Review: Vengeance of Vampirella #1
The last time I looked at a Vampi book I made a statement about how Dynamite Entertainment were gracing us with yet another Vampi comic. How did I know the prophetical nature of my tongue-in-cheek comment would bear another title. Rather than another team book, Dynamite have yet again gone for a future time in which to play out this new series, learning from the errors of the far future and decadent society from a couple of years back, instead maintaining the mystical and magic elements that suit Vampi well.
This run is set 25 years in the future, where we learn that Vampi had a bit of a set too with a new darkness in the shapely form of Mistress Nyx. Unfortunately for the world Vampi fell and a new era of darkness was born. Now, after a search for certain mystical objects and books, the time is right for the return of the child of darkness who was also a champion of light.
This volume is written by Thomas Sniegoski, a writer who has been around for quite some time quietly going about his business and was the Vengeance of Vampirella writer back in 1994, when this title debuted. Here, Sniegoski has taken, what may be considered by some, as a bit of a risk by moving Vampi from the here and now. I for one think that Vampi is best served in in present day, though I guess the undead can logistically be around for a few hundred years or so. Still the success of the book may rest on how quickly readers can get accustomed to this new world, with both new friends and foes alike for our favourite blood sucking alien/vampire. Set in a new world, there is a ream of exposition to wade through, some of which may not actually make sense at this juncture.
The art for the book is provided by Michael Sta. Maria, whose work carries the vibe of a Zenescope book. That’s not a bad thing at all, though there are some glaring inconsistencies. For example, if you are determined to draw women practically topless as least make sure that their anatomy is at least the same size in the various panels. The figure work, whilst trying to show movement, does get caught in the sheer verbiage; the idea of showing the majority of a character in a panel does seem to be a trait of a number of indie books. Sometimes, artists can “fool” the readers eyes and still make the scene work. My only other issue is the final splash panel. Sure, the pose looks great, but look at the background; there is no disturbed soil, no indication of what happened and in fact, just shows a woman knee deep in mud. Omi Remalante Jr. delivers a dark color scheme that harks to the darkness felt through the land. Letterer Troy Peteri handles the word count well and uses a clear font that helps the readers plough through the dialogue. Finally, this is a Dynamite book so there are several covers from Joshua Middleton, Frank Cho with Sabine Rich, Ben Oliver and Lucio Parrillo. It truly is a buyers choice!
The idea of this book is to act as part of the 50th Anniversary of the Vampirella. In someways, this book is a slice of nostalgia, wrapped in today’s sensibilities. As a character who has gone through a number of reiterations, Vampi is equally as resilient as say Batman or Spider-Man. As such, the framing of the story will not matter that much to her legion of fans.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 3 Stars
Colors – 3.5
SCORE: 3.5/5
Written by; Thoms Sniegoski
Art by; Michael Sta. Maria
Colors by; Omi Remalante Jr.
Letters by; Troy Peteri
Covers by; Joshua Middleton, Frank Cho with Sabine Rich, Ben Oliver and Lucio Parrillo
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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