He picked a magazine off the coverlet which showed an incredibly endowed young woman in a skintight costume who was sucking the blood of a young man…. The name of the magazine—and of the young woman, apparently—was Vampirella.—Stephen King, ’Salem’s Lot
Where does the time go? Back on April 22nd, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Warren Publishing Company, the home of popular horror magazines Creepy, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland (although that anniversary actually marked the release of Warren’s first and only mainstream comic, The Flintstones at the 1964 World’s Fair). And now another Warren-related anniversary has arrived!
On July 15, 1969, the Warren Publishing Company released Vampirella #1, in which publisher/co-creator James Warren, writer/co-creator Forrest J Ackerman (aka “the Ackermonster,” editor/creator of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine), artist Tom Sutton, and cover painter Frank Frazetta introduced horror-comic fans to the scantily clad survivor from a planet of vampires who would travel to Earth in her next issue and begin a series of adventures that have inspired writers and artists for over five decades (including, of course, yours truly), not to mention generations of cosplayers. And now, today, she’s celebrating her 55th Anniversary!
Yup, it was fifty-five years ago today that Warren Publishing’s Vampirella #1 (cover-dated September) went on sale in 1969 and set the template for generations of bad girls to come. Behind that iconic cover Frazetta painting and that distinctive costume he designed with comic artist Trina Robbins, readers found horror stories by writers Don Glut and Nicola Cuti, and artists Billy Graham, Reed Crandall, Neal Adams, Mike Royer, Tony Tallarico, and Ernie Colon. And leading off the issue was “Vampirella of Draculon” by Ackerman and Sutton.
In Vampi’s seven-page launch, we were introduced to a heroine who was a mash-up of horror and science fiction themes, an inhabitant of Draculon, a planet light-years from Earth that orbited twin suns; a planet that had literal rivers of blood running across it, until the suns turned the world into a dried-out husk. Vampi is one of the few survivors hanging on to life, and becomes the first to witness the crash of a spacecraft—the Arthur Clark (named, of course, for Arthur C. Clarke, the sci-fi writing legend)—carrying visitors from Earth.
Freaked out by the sight of a giant bat (Vampi’s in-flight form), they fire laser guns at her, and she responds by draining their blood—and discovers that the “water” on her world is the same type of liquid that flows in the veins of the astronauts. And when she goes inside the ship and finds a complement of crewmembers in suspended animation…well, let’s just say she’s not about to go hungry anytime soon.
It’s a cute story that gets across what Ackerman set out to do—introduce Warren Publishing’s new character and horror-story hostess—but it’s hampered somewhat by the wince-inducing puns he inserts throughout. Vampirella exclaiming “Smorgasblood!” when she spots the frozen crew, then saying ”Feast come, feast served!” as she taps into them…the water composition on Draculon being H20 (hemoglobin doubled with oxygen)…remarking that the blood shower is “Sole satisfying! Right down to my soles!”…they’re shining examples of the wacky sense of humor Ackerman always exhibited in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland, but which don’t work in a semi-dramatic setup.
Thankfully, the jokey tone was left far behind with issue 8, when Vampi’s adventures were placed in the hands of editor and new writer Archie Goodwin (of Warren’s other horror magazines, Creepy and Eerie), who began to introduce all the aspects of Vampi lore that her fans came to appreciate: her boyfriend (and vampire hunter) Adam Van Helsing, and his father, Conrad; the inebriated magician Mordecai Pendragon; the revelation that Dracula was a fellow refugee from Draculon; the blood-substitute serum that allowed her to function without going on feeding frenzies; and, most important, the Cult of Chaos—the Elder God–worshipping sect whose creation reflected Goodwin’s appreciation for horror master H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. All these concepts are still in use, in one form or another, by contemporary Vampi scripters. And when Sutton was replaced on the series by Spanish artist Jose Gonzalez, that’s when Vampirella hit the heights of popularity, as his depiction of the outer-space vampiress became the gold standard by which all Vampi artists were measured, even to this day.
So why are we so excited about this momentous occasion? Well, because if you happen to be a fan of Vampirella, or a fan of Warren Publishing, we have the perfect book to help you celebrate this special day. Cue the sales plug!
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is written by Steven A. Roman (that’s me!), author of the Pandora Zwieback series and the tales of the Vampi-inspired succubus Lorelei. It’s an extensive look at Vampi’s early days, from the debut of her series in 1969 to the death of Warren Publishing in 1983, in seven heavily researched chapters:
The Vampire Who Fell to Earth: It’s the story of the life of Vampirella at Warren Publishing: her 1969 development by cocreators James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman, with the assistance of artists Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins; the adventures she went on via the writing and artistic talents of such visionaries as Archie Goodwin, Bill DuBay, Jose Gonzalez, Enrich, Gonzalo Mayo, and many others; and the cancellation of her series in 1982 when the company collapsed. It also features probably the most you’ll ever see reported about four Vampi writers who were just as talented but not as well known: Mike Butterworth, who wrote under the pseudonym Flaxman Loew; T. Casey Brennan; Rich Margopoulos; and Gerry Boudreau.
The Vampirella Episode Guide: The largest section of the book, it examines every story starring Vampirella during the Warren Era: over 100 entries, some with little known behind-the-scenes details. Plus stories behind some of Vampi’s unpublished adventures!
Vampi Goes to Hollywood: In 1975, Hammer Films announced the development of a Vampirella movie starring model/actress Barbara Leigh and the legendary Peter Cushing (later known the world over as Grand Moff Tarkin of Star Wars). The project crashed in spectacular fashion, but the details have always been murky. I try to clear up the confusion surrounding it, detailing the production from its launch to its unfortunate ending. And then I take a critical look at the awful Vampirella movie that was made in 1996, starring Talisa Soto and rock god Roger Daltrey of the Who—and probably shouldn’t have been!
The Literary Vampiress: From 1975 to 1976, Warner Books published a series of Vampirella novelizations by sci-fi author Ron Goulart. I take a look at each novel, and explain why they’re worth tracking down…if you can find copies!
The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist: A list of every Warren Vampi story! Every reprint volume from Harris Comics and Dynamite Entertainment! Plus little known trivia!
From the Stars also features: A foreword by Sean Fernald, the Official Vampirella Historian! A peek at