Vampirella # 7

[electron]

okay, here is my take after #7.

as stated above, number 7 is the best volume so far in my opinion too. It was like stepping through "the door" now... you know, after a lenghthy introduction now I feel finally there, sort of.
Sofia was all I hoped for. I had the impression, at first she was kind of pale and stayed like that... her lines where not the best but I was right it seems about the plans Eric had with her.

Eric, just as a summary from a technical point of veiw it seemed that you needed a few issues to get up to speed - I lack a better picture at the moment, kind of like a rider on a motorcycle on slow speed, wobbeling a bit, gaining momentum and stability and #7 being the first wheelie

speaking of it, I allways thought Vampi would look cool on a bike - just a suggestion

About the story arc... well, I guess worms are not so much for me, I wasn't too thrilled but hey, it's what can happen to a Vampire Demon Huntress.

What I disliked in the first issues, I have commented on that elsewhere also, was this "big spech", this seriousness all over.
But what did I have to read in #6 and #7? There it was!!! Sideremarks, Tongue in Cheek stuff!
Stay with this tone please. It will make a difference.

So, did we step through a door?
Are we there yet?

I will look forward to issue #8 for sure!

Oh... did you think I will not mention "it"?
I must.

The costume. It is sort of back. Man am I glad.
I really hope we will get to see it more regularely, despite what you, Eric, wrote in the other thread.
The costume should be part of the deal. That is how the charcater was created. Throwing this overboard because "Hypothetically, if DE were to pursue a Vampirella movie or television series, the reality is, no actress worth her salt is going to want to wear that costume full time" (which - sorry, sir - is the supidest explanation I have heard so far) would be like pinning the name Vampirella to Ms. Anybody.
I would be okay with a concept that includes Vampirella having also regular stuff in her closet. Actually I'd like to see her and Sofia discussing wardrobe or go shopping - what would the two of them bring home?! (and what mess would the leave in the department store?)

But don't be too sparing about the costume appearances!
It friggin IS important.

I really hope these discussions here help the issue. I don't take for granted that the guys-in-charge are reading and even answering Forums. You guys, Eric, Nick.... do care about our thoughs.

I (we) do care about the character Vampirella and your books

PS: and a little bit a about Sofia by now.

[GrayPumpkin]

speaking of it, I allways thought Vampi would look cool on a bike - just a suggestion

Yeah Vampi on a penny farthing would be tops!

[shadowkat]

After quite a bit of teeth nashing over issue 6 (see other thread), I must grudgingly...GRUDGINGLY...state that I really enjoyed issue 7.

My fears that Sofia would be another retarded character like Dixie or Chelsea were set aside by some decent and well needed exposition. Sofia is still not a character that I agree with the need for, but at least there is something there to mull over, some feeling of kinship as an aging pre-goth monster and black clothes with eyeliner freak, and the possibility of her name having story ramifications later. It was good writing.

I also appreciated the internet search, and how it turned up stories as far back as the sixties. No one comic that I have read has ever touched on the issue of how long a character has been around. Peter Parker was a teen ager for decades, Batman would be in an old folks home by now, etc. It will be interesting to see how this part of the story unfolds.

One caveat! (And this is an issue inherited by the author, and not his creative malpractice whatsoever!) Sofia states that her personal fave theory on the net about what Vampi really is...is that she is an alien princess. I understand that Harris did away with that, and many people agree with their decision. I don't, and if you read the Archives (Or your much read originals, as I do), you will see why.

There is simply too much story in the original series that includes her home planet for it to be dismissed. Even the 'Plane of Hell' theory does not fit the classic stories. When Vampi's eyes are cut out by the Red Queen...Star Patch and Quark give her new eyes, and take her to her home planet. She finds Tristan's remains, and a test tube of his DNA. He asks her to clone him, and repopulate her planet. But after seeing a new species is beginning to evolve, she realizes it is not her planet any longer and leaves the dna behind.

She then rescues a half mad Pantha, who had traveled to the planet BY SPACESHIP in an earlier issue. They return to earth...and then a period of horrible, Hollywood based stories begin.

Much later, however, towards the end of the original run, a new Red Queen (can't keep that chick down, can we?) uses black magic to travel to Drakulon...in outer space, not hell...and snatches Tristan's DNA. She clones him, uses sorcery to give him Tristan's original soul, and then has him seduce Vampirella. He is unable to go through with the Queen's brainwashing instructions to kill Vampi and disappears into the night. (This has never been resolved.)

In another storyline, a FBI agent reveals to Vampirella that the government know not only knows who she is, hut where she is from and how she got here. They make her an 'offer she can't refuse'. They have a mess that they need her to clean up. She does so, and in return the agent give her a Gov't manufactured identity. Passport, birth certificate, the works. And not in the name of Ella Normandy, either. (Look it up. You print the old stories, YOU HAVE them right there in the office. LOL)

Is it your fault that you inherited such a mes from Harris? Not at all. But isn't my fault that I want the character to be written and handled with some respect to her long time fans. I don't want to be told by the new owners, or newer readers, "I never cared about her before now, and YOU have a problem." (The problem line is mostly from new fans, but issue seven does allude to a condescending attitude when Sofia discovers those of us who are 'obsessed' with V on the net.)

I enjoyed this issue. I hope the writing continues to settle into something both old and new fans can get behind. I just don't want the character's name to be used to sell a whole new character that has naught to with The Raven Haired Beauty.

Sorry, but the whole notion that vampirella is a vampire from an alien PLANET full of vampires that naturally has blood running instead of water is COMPLETELY ridiculous. that origin may have worked in the 60's before decent plausible alien planets/storylines were created but now people would just laugh at it. Vampires have always had this deep root in being demonic or from hell especially with their weakness to crosses and holy water. if they were simply space rejects they why would they be weakened by holy objects? i'd much rather her be a government experiment or bitch from hell then a space vampire. its hilariously bad.Theres a reason why vampire stories are so much more popular now and its cause they are more grounded to reality. turning vampi back into a space ho is a BAAAAAAAAAAD idea. that origin hasn't been used in years and the fans that do enjoy it are probably in their 80's.


As for this issue it was a lot better then the last issues. i still don't like sofia very much but i did like that we got some backstory on her. i loved how vampirella was perceived by her as this deadly,beautiful, unknown entity. great writing.the artist was FAB. is this artist here to stay? cause he/she is much better then the one who did the queen of worms arc.

[rlvaugh]

Shadowkat, don't get caught up in the details. Yes, Ackerman's rivers of blood stuff was lame even for a comic book but the over-arching concept was actually brilliant. If Harris/Dynamite wanted to move the character out of the '60's, they would have done/do better by simply adding some sophistication to the alien origin rather than making Vampi just another bad girl vampire. Being an alien has many advantages: she isn't UNDEAD, she can have different powers and weaknesses than conventional vampires, there's a whole new realm of hybrid horror/sci-fi stories that can be explored, she can have an interesting and unique viewpoint toward our world and society. Doesn't matter, we're never seeing this again. Don't fret about it.

[Captain Craig]

I'm so far behind on my reading. Business trip in Philly last week come back and its the Eve of July 4th weekend. It's a wonder I still try to read anymore but an issue like #7 makes me glad I'm still with the medium.

Eric it was as other have said a really good epiloge of an issue. Sophie became much more real and well rounded. Some might argue, not that they have, her situation was cliched with the boyfriend but cliches sadly happen to and around us all the time. That maybe the part that makes her most relatable at present.

I learned a new term reading through the thread "Warren Vampi", is that the pulp mag from the 70's that published her stories? I knew there was something before Harris but as I've stated before DE's take is the first time I'm really sampling the character.

Bring on issue #8...which I'll comment on in August probably. LOL!!

[GrayPumpkin]

Yes, I have been getting the Scarlet Legion. Glad to see the old characters returning (I was afraid there might be some ownership issues after the Jim Warren lawsuit, or that Dynamite only bought rights to Vampi - sort of like the Red Sonja and Conan situation). I hope they remember Skaar is the spirit of the old man who imprisoned Vampi - that will give the character some depth and motivation for revenge. I do have 2 complaints about the series. There seems to be no structure to the relaunch. As another fan noted on these boards, where are we in Vampi's continuity? As also noted elsewhere, until the stories are less heavy and more fun, we won't really get back to the spirit of the true Vampi. One of the things that really worked in the Warren issues is that trouble came looking for her, rather than the other way around. Letting her have a "normal" life with a very apropos job (thanks to Archie Goodwin) and romantic interests grounded the character and made it a lot easier for writers to add some characterization. Dynamite is still stuck in the Harris ruts, but the Scarlet Legion is a positive indication that they're trying to jump out.

I guess I was never one to get too caught in continuity issues. As long as the story is true to the spirit of the character, a vague it happen sometime before works for me, though I am well aware that to many readers it is an issue. Your, point about the Scarlet Legion story being heavier in tone was something I also noticed, but since for the first time in a very long time, it got so many things right, it was also not an issue for me. Besides, Scarlet Legion was not without touches of whimsy, nor was the tone so dark as to preclude lighter tales in that milieu. Even back in the Warren days there were darker tales in mix at times.
In any case Scarlet Legion gives me hope that we may get more tales that feel like the Vampi of old in the future.

[rlvaugh]

I don't have to have perfect continuity (or I wouldn't read comics!), but the thing is, without a fair amount of continuity, writers & editors have no boundaries and everything's out of context. The Vampirella title, for example, obviously takes place at the end of the Harris era, when Adam Van Helsing is dead (or at least as dead as you get in comics). (I should also add that Vampi died in the last Harris comic never to be resurrected again...) Guess it didn't take. In the Scarlet Legion, Adam is back, Vampi is running around in costume, Ethan Shroud is alive, and the nuns from the Harris era are joining in. I would enjoy this more if I had some frame of reference for the over 40 years of Vampi stories in my head. Harris led us through a fever dream; I was hoping Dynamite would take the time to sort things out a bit. Without some guidelines & editorial control, we'll be at the mercy of each new writer, most of whom will know nothing about the character nor care; they'll just want to dream up enough stuff to get them their paycheck and then it's on to the next title.

