Vampirella (Vol. 5) #1 – Review
The previous volume of Vampirella really started off well, in my opinion. I liked it and felt like it did a lot of things right. It took the character back to her thematic roots. When I saw a new volume starting and saw all of the various variant covers, I became skeptical. I didn’t see the Free Comic Book Day issue, so I have nothing else to go on. However, Dynamite earned a measure of consideration with that last series. I’ll give it a shot.
Vampirella (Vol.5) #1
writer: Christopher Priest
artist: Ergün Gündüz
covers: Frank Cho (A), Alex Ross (B), Joe Jusko (C), Guillem March (D), Cosplay (E), Adam Hughes (RI-Homage), Adam Hughes (RI-BW), Cosplay (RI-Virgin), Guillem March (RI-Virgin), Alex Ross (RI-BW), J. Scott Campbell (RI-ICON), Frank Frazetta (RI-ICON)
FC | 32 pages | Horror | $3.99 | Teen+
Solicitation:
In July 1969, the world was first introduced to Vampirella. 50 years later, she doesn’t look a day older!!!! Now, to celebrate her gold anniversary, Dynamite is launching a brand-new, ongoing series featuring the talents of Christopher Priest (Black Panther, Deathstroke, Quantum & Woody, Justice League) and European star/American star-in-the-making, Ergün Gündüz (Tales of the Great War, Taxi Tales)! You’ll experience the first, mysterious taste of things to come in Vampirella Free Comic Book Day #0, and the story continues here!!!
Variant Covers:
Review:
The story is linear, with enough mystery to keep me, as a reader, interested. It’s interesting to see a skeptic of Vampirella counseling her. However, as the story progresses and we learn about the plane crash Vampirella escaped, it becomes obvious that his skepticism is unbelievable. The villain of the story, that apparently caused the crash, is initially interesting, but loses any dimension as Vampirella unfolds her tale. The shocking last page twist is past hackneyed, especially when we have no real reason to care about this person. I hate that Christopher Priest is the writer behind this, because I firmly believe that he’s capable of better.
The artwork is initially breathtaking and a nice change from the majority of comics out on the market. However, by the end of the book, it fails to hold up the story. The colors are technically magnificent and complex enough to be a real selling point for this comic. I find the skeptic too eccentric in appearance. The surprise appearance at the end is entirely mundane in appearance and is presented a little too far back to underline her importance.
I wasn’t disgusted by this comic. Vampirella is apparently returning to her costume that shows a ton of skin, and that habit is continuing into street clothes. I’m more disappointed than anything else.
Final Rating: 6.0 (out of 10)
Preview Pages:
