Review: Vampirella, Vol. 2 #4
Vampirella’s 2014 Vampire-Hunting Worldwide Tour continues, as she tries to find a way to avoid being possessed by Lady Umbra, the sister-wife of Vampi’s longtime enemy, the mad god Chaos. For this leg of the journey, Vampi and her ally, the Nosferatu named Drago, travel to Lamos, an island off the coast of Greece. It’s there that Vampi must confront—and drink the blood of—the Lamia, an ancient bloodsucker who’s half-woman, half-snake.
Writer Nancy A. Collins and artists Patrick Berkenkotter and Dennis Crisostomo continue putting Vampi through monster-killing paces that make her adventures appealing to today’s comic readers, while sneaking in an occasional nod to the past for old Warren Publishing fans. (In particular, the page 4 splash is an homage of sorts to Frank Frazetta’s 1966 cover painting for Eerie #3.) And since “Ella Normandy” isn’t battling enemies from the get-go, Collins has room to provide her lead with a touch of playfulness and characterization, as Vampi is hit with the sobering realization that she’s starting to lose control of her emotions as Lady Umbra’s influence grows.
With two issues remaining in this story arc, it’ll be interesting to see how Vampi overcomes a threat that’s far subtler than most of the monsters she’s dealt with—because this one is the monster inside her.
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Vampirella, Vol. 2 #4
Written by Nancy A. Collins
Pencils by Patrick Berkenkotter
Inks by Dennis Crisostomo
Main cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
32 pages • full-color
$3.99 U.S.
On sale now