Now at the news site Comics for Sinners, you can read my review of Vampirella Annual 2015, available from Dynamite Entertainment. Written by Nancy A. Collins (Sunglasses After Dark) and illustrated by Aneke (Legenderry: Red Sonja), it’s Collins’s swansong on the character she helped revitalize, and a new direction for the vampiress’ story to go in, as Collins hands the reins over to the next creative team (whenever that might be). It’s Vampi teamed up with a witch, a werewolf, and the Frankenstein Monster versus classic horror madmen Dr. Moreau (of H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau), Dr. Caligari (of the silent film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), and (of course) Victor von Frankenstein himself. Head on over to C4S to read all about it.
Speaking of dark fantasy femme fatales, have you met StarWarp Concepts’ resident soul-stealing succubus, Lorelei? Making her comics debut in 1993, Lori has remained SWC’s first leading lady of horror, has garnered praise from such notables as Vampirella creator Forrest J Ackerman and original Vampirella publisher James Warren, and currently stars in two critically acclaimed projects:
Lorelei: Sects and the City is a Mature Readers graphic novel in which Lori battles a cult of Elder God worshipers attempting to unleash hell on Earth. Basically a love letter to 1970s horror comics like Vampirella, Tomb of Dracula, and Satana, the Devil’s Daughter, it’s written by yours truly, Steven A. Roman (The Saga of Pandora Zwieback, Best New Zombie Tales), and illustrated by Eliseu Gouveia (Vengeance of the Mummy, Lady Death), Steve Geiger (Web of Spider-Man, Incredible Hulk), and Neil Vokes (Flesh and Blood, Fright Night). It also features a cover by legendary artist Esteban Maroto (Vampirella, Zatanna, Lady Rawhide), a frontispiece by original Vampirella artist Tom Sutton (Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night), and a one-page history of succubi illustrated by Ernie Colon (The Grim Ghost, Vampirella).
Lorelei Presents: House Macabre is Lori’s debut as the hostess of a horror anthology comic. Behind that eye-catching cover by bad-girl artist supreme Louis Small Jr. (Vampirella, Vampirella/Lady Death), you’ll find stories by Steven A. Roman (yep, me again) and graphic novel writer Dwight Jon Zimmerman (Steve McQueen: Full-Throttle Cool). Art is provided by Uriel Caton & “Chainsaw” Chuck Majewski (Heartstopper: The Legend of La Bella Tenebrosa), Lou Manna (T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents), John Pierard (Graphic Classics: Horror Classics), and Juan Carlos Abraldes Rendo.
Both titles are available in print and digital formats. Visit their respective product pages for ordering information, as well as sample pages.
