Book 1 (September 1991)

Standard Cover - Mike Kaluta $3.95

Kurt Busiak / Louis La Chance and John Nyberg

The Lion and the Lizard
Washington is gripped with fear as people vanish during the night. The Unseelie Congress (a collective of demons, ghouls, monsters and "things that go bump in the night") are responsible, and they meet to celebrate the official "death" of their arch nemesis, Vampirella. Adam Van Helsing has moved on and is now a Senator, using his new political power to secretly battle the forces of darkness.

Unborn Tomorrow and Dead Yesterday
In a series of flashbacks the reader learns that Nathan Shroud and the Congress were responsible for the capture and disappearance of Vampirella and Conrad Van Helsing. Conrad has been their prisoner for ten years, and Vampirella has vanished (as has Pendragon). In an orphanage run by a gray haired old lady (Miss Normandy) is a young girl, Chelsea Cantrell. Nathan drugs Chelsea with his own blood and gives her a special "gift". It is Vampirella's costume, and Chelsea is slowly turning into a vampire.

Morning in the Bowl of Night
Miss Normandy catches Chelsea trying the costume on and flies into a rage. Elsewhere, Senator Van Helsing's latest project is a new designer drug called "Blood" that is gaining in popularity. Adam knows that it is being promoted by he Unseelie Congress and their minions, and when his father's corpse is delivered to his office and his secretary murdered he prepares for one final suicidal battle with the Congress.

Nathan's minions break into the orphanage and kidnap Chelsea, but their path is blocked by Miss Normandy. They attack her but she fights back biting one of them in the neck. As a she drinks the blood of her attacker she gets stronger, younger and is revealed to be Vampirella, who deals swiftly with the kidnappers.

A Checker-Board of Nights and Days
Vampirella ensures Chelsea is safe then transforms into a bat and flies off into the night. Adam Van Helsing is amazed that his approach to the Unseelie Congress' is unchallenged, unaware that Vampirella has preceded him and cut a wide swathe through the night creatures. They are reunited as dawn breaks.

This book is a bridge between the old Warren Vampirella and the promise of a new Vampirella to come. Rather than continue the series as if nothing had happened, Harris explained the years of absence and started to lay the foundations for the future. Old time Vampirella fans will have been tipped off by the "Miss (Ella) Normandy" name as that was the name that Vampirella used when she traveled back in time to fight Dracula. Old villains are re-introduced and one of the weaker characters (Conrad Van Helsing) becomes a casualty of war. A hint of the new direction is given when Nathan Shroud says that Vampirella actually believes that she is from outer space!

Both new readers and old time Warren fans will be satisfied with this book and be waiting for the next installment!

Book 2 (November 1991)

Standard Cover - Mike Kaluta $3.95

Kurt Busiak / Louis La Chance and John Nyberg

Monkey Wine
We discover that Pendragon is still alive and on the road with his fifth rate magic show and heading for Washington. Adam and Vampirella continue their relationship and plan their attack on the Unseelie Congress. Vampirella discovers to her horror that the Cult of Chaos have published over four million copies of the the Crimson Chronicles in an attempt to gain more members.

Nathan Shroud's plan is revealed. His interest in Chelsea was to try and create a new "Vampirella" to slay the other members of the Unseelie Congress. Each time Vampirella kills a member of the Congress, Nathan becomes more powerful. To assist him, Nathan summons a powerful demon - Bane.

Lion Wine
Unsatisfied with the blood substitute Adam has made for her Vampirella flies off. In the neighbourhood a strange song drives the populace mad with hate. It is the song of Bane. Vampirella discovers that Chelsea has vanished - taken by Nathan Shroud. Pendragon is one of a group of people held in mesmeric thrall by Bane.

Sheep Wine
Bane has large numbers of people in his thrall and starts to kill /feed off them. Chelsea is told by Nathan Shroud that she is no longer needed as the real Vampirella is back. Vampirella finds Pendragon's empty caravan and realises that she has Adam, Chelsea and Pendragon to find and rescue.

As Bane is about to kill Adam Van Helsing Vampirella arrives ...

Swine Wine
In an epic battle of wills, Vampirella's blood lust defeats Bane's mind control, and vampirella, Adam and Pendragon are reunited. Back at Adam's home their joy is interrupted by a phone call rom Chelsea with a message from Nathan Shroud. Chelsea is the bait and Vampirella leaves to rescue her.

The story continues with pace - the old gang is reformed, and more is revealed about the falsity of Vampirella's (Warren) origins.

Inside the front cover is a classic José Gonzalez Vampirella illustration.

Book 3 (December 1991)

Standard Cover - Mike Kaluta $3.95

Kurt Busiak / Louis La Chance and John Nyberg

Wide the Gate and Broad the Way
Vampirella discovers where Chelsea is being held. She, Adam and Pendragon fight undead warriors to free Chelsea. In the battle Pendragon uses "real" magic, which he has been learning to supplement his slight of hand.

Chelsea is rescued and they discover Conrad Van Helsing, barely alive (despite the fact that they had buried his corpse in the last book!). They leave, unaware that Nathan Shroud has been watching and that their actions are fulfilling his complex plans.

Old Wine
Back at Adam's house Pendragon is called upon to use his new occult knowledge to unravel the enigma of Conrad's revival. It is revealed that Conrad is dead but has been reanimated by Nathan Shroud and is in his thrall. Chelsea has a premonition of impending doom.

Into the Wilderness
Nathan Shroud attacks the Van Helsing house via the dreams/nightmares of the occupants. Adam dreams of his father, Vampirella of Drakulon and Chelsea of monsters in the dark. Vampirella's dreams of Drakulon start to make her doubt her origins. Pendragon dreams of his lost daughter and wife, but his occult knowledge wakes him and he realises that they are under psychic attack.

Sheep's Clothing
Vampirella's dreams highlight the inconsistencies of her origins - e.g. Drukulonians had wings, yet she never remembered her husband, Tristan with wings, every time she dreams of the spaceship from Earth the spacemen are different people ...

Pendragon wakes Vampirella and Adam only to be attacked by the possessed body of Conrad Van Helsing. Adam gets his father to fight off the possession. seconds later he his pulled from the room and killed by Chelsea who has now completed her transformation into a Vampire. With Conrad dead (again) Chelsea flies off.

The character development continues with revelations about Adam and Pendragon to the fore. Vampirella's dubious memories of her origin are focused on, and the new member of the gang becomes a victim and an enemy in one stroke.

Issue 4 (1992)

Standard Cover - Mike Kaluta $3.95

Kurt Busiak / Louis La Chance and John Nyberg

The Seat of Desolation
Nathan's plan to absorb the Unseelie Congress' power and rule the world himself is revealed. Vampirella finds Chelsea and they fight. Adam and Pendragon arrive and Adam stakes Chelsea. They realise that they have been lured into another trap as nathan reveals himself ...

Insolence and Wine
Subdued by the power of Nathan Shroud and his minions learn of Shroud's plan to defeat the demon Nurberus (most powerful of all of Chaos' demons) and use his power to defeat Chaos himself. Fate intervenes when a hungry minor demon attacks Nathan and at that moment Nurberus destroys the upstart Nathan and uses his body as a gateway to Earth.

Without All Hope of Day
Nurberus enters the Earth realm and controls all around him with dreams of fulfilling their deepest desires. Unaffected Vampirella challenges Nurberus to face her. As he enthralls the world he offers Vampirella the truth about her origin.

Close at the Ear of Eve
Vampirella is given a glimpse of a city of light, a beautiful woman and a dark presence behind her. Pendragon manages to escape the illusion cast by Nurberus and helps Adam break free. The bond between Adam and Vampirella helps her break free also destroying the fragile psychic net of nurberus. Nurberus retreats to the void as the sun rises on a new world for Vampirella, Adam and Pendragon.

In retrospect, the glimpse of Vampirella's origin given by Nurberus shows Lilith and Belial. It is a bit awe inspiring to realise that a story line started in 1992 would be concluded in the 2005 Revelations comic book.

The four book series reestablishes Vampirella, explains her absence and neatly ties up a few loose ends whilst simultaneously setting a new direction for the future.

No longer the coy, soft-core titillation for young boys, Vampirella is harder, meaner woman of the nineties accepting her blood lust as a weapon instead of a curse.

Confident and self fulfilled, Vampirella created the whole "bad girl" comic book genre.

Preview edition (1991)

Standard Cover - Mike Kaluta - $free

Contents
As above

Quite rare, the VAMPIRELLA: Morning in America - Previews Exclusive Pre-Release Dealers' Collected Edition was sent out prior to the release of the "Morning in America" Trade Paperback series.

Only a few select comic shop owners and dealers received this rare volume, which contains all four books of the series, complete with the Michael Kaluta covers on heavy stock inside. The front cover is a reversed print of the cover to issue #1 by Kaluta with the Diamond Distributors logo on the lower right corner. There is a "virgin" copy of this same cover directly inside, followed by the actual cover to the first book.

Inside the "outer" front cover is a foreword by the "Previews Staff". The back cover (see scan on right) shows black and white pictures of all four covers, and the inch-thick spine bears the logos of Previews, Harris, Diamond and, of course, VAMPIRELLA.

It's value is very hard to establish - since there are so few of them it isn't listed in the Overstreet Guide, and they were never offered to the public.