VAMPIRELLA: THE ESSENTIAL WARREN YEARS VOLUME ONE - graphic novel

VAMPIRE WEEK


This, my friends, is it.  If you've heard of the character of Vampirella, or seen the often reprinted classic covers, or seen cosplayers dressed as the sexy vampire, or even picked up one of the newer incarnations of the comic and wondered what all the fuss was about ... wondered why anyone would be interested in this character ... THIS is the book you need to read. From her creation story (by noted science fiction fan/writer/historian/activist Forrest Ackerman) and her outstanding outfit (created by comic book artist Trina Robbins) to love stories and adventure stories and even a meeting with the master vampire himself, Dracula, and truly outstanding black and white art by José González.

Through this collection we learn that this daughter of Drakulon (her origin is more like Superman's than Dracula's), while needing blood for sustenance, prefers to drink from a specially made serum to prevent harming humans.  But give her trouble and/or withhold that serum from her and she'll drain a person dry (there's no 'converting' others to vampirism). 

We also learn that she has a number of close associates. The old, alcoholic magician, Pendragon, is perhaps her closest, platonic friend. For quite a time, she would appear as his assistant during a performance and 'allow' herself to be turned into a bat by his powers. And in a nice dramatic arc, Adam van Helsing, the last descendant of a long line of vampire hunters, and Vampirella become lovers.

Not all of these stories are 5-star-worthy, and reading it from cover to cover, instead of one issue a month at a time, does get a little tiring.  It's a bit heavy on romance (remember, this came out about the same time as the gothic soap opera series Dark Shadows) and there are moments that just feel uniquely 70's, but overall this has more entertaining stories than a lot of what I read that s more current.

And then there's the art.  Wow, this art.  José González is one of the main artists through this book and his art is simply outstanding.  Not just every page, but every panel on a page is an incredible work of art worth framing. Just looking at the book and you can see why it became popular.  Easily as much (or more) for the art as for the story.  And while it's not all done by José González, he clearly set a standard which was kept up in these early stories.

This book establishes the character of Vampirella and shows us her early exploits and friends (and enemies).  Every writer and artist working on the new Vampirella stories should be required to read this and challenged to write and draw to this level (or better).

Looking for a good book? This very thick graphic novel, Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Volume One, contains everything you need to know to get caught up on Vampirella, and once you do, you may find that the more modern stories still being published just don't hold a candle to these stories.

5 stars

* * * * * *

Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Volume One

authors: Forrest J. Ackerman, Archie Goodwin, Steve Englehart, T. Casey Brennan, Chad Archer, Len Wein, Jose Toutain, Flaxman Loew

artists: José González, Tom Sutton, Mike Royer, Jose Ortiz, Enrich, SanJulian

publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

paperback, 452 pages

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