Vampirella


Vampirella is a fictional character, a comic book vampire superheroine created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror comics magazine Vampirella #1. Its sister publications were Creepy and Eerie.
Writer-editor Archie Goodwin later developed the character from horror-story hostesses, in which capacity she remained through issue #8, to a horror-drama leading character. The comic was published continuously until 1983, when Warren Publishing folded and its assets bought by Harris Publications. Vampirella comics, both new and reprints, have continued through various publishers into the 21st century.

Publication history

Warren Publishing

Vampirella initially appeared in Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazine Vampirella #1, running to issue #112, plus a 1972 annual reprinting stories from the series, and a 1977 annual with reprints and one new story. The title was a sister magazine of Warren's horror anthologies Creepy and Eerie. Like those magazines' respective mascots, Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie, Vampirella hosted horror stories, though unlike them, she would also star in her own story, which would headline each issue. Vampirella was initially edited by Bill Parente. It would later be edited by Archie Goodwin, Billy Graham, Bill DuBay and Louise Jones.
As comics historian Richard J. Arndt describes, "Forrest Ackerman created, or at least had a strong hand in creating, Vampirella and he clearly had a major influence in shaping the lighthearted bad-girl story style of this issue as well." Her costume and hair style were designed by comics artist Trina Robbins. The character's first story artist was Tom Sutton. Artist Frank Frazetta's first-issue cover "was a substitute for the original cover by European artist Aslan."
José González became the character's primary artist starting with issue #12. Other artists who would draw Vampirella during her magazine's original run included Gonzalo Mayo, Leopold Sanchez, Esteban Maroto, José Ortiz, Escolano, Rudy Nebres, Ramon Torrents, Pablo Marcos, Jim Janes, John Lakey, Val Lakey, and Louis Small, Jr..
Backup features appearing in Vampirella included "Tomb of the Gods", "Pantha" and "Fleur". Vampirella herself also appeared in a story with fellow Warren characters Pantha and the Rook in Eerie #94–95, and with most of the Warren characters in a company crossover special in Eerie #130.

Harris Publications

Upon Warren's bankruptcy shortly afterward, Harris Publications acquired the company assets at auction in August 1983, although legal murkiness and a 1999 lawsuit by Warren publisher James Warren resulted in his reacquisition of the rights to sister publications Creepy and Eerie. Harris Comics published Vampirella stories in various series and miniseries from 1991 to 2007, beginning with Vampirella #113, a one-issue continuation of the original series, containing Vampirella reprints and one unrelated new story. Harris subsequently published the all-reprint one-shot Vampirella vs. the Cult of Chaos, and the four-issue miniseries Vampirella: Morning in America by writer Kurt Busiek and penciler Louis La Chance. Three ongoing series followed:
The three-issue miniseries Vampirella Lives featured writer Warren Ellis and penciler Conner.
Additionally, Harris published several one-shots: Vampirella Summer Nights / Vampirella's Summer Nights , by writer Steve Englehart and penciler Joe Brozowski, Vampirella/Shadowhawk: Creatures of the Night, 'Vampirella Pin-Up Special, and Vengeance of Vampirella: The Mystery Walk,
Harris also reprinted much material. The 1993 trade-paperback collection Vampirella: The Dracula War reprinted a serialized story from Harris' Vampirella #1-4. The 1994 Cain / Vampirella Flip Book reprinted a 1993 Vampirella story by writer Busiek and artist Arthur Adams from Harris' Creepy 1993 Fearbook. The five-issue Vampirella Classic reprinted Warren stories. Vengeance of Vampirella: Bloodshed reprinted a serialized story from the Vengeance of Vampirella series.
The publisher additionally reprinted Warren stories in the trade-paperback Vampirella: Transcending Time & Space, Vampirella: A Scarlet Thirst, and Vampirella & The Blood Red Queen of Hearts ; and the series Vampirella of Drakulon #1-5, followed by #0.
At the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors convention in January 2007, Scott Licina, editor-in-chief of Fangoria Comics, announced his company had acquired the character from Harris. However, on April 30, 2007, Harris editor Bon Alimagno denied there had been such an arrangement in place and that Fangoria's claim was "not factual". Harris subsequently launched the title Vampirella Quarterly.

Dynamite Entertainment

On March 17, 2010, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to Vampirella from Harris Comics. The publisher started a new ongoing series with Vampirella #1, in November 2010. A new monthly series, Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion, was released in May 2011 following the main title. The series lasted 38 issues before concluding in January 2014. The character and series were rebooted in June 2014 with Vampirella vol. 2, #1 by author Nancy Collins, and again in 2016 with Vampirella vol. 3, #1 in March 2016 in the same continuity but with a new costume. In 2017, Vampirella was relaunched again Vampirella vol. 4, #1, first written by Paul Cornell, and later by Jeremy Whitley.

