This video is about the first Vampirella comic book series, with a focus on her origin.
To show you what Vampirella looks like and the sort of adventures that she gets involved in, all 112 covers of the Vampirella magazine sized comic book series, published by Warren Publishing, from 1969 to 1983, are presented in chronological order.
She appears on many, but not all of covers, as the comic book series also contained stories not about her.
Vampirella is a Science Fiction (SciFi) Female Superhero (Superheroine) Vampire created by Forrest J Ackerman and comic book artist Trina Robbins and she first appeared in Warren Publishing’s Vampirella No. 1 (cover-dated September 1969), which had cover art by Frank Frazetta.
Forrest J Ackerman, who created, or a least had a strong hand in creating Vampirella, lived from 1916 to 2008, and was an American magazine editor, science fiction writer and literary agent, a founder of science fiction fandom; and a leading expert on science fiction, horror and fantasy films.
He and Myrtle R. Douglas were the first people to wear costumes to a convention, to the 1939 1st World Science Fiction Convention in New York, and can be considered to have started the cosplay phenomena.
He was also an early member of what is today known as the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society (LASFS), the oldest continuously operating science fiction club in the world.
Trina Robbins, who designed Vampirella’s costume and hair, was born in 1938, is an American cartoonist, an early participant in the underground comix movement, and was an an active member of science fiction fandom in the 1950s and the 1960s.
Warren Publishing was an American magazine company founded by James Warren, born 1930, who started publishing in 1957 and whose other publications included the magazine sized comic books Creepy and Eerie, the magazine Famous Monsters, and more.
The magazine size versus traditional comic book size was done with the intention of avoiding the censorship of the Comics Code Authority.
Initially based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; the company moved by 1965 to New York City.
James Warren’s bad health, combined with changing tastes and business problems, led to internal turmoil and editorial turnover, and Warren declared bankruptcy in 1983.
After Warren started publishing Vampirella in 1969, writer-editor Archie Goodwin developed the character from horror-story hostesses, in which capacity she remained through issue No. 8 (cover-dated November 1970), to a horror-drama leading character.
The comic was published continuously until Issue No. 112 (cover-dated March 1983).
Cover artists included: Frank Frazetta, Ken Kelly, Manuel Sanjulian, Enrich Torres, and many more.
After Warren declared bankruptcy in 1983, its assets were bought by Harris Publications.
On March 17, 2010, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to Vampirella from Harris Comics.
Dynamite Entertainment started a new ongoing series with Vampirella No. 1 (cover-dated November 2010), and has subsequently published multiple series featuring Vampirella.
Vampirella’s biography (which does change over time) is that she is originally from the planet Drakulon, a world where blood flows like water and where the natives, called the Vampiri, share traditionally vampiric characteristics.
Drakulon orbits a binary star which causes continuous droughts throughout the year.
These droughts gradually dry up the Vampiri’s blood supply; threatening them with extinction.
Vampirella’s journey begins when an American space shuttle crashes on Drakulon.
Hoping to save her people, she travels to Earth and begins hunting dark remnants of her own race.
Earth’s vampires originate from Dracula, a forgotten member of the Vampiri race who left his homeworld centuries ago only to be corrupted by the demonic entity known as Chaos.
As to powers, Vampirella possess many of the typical powers of mythological vampires.
She has super strength and can move super fast.
She has senses beyond those of humans: she can tell a person’s emotional sense through their scent; hear things imperceptible to humans; and see clearly in total darkness.
She has great stamina and reflexes, plus agility beyond that of humans.
She has a healing factor that gives her great resilience, which allows her to rapidly heal from wounds, and makes her immune to Earthly illness and toxins.
Her stare and even her voice are hypnotic and seductive to humans, particularly males.
She is telepathic, and excels at hand-to-hand combat, and is skilled with modern firearms.
She is also immortal.
In 1996, a Vampirella direct-to-video superhero movie was released; it was part of the Roger Corman Presents series, and starred Talisa Soto as Vampirella.
In the near future, do you want a new movie created about Vampirella?
If so, is there an actress or actresses that you want to have play the role of Vampirella?
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