Publications
To try and make some sense out of many decades of published magazines, books etc. I have subdivided the publications section into the four parts below based on the publisher.
To go to the relevant section/publisher just click on the button on the right.
Warren Publishing has the distinction of originally creating and publishing Vampirella.
Vampirella was originally published in 1969 as a large format, black and white "horror" magazine. After a while Warren realised that their leading lady was more popular than the other stories in the magazine and Vampirella slowly but surely dominated the magazine with her name on the title.
In the 1980s Vampirella featured reprints to cut costs and the occasional colour printing to attract the more modern reader but the horror genre was not popular any more. Unable to compete with superhero comics such as the X-Men, the Avengers and Batman, Warren quietly slipped into the darkness in 1988.
Harris Publishing bought the rights to Vampirella and issued a 118th issue to test the waters.
With hardly a ripple in sight Harris decided to change the format to a more standard comic book size and change the genre from horror to superhero/horror. For a while it worked and Vampirella's was the "bad girl" comic book to buy.
Again, over time, Vampirella's popularity waned and Harris struggled to keep the title running. Eventually they decided that Vampirella was not economically viable for them and they sold the rights to Dynamite Entertainment in 2010.
Dynamite Entertainment revamped the series in 2010 with a new look.
The DE Vampirella slightly has more adult themes and stunning artwork, stories and printing. They have also made all the old Warren stuff available as hardback books and, again, everything is top quality. The DE Vampirella does not seem to be aimed at the traditional comic book "fan boy" but more at the (slightly older?) avid collector who will pay high prices for top quality.
So far it seems to be working.
Other Publications have featured Vampirella, from fan made magazines to online comic strips.
The original fanzines were hand cranked on manual copiers and a real labour of love. With the advent of modern commuters and the internet it is a relatively easy task to create a physical or digital magazine dedicated to the topic of your choice.
What's really difficult is the concept, research, creation, formatting and writing.
That has never changed.