September 16, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Christopher Priest's Vampirella saga continues this holiday season with the now married Daughter of Drakulon traveling to Dracula's castle to cheat fate in a new event limited series, Vampirella/Dracula: Unholy. But can love conquer evil?
Fans who check out Vampirella #25 will get to witness the biggest comic book wedding of the year. The story is directly picked up in the pages of this new series, but the backstory behind these monumental events goes back much longer. At the same time, the new series will be perfectly approachable for readers who haven't read a page of Vampirella in their lives.
Legendary writer Christopher Priest (Black Panther, Deathstroke) is joined in this series by bloodthirsty up and coming artist Donny Hadiwidjaja (Barbarella), colorist Mohan, and letterer Willie Schubert.
“We’ve kept Dracula off the board, from day one, because I’d planned to do this,” Priest laughed. “One of my first requests to Dynamite - ‘No Drac for the first year, please.’ When we bring Dracula into our series, we need that to be an event. I realize how over-used a claim it is but, trust me, you’re in for the trippiest love triangle/murder mystery in Dracula history, as well as an all-new vision for the classic character. It’s really tough to hype this book without blowing major plot twists. Donny and I are having a real blast with this.”
This is a Dracula story like no other. Defeated at the hands of a jealous lover, the genetic code of the Lord of Evil has been preserved within a deadly virus and passed on through generations to a young boy hunted by zealots seeking to worship him and religious fanatics trying to kill him. Saved from certain death by Vampirella, the creeping genetic time bomb was arrested, only to become active again twenty years later as the Dracula Virus begins feeding on its human host. Vampirella comes to his aid again, enacting an archaic blood rite which joins her in unholy matrimony to the man who would become Dracula.
The newlyweds must now travel to the ancestral lands of Transylvania to discover more about themselves, each other, and the twisted history that has lead them to this point. Plus, blood rituals. No event series has been this pivotal to Vampirella's world since another 25th issue lead to her death 25 years ago! From the 50th anniversary Free Comic Book Day issue of Vampirella in the summer of 2019, everything has come to this!
To celebrate this momentous occasion, Dynamite has assembled a squad of top flight cover artists to depict the new couple. The superstars include Adam Hughes, Lucio Parrillo, Rose Besch, Shannon Maer, KyuYong Eom, and cosplayer Ani-Mia. Fans can even grab a limited edition incentive cover by master painter Greg Hildebrandt.
VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: UNHOLY #1 is solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ October 2021 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in December 2021. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more!
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About Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Gail Simone, Christopher Priest, Leah Moore, Kevin Smith, David Walker, Vita Ayala, Danny Lore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Mark Russell, Brandon Thomas, Amy Chu, Reginald Hudlin, Nancy Collins, David Walker, Steve Orlando, Greg Pak, Jenny Frison, Matt Wagner, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards. |
