Vampirella gets another fresh start.
For all the grief that Marvel and DC get for relaunching and renumbering comics, no publisher seems more fond of that practice than Dynamite. It's difficult to keep track of just how many new #1 issues and new costumes and new status quos Vampirella has been given in recent years. In fact, the previous Vampirella relaunch debuted less than a year ago. But after reading this issue, it's abundantly clear why a new #1 was justified. This is easily Dynamite's most drastic revamp of the character yet.
Building on last month's #0 issue (which readers should ideally hunt down before starting with this issue) Vampirella has now awoken in a bizarre, post-apocalyptic future with little memory of what led to her 1000 year nap. You really can't ask for a cleaner jumping-on point than that. Nor can writer Paul Cornell and artist Jimmy Broxton be accused of playing it safe with this relaunch.
The new Vampirella is a very weird but inviting mish-mash of influences. There are still horror elements at play, but the new series comes across much more as a Euro Comics-inspired, dystopian sci-fi comic. The creators focus a great deal of attention on Vampi's new surroundings and the weird, sex-obsessed culture of 31st Century Los Angeles. Here, there's a clear intent to subvert the formula when it comes to sexuality in Vampirella comics. Vampi herself has switched to a relatively simple, modest red dress, while everyone around her is decked out in skimpy costumes covered in phallic imagery. Her new costume has taken quite a bit of flack since its initial reveal, but it fits pretty well in the context of the story Cornell and Broxton are telling. A little bit of satire rarely hurts when it comes to characters like Vampirella.
In general, the visual approach to the new book stands out nicely. Broxton's art style wouldn't feel out of place in a classic horror comic. It's grim and bathed in shadow. Yet this issue is full of bizarre imagery and frequently bathed in the neon glow of futuristic LA. The art shows restraint when necessary, but it's not afraid to be garish or violent when the situation calls for it. The decision to include a series of melodramatic narrative captions on the bottom of every page is a nice touch, too. All of this helps the book feel like a cheesy B-movie without going overboard.
All that being said, the new Vampirella is hindered by a lack of clear direction. Cornell's script shows little desire to move the plot along or establish a clear conflict for his heroine. What exactly is Vampi's core struggle now? What's the significance of her book and the prophecies teased in the #0 issue? There's a lot of uncertainty surrounding this series right now, and it's too early yet to judge whether this latest relaunch will truly do justice to the long-running franchise.
The Verdict
The latest comic to call itself "Vampirella #1" offers a promising new status quo for the iconic heroine. It's extremely welcoming to newcomers and tosses in heavy doses of satirical humor and dystopian sci-fi for variety. However, this issue fails to establish a clear conflict or sense of direction for the new series, so for now the jury is still out.
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