Nancy Collins has wrapped up her writing on the Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella / Jennifer Blood miniseries and talked to Byron Brewer about being part of an event and brainstorm with a new generation of female writers. Cover art by Billy Tan.
BYRON BREWER: Nancy, how has it been being a part of this most unique summer comic book “event”?
NANCY COLLINS: It’s been both fun and educational! This was my first event comic series since Neil Gaiman’s Children’s Crusade cross-over that involved the Vertigo titles. I got to meet (at least online) an entire new generation of writers and brainstorm with them.
BB: During all this, with all the diverse female heroes, did you discover any characters new to you that you might like to take a crack at as a writer?
NC: Definitely! I wouldn’t mind trying my hand with Jennifer Blood, Jungle Girl, Lady Zorro & Lady Rawhide, Pantha, and Lady Greystoke (that’s a lotta ladies, now that I think about it).
BB: Has it been more difficult or easier than you thought “teaming” Vampirella and Jennifer Blood in this Swords of Sorrow tie-in?
NC: It was pretty easy. My creator-owned Sonja Blue series combines the supernatural and hardboiled crime noir. All I had to do was separate those two genres into their respective characters.
BB: You are Vampi’s regular writer and have certainly made your impression on this iconic brand. Do you think Jennifer Blood lost anything in a book with such a powerful and dominating character as Vampirella?
NC: No, if anything, I think Vampirella’s character helped define Jennifer Blood’s for first-time readers, as she is closer to a traditional ‘hero’, while Jennifer Blood is more a vigilante/anti-hero. As for myself, once I got up to speed on Jennifer Blood (I admit I didn’t know anything about the character before hand), it wasn’t hard to find her ‘voice’. Of the two, I would say the vampire is definitely the more emotionally/mentally ‘healthy’ character.
BB: How has it been working with artist Dave Acosta?
NC: Dave’s been wonderful. He’s been good about incorporating the photo reference I give him into his work, while at the same time giving it his own spin. I’m always eager to see how he interprets my scripts.
BB: I know in series like this there are limitations and give and take. As the miniseries comes to a conclusion in August, did you tell the story you set out to tell?
NC: My goal was to pair up characters that would never otherwise interact in a gritty yet fun ‘urban fantasy’ style story and introduce both Vampirella and Jennifer Blood to readers that might not be familiar with them in a way that illustrated their unique backgrounds, abilities, and differences without it being yet another: “Hey! We’ve never met before! Let’s punch each other out for the next 15 pages!” team-up story. I think I succeeded at that, but it’s up to the readers to make that final call.
For more on Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella / Jennifer Blood #4, click here.