[shadowkat]

Without some guidelines & editorial control, we'll be at the mercy of each new writer, most of whom will know nothing about the character nor care; they'll just want to dream up enough stuff to get them their paycheck and then it's on to the next title.

i agree 100% percent with this. without some concret guideline for vampis backstory any writer can come along and take things from both origins causing major contradictions.

Shadowkat, don't get caught up in the details. Yes, Ackerman's rivers of blood stuff was lame even for a comic book but the over-arching concept was actually brilliant. If Harris/Dynamite wanted to move the character out of the '60's, they would have done/do better by simply adding some sophistication to the alien origin rather than making Vampi just another bad girl vampire. Being an alien has many advantages: she isn't UNDEAD, she can have different powers and weaknesses than conventional vampires, there's a whole new realm of hybrid horror/sci-fi stories that can be explored, she can have an interesting and unique viewpoint toward our world and society. Doesn't matter, we're never seeing this again. Don't fret about it.

even if vampi had the alien origin she would still be a "bad girl vampire". it changes nothing but just makes the character come off as corny. " a vampire from space" lmao. do you know how ridiculous that sounds? as for vampirella having cool powers as an alien. she already has abilities outside of normal vampires within her hell origin. there is no need to re-retcon her back to being a vampire alien lol. "there is so much to explore with her alien origin" theres also a lot to explore with her hell origin as well think "dantes inferno". Personally i think vampirella revelations if produced under dynamite would probably have sold and done a lot better then the current vampirella comic. it's just the taint of previous harrris work was too strong at the time.

[electron]

This whole discussion reminds me of this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PrACbqnTjk

the Scary Bitches are quite a cool band, had the pleasure to see them live some time ago.

[eric_trautmann]

(Man, I hate the "quote" tools on this forum package.) Replies inline.

okay, here is my take after #7.

as stated above, number 7 is the best volume so far in my opinion too. It was like stepping through "the door" now... you know, after a lenghthy introduction now I feel finally there, sort of.
Sofia was all I hoped for. I had the impression, at first she was kind of pale and stayed like that... her lines where not the best but I was right it seems about the plans Eric had with her.


Glad you liked it. I'm rather unreasonably fond of Sofia.

Eric, just as a summary from a technical point of veiw it seemed that you needed a few issues to get up to speed - I lack a better picture at the moment, kind of like a rider on a motorcycle on slow speed, wobbeling a bit, gaining momentum and stability and #7 being the first wheelie


The introductory arc was necessary to get new readers up to speed, and it did run one issue longer than I'd originally planned for a variety of boring behind-the-scenes reasons that I won't, um, bore you with.

Now that the "this is the world we're in and here's how it works" stuff is done, the pace will be picking up rather substantially.

speaking of it, I allways thought Vampi would look cool on a bike - just a suggestion


Agreed. It won't be for a while, but yeah, I have a bike picked out for her already.

About the story arc... well, I guess worms are not so much for me, I wasn't too thrilled but hey, it's what can happen to a Vampire Demon Huntress.

What I disliked in the first issues, I have commented on that elsewhere also, was this "big spech", this seriousness all over.

Again, the narrative style -- which was intended to evoke both Stoker and Chandler -- was necessitated by DE's desire for a Lovecraftian nemesis; there are certain techniques required by that kind of story.

That said, yeah, Sofia allows for a lot more banter.

But what did I have to read in #6 and #7? There it was!!! Sideremarks, Tongue in Cheek stuff!
Stay with this tone please. It will make a difference.

So, did we step through a door?
Are we there yet?

I will look forward to issue #8 for sure!


Good.

Oh... did you think I will not mention "it"?
I must.

The costume. It is sort of back. Man am I glad.
I really hope we will get to see it more regularely, despite what you, Eric, wrote in the other thread.


I never precluded the costume; I've always maintained that its presence does need to grow organically out of the situation.

The costume should be part of the deal. That is how the charcater was created. Throwing this overboard because "Hypothetically, if DE were to pursue a Vampirella movie or television series, the reality is, no actress worth her salt is going to want to wear that costume full time" (which - sorry, sir - is the supidest explanation I have heard so far) would be like pinning the name Vampirella to Ms. Anybody.


Shrug. You may think it's stupid, but it doesn't make it less true.

I would be okay with a concept that includes Vampirella having also regular stuff in her closet. Actually I'd like to see her and Sofia discussing wardrobe or go shopping - what would the two of them bring home?! (and what mess would the leave in the department store?)


Not a bad idea.

But don't be too sparing about the costume appearances!
It friggin IS important.


Like I said, where it's appropriate, I have no issue with the costume.

I really hope these discussions here help the issue. I don't take for granted that the guys-in-charge are reading and even answering Forums. You guys, Eric, Nick.... do care about our thoughs.


Obviously, my goal was never "hey, let's piss off as many fans as possible." I knew some of the choices would be controversial, but at the end of the day, the idea here is to reach as many readers -- old and new -- as possible.

Glad you're engaged in the process, and hope you stick around.

I (we) do care about the character Vampirella and your books

PS: and a little bit a about Sofia by now.

Ha! Good to hear.

Best,

-E