Fictional character biography

Vampirella was originally presented as hailing from the planet Drakulon, a world where blood flowed like water and where the natives - the Vampiri - shared traditionally vampiric characteristics. Drakulon orbited a binary star which caused continuous droughts throughout the year. Unfortunately for the Vampiri, these droughts have gradually dried up their blood supply; threatening them with extinction. Vampirella's journey begins when an American space shuttle crashes on Drakulon. Sent to investigate, she discovers the astronauts have blood in their veins. Hoping to save her people, she travels to Earth where she begins hunting dark remnants of her own race. Earth's vampires originate from Dracula - a forgotten member of the Vampiri race who left his homeworld centuries ago only to be corrupted by the demonic entity known as Chaos.
Harris Comics revived Vampirella in the miniseries Morning In America, written by Kurt Busiek. Soon thereafter, the story "Mystery Walk" revised her origin. She learned she was, in fact, the daughter of Lilith, whom popular medieval Jewish lore depicts as the first wife of Adam. Lilith would not submit to Adam and, cast out of Eden by God, spawned demons. She later repented and went to Eden to bear children to fight the evil she had created. Her first attempt was Madek and Magdalene, who turned to evil; Vampirella was her second. Madek and Magdalene brainwashed her into believing she was from Drakulon.
Her origin was revised again in Vampirella Lives and elaborated on in Blood Lust. Drakulon was real, but was a place in Hell. Vampirella was brought to Eden, not born there. It was Lilith, not Madek and Magdalene, who made believe Drakulon was another planet. Vampirella and her boyfriend restore the rivers of blood to Drakulon, which weakens Lilith, who is killed by the hand of God.
A further revision in the "World's End" storyline revealed Lilith did not really repent and raised Vampirella to be good because she wanted to release the Heart of Darkness from Metatron's lance, which could only be done by a good person. This story was revised yet again in Vampirella: Revelations. Lilith is again alive and did not repent, but the reason she raised Vampirella good was that the existence of vampires made Lilith weaker and she wanted someone to kill them. Lilith had used a magic mirror to make Vampirella believe whatever variation on her origin was necessary at the time.
When Dynamite Entertainment acquired the character, its writers killed Adam Van Helsing and had Vampirella working reluctantly with Dracula against a rebellious cult of his former followers. Acquiring Sofia Murray as her sidekick, Vampirella became involved in a plot by the Vatican that ultimately resurrected Von Kreist and led to Sofia's death. Vampirella severed her ties with the Vatican and found herself working for the forces of Order again. Reuniting with a resurrected Van Helsing, Pendragon, and other characters from the Warren Magazine run, Vampirella visits the future and discovers the world destroyed by the supernatural. Trying to form a supernatural kingdom to contradict this, Vampirella falls prey to a conspiracy by Dracula and a group of vampire knights that result in reality becoming unraveled. Lilith banishes Vampirella from her universe in order to save her.
Vampirella was relaunched with Our Lady Of Shadows as an agent of the Vatican before being relaunched again with a new costume in Hollywood Horror under author Kate Leth. In this universe, Vampirella has recently come to Earth and become a Hollywood scream queen. She lives with her live-in boyfriend Tristan and butler Coleridge.
After falling into a thousand-year sleep, Vampirella awakes in a bizarre, dystopian future, where she meets her new sidekick and girlfriend, Vicki, and a black cat she names Grit. After going on a journey through her own mind, Vampirella learns she has absorbed all the memories and experiences of a hundred Vampirellas from parallel universes.
According to the Hack/Slash series Vampirella is currently working as a radio talk show host and has several times teamed up with Cassie and her partner Vlad to stop demons and vampires instead of the standard slashers the series is known for. She and Vlad have an intense physical attraction and relationship, but broke up because his roving lifestyle did not mesh with hers.

Characters

Vampirella possesses many of the typical powers of mythological vampires. She exerts super-strength when facing her opponents and can move so fast that she appears as a blur of motion. Her senses are far beyond those of humans, allowing her to tell one's emotional state through their scent, hear things imperceptible to humans, and see clearly in total darkness.
She is very athletic, possessing great stamina, reflexes, and agility beyond that of humans. Her healing factor grants her great resilience and allows her to heal rapidly from her wounds and makes her immune to Earthly illness and toxins.
Whether she is able to turn other people into vampires is inconsistent. It was a plot point in the Warren era that she could not because she was a being from another planet and not a supernatural creature, but that origin was since revised and she could do it in the Shadowhawk crossover. However, that crossover is out of continuity for Shadowhawk and may be out of continuity for Vampirella.
She had the power to grow a giant pair of chiropteran wings to allow self-propelled flight. Her stare and even voice are hypnotic and seductive to humans, particularly males. She is shown to have the power of telepathy as she was able to hear the voices of demons inside Jackie Estacado's mind.
She is immortal.
In addition to her supernatural abilities, Vampirella is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant and is shown to be skilled with modern-day firearms.

Reception

Vampirella was ranked 35th in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.

Circulation figures

From annual required Statement of Circulation. "Copies printed" refers to total print run. "Total paid circulation" refers to number of copies actually sold, which is the above number minus returns, lost/damaged copies, and free/promotional copies.

''Vampirella'' (Warren)

Collected editions

Warren magazine stories

In 1976, the back cover of the Vampirella novel Deadwalk by Ron Goulart promoted that the character would soon be featured in "a major motion picture", but no such production occurred.
Vampirella is a 1996 direct to video movie adaptation of the comic starring Talisa Soto, Roger Daltrey, Richard Joseph Paul, and Corinna Harney, directed by Jim Wynorski. A sequel was intended and announced in the ending credits, but it was not produced.

Other versions

''Vampi''

In 2000 a comic book series entitled Vampi began circulation through Anarchy Studio. The series followed Vampi, an alternate futuristic version of Vampirella that seeks to find a cure for her vampirism. The main series ran for 25 issues. Several miniseries followed under the titles Vampi Vicious, Vampi Vicious Circle, Vampi Vicious Rampage, and Vampi vs. Xin. An omnibus edition collecting the first eighteen issues of the initial run was released in 2012 through Dynamite Entertainment.

''Li'l Vampi''

In January 2014 Dynamite Entertainment released Li'l Vampi, a one-shot comic book by writer Eric Trautmann and artist Agnes Garbowska. The comic followed a child version of Vampirella as she tries to uncover why monsters are destroying the town of Stoker, Maine.