If you’ve ever wanted to read some Vampirella comics, then Vampirella Strikes #1 should be your first stop.
The review was originally posted to my review blog here.
I got into Vampirella last year with Eric Trautmann’s fantastic Can of Worms TP, which I really enjoyed reading. It was a great graphic novel that served to really get me interested in the character and explore more of her lore and comics. That’s where Dynamite’s latest offering comes into play. Written by Tom Sniegoski, Vampirella Strikes #1, part of a 6-issue mini-series, is one of the best comics I’ve read so far this year. It is smart, visually striking, and contains enough shadowy intrigue and gory action to keep me interested.
The beginning of the issue is one of the great things about this book. It starts off with Vampirella in a rather run-down bar as she recounts to the bar owner how she came to be there and how she killed off all the demons within, who are now nothing more than rotting corpses in a creepy tableau of death. Sniegoski’s dialogue here is really sharp, and it serves as an excellent intro to Vampirella’s character and her motivations. As someone who is not well-versed in the character at all, beyond the Trautmann TP mentioned above and Ron Marz’s crossover 7-issue Prophecy mini-series, I had no trouble at all in following the script. If you are a new reader, then this can very well be your first stop, and you won’t have any problems with it. There are hints of larger backstories at work here, but Sniegoski offers it all up in slow doses. There is no heavy-handedness here, just a love for the character and the setting, both of which are quite appealing.
The artwork in the book is by Johnny Desjardins (pencils), Adriana Lucas (colours), and Marshall Dillon (letters), who’ve all done a near perfect job here. They’ve brought out the raw ferocity of Vampirella’s character in every panel, and they’ve also introduces the demons quite nicely. The addition of Janus, a former soldier of Heaven who now operates to keep both sides on the line, makes for a great visual change from Vampirella’s scenes, since he fights with guns and not his bare hands. The action scenes are very well done, and I found myself really enjoying the visual composition of the book in its entirety.
So yeah, if you’ve ever wanted to read some Vampirella comics, then Vampirella Strikes #1 should be your first stop.
Rating: 9/10