Vampirella #9

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artists: Creees Lee, Paulo Barrios, Andy Belanger

Colorsts: Lee Loughridge

Published by: Dynamite

This issue of Vampirella sees our heroine and her not-girlfriend Vicki being accosted but some Mad Max level style villains as they are trying to make their way, somewhere, to try and find God (not joking), and kickstart the whole dying process once more. Because you see, in the last story-arc, Vampirella kicked out Lucifer from his fake “heaven”, but in the process of doing so, accidentally made it so that no one can now die. And that, the whole no dying thing, has made for some interesting issues with the population of the world.

To say that Vampirella doesn’t take to kindly to being attacked by this group would be an understatement. One of the greatest additions to this series (from issue one), is the use of footer of most pages to give us insight into Vampirella’s thought process. So, when she gets struck by a spear gun at the end of the last issue, and is now looking for some revenge, her inner monologue telling the reader to cue up the music, is a great addition.

From there, the comic turns into an almost issue-long chase sequence between Vampirella, Vicki, and these Mad Max types. Let’s just say, Vampirella gets her revenge in a way only she could pull off. The latter part of the issue however, deals with the continued burgeoning feelings that both Vampirella and Vicki are developing for each other and Whitley continues to explore this dynamic.

Vampirella as a comic has consistently had some pretty stellar writing, even now with Whitley taking over for Paul Cornell. Vampirella as a character has always exudes confidence, and having her be just sarcastic enough adds to the fun as a whole.

I was a little wary when I saw that this issue had three artists attached to it, since that is usually a sign of lower quality art, but I was pleasantly surprised that each section was turned over to one artist so that it allowed for some continuity in design from page to page. Only when the story beats changed did the artist change which is greatly appreciated.