Vampirella/Wetworks
Issue #1 (June 1997)
Regular Cover - Michael Bair $2.95
Signed (Grant) Regular Cover - Michael Bair (750 copies) $?
Alternative cover - Sean Shaw, Kevin Nowlan $9.95
Soul of Blood [Artists - Sean Shaw, Gary Martin / Writer - Steven Grant]
On a Caribbean island a vampire religion has risen. Both Vampirella and the symbiotic team, Wetworks, are on a mission to destroy the cult. Wetworks assume Vampirella to be part of the cult and track her to the cult's lair. In the ensuing melee Mother-One of Wetworks is taken over by the Blood Red Queen of Hearts, who uses her symbiotic link with Wetworks to control them and subdue Vampirella.
The Blood Red Queen has a plan to mass produce the "playing card" she uses to possess the bodies of women, then possess multiple bodies simultaneously to provide a hugely increased supply of hearts for Chaos. However, Mother-One is not just a woman, she is a cyborg woman - and as such the Blood Red Queen could not completely possess her. Mother-One rejects the Blood Red Queen who seems to be destroyed as she has no body to move into.
It seems that Vampirella knows about Wetworks, but they do not know about her! Even at the end of the story they haven't got Vampirella nailed as one of the "good guys", though they are heading in the right direction.
Although the Blood Red Queen is destroyed at the end of the story, her playing card is seen at a local casino, leaving an opening for her return at a future date. Really good villains never, ever really die. They always seem to return eventually, and the Blood Red Queen of Hearts has been plaguing Vampirella since the 1970s. I'm sure we will see more of her in years to come.