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Vampirella Quarterly
Spring (April 2007)Jusko cover - Joe Jusko $4.95 Vengeance of Vampirella A sexy lady enters a cinema, followed by an enamoured man ... After they enter the auditorium the ticket booth attendant morphs into Vampirella who follows them. Inside the woman attacks the man, killing him, and is then attacked by Vampirella. The woman, a rape victim turned serial killer, dies at the hands of Vampirella who then gives her heart to the Blood Red Queen of Hearts. Vampirella and the Blood Red Queen have an arrangement - if Vampirella collects sufficient hearts from unrepentant souls the Blood Red Queen will be able to summon the mad god Chaos, who will use his powers to return Adam van Helsing to Vampirella. This unholy union ends when Vampirella decides to cut out the middle man and collects the Blood Red Queen's heart for Chaos ... ... And Be A Bride of Chaos
A really clever story by Joshua Hale Fialkov combined with eye-popping artwork from Stephen Segovia make this an absolute pleasure to read, with a promise of a fascinating, must-have story arc to follow. Stephen Segovia has a distinctive look and feel for Vampirella, and has brought her right up to date. Fialkov's writing holds a promise of a dark and deadly Vampirella for mature readers only, and I look forward to the rest of this story arc and future Fialkov/Segovia collaborations. Vampirella's "fluid" costume appears again, and looks as if it has now become a "standard issue" part of her arsenal. What is really interesting though, is that the ticket booth attendant is a male and then morphs into Vampirella - who is definitely a female! Many vampires have shape shifting abilities. Vampirella herself has shifted into a bat form and a half-bat, half-human form, but shape shifting from a male to a female form is a new one - which opens many interesting possibilities! It is not clear whether she actually shape shifts or if it is another of her talents coming into play, and she was projecting an illusion using her hypnotic skills. On reflection I think that it is probably the latter as the whole cinema scene with Celeste was an illusion. The back up story, a classic Warren tale from April 1972, shows off the talents of José Gonzalez in full, glorious colour, though the story itself is a little dated by modern standards. Having said that, it is all good, clean fun and an enjoyable romp for new readers and a rekindling of fond memories for long time Vampirella fans. |
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Summer (July 2007)Cover A- Stephen Segovia $4.95
Vengeance of Vampirella (part 2) Vampirella is on a crusade to kill the most evil people she can find. Giving them a chance to repent (which they don't) she kills them and collects their souls. In the process the Blood Red Queen's essence/soul escapes from within Vampirella and takes on a new form. A battle between Vampirella and the Blood Red Queen ensues, during which the final soul is collected and Adam van Helsing is released from the void. Unfortunately, so is the mad god Chaos. Death's Dark Angel
The story itself could have been told in half the pages, but the artwork and "eye candy" is labeled out with abandon. This is not a story to be read with any great depth, but just sit back and let your eyes enjoy some of the most stunning art you've seen for quite a while. Every page is a gem. Hopefully, one day this will be presented as a graphic novel/trade paperback as it is probably best read as one complete story rather than three segments a quarter of a year apart. The back up story, Death's Dark Angel, is not only a "classic" story from the early 1970's but probably the most reprinted Warren story from that era. José Gonzalez' art is beautifully coloured, but having read this story many times before I didn't get past the second page before giving up. New readers, however ... |
FALL (October 2007)Jusko cover - Joe Jusko $4.95
Vengeance of Vampirella (parts 3 and 4) "By the hand of his greatest enemy, Chaos was set free". Fire and brimstone rain down from the skies, buildings crumble and demons walk the Earth. In the middle of it all, Vampirella takes on the Blood Red Queen and Chaos. As Vampirella falls, Pendragon appears out of the smoke and debris - and he's not alone! With a compliment of other magicians he'd met in his travels they take on Chaos, giving Vampirella the breathing space she needs to recuperate and a much needed power boost. Chaos and Adam van Helsing are inextricably entwined and to destroy Chaos Vampirella must kill her lover, Adam. Which she does ... yet when Chaos is defeated, Adam still lives. Out of the desolation Vampirella, Adam and Pendragon walk into a new future. Lurker in the Deep Vampirella ... the Movie A bunch of film studio executives are discussing the concept of a new Vampirella movie. They agree that the film has potential but the costume has to go. They tell Vampirella that all is good apart from the costume, and she has a rather unique response ...
This issue has Jumbo Sized Special on the cover, and for once it is true. Four stories in one issue wraps up the Vengeance of Vampirella story arc, presents a classic Warren story and introduces a new artist (the winner of the 2006 Talent Search competition). Again, the Vengeance story is more visual than plot, but eminently enjoyable anyway. There are a couple of subtle touches which may pass the casual reader by ... We see Pendragon recruiting magicians at a meeting of the AA-M (Alcoholics Anonymous - Magicians) which is being chaired by a talk dark magician with a very distinctive style of cloak. If that wasn't Marvel Comic's Doctor Stephen Strange then it is a very close accidental rendition. Interestingly, the artist changes from part 3 to part 4, with Stephen Segovia being replaced by Noah Salonga. To give him his dues, Noah had some big shoes to step into which he did so well that if you didn't read the credits you wouldn't have realised it was a different artist. Well done, Noah. The Lurker in the Deep is another much reprinted classic with the addition of some excellent colour work to take it into the 2000's. Much as I love the work of José Gonzalez, there are other great Warren Vampirella stories by other artist/writer combinations which don't get to see the light of day that much. Pablo Verdugo's Movie story doesn't really give him much chance to showcase his skills, but nevertheless he manages some cracking renditions of Vampirella. Let us hope that we get to see more from Pablo in the future and with better and longer story line. |
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Winter (December 2007)Cover A- Joyce Chin $4.95
The Prisoners Vampirella and Adam van Helsing are prisoners in an unknown facility. In a control booth shadowy figures interrogate them via intercom, and drug Vampirella to make her talk. Elsewhere, Pendragon senses that Chaos may not be completely gone ... Pushed beyond her limits, Vampirella breaks the bonds that hold her and frees Adam and they both escape. In the control booth we meet the interrogator, a beautiful red-head wearing a costume very similar to Vampirella's, albeit in black. She claims to be Vampirella's sister, Draculina ... Dracula Still Lives
Noah Salonga takes over the artwork with aplomb. You'd think he'd been drawing her for years. The story is an interesting teaser and a start to a new story arc with a new villainess/character, Draculina. I think that Draculina could be a new fan favourite and will have many appearances in the future, though her name is a little "theatrical" ...
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Spring (April 2008)Cover A - Joe Jusko $4.95
Sex and Death Adam van Helsing realises that he is more than he was before. Through a series of visions he realises that he has the powers of Chaos, and can use them so he will no longer be Vampirella's "sidekick" but her equal. He senses that Pendragon is being tortured and attempts to transports himself and Vampirella to save Pendragon. En route they are waylaid by a Chaos clan who want to "merge" with Vampirella and create a new order os super demons. The clan are soon destroyed by the combined talents of Adam and Vampirella, Adam transforming into the demonic form of Chaos. Elsewhere, Draculina continues to torture Pendragon in an attempt to gain control of him and his powers to open portals between worlds. Shadow of Dracula When Wakes the Dead
A short story, but well illustrated by Noah Salonga who seems to have made Vampirella his own. Adam's Chaos powers is a nice twist and has a lot of potential for future story lines. TRIVIA: On the contents page the two Warren reprint stories are cited as being from Warren Vampirellas #18 and #19, when in fact they are from #19 and #20.
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Summer (September 2008)Cover A- Joe Jusko $4.95
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Halloween (October 2008)Cover A- Dan Brereton $4.95
Story xxxx
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