edition is available for download from DriveThru Fiction and from the StarWarp Concepts webstore.

This book is unofficial and unauthorized. It is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by Dynamite Entertainment or any of its licensees. Vampirella is a trademark of Dynamite Entertainment.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Top 10 Shocking Vampirella Facts (presented by Amanda McKnight)

Things maybe not everyone knows about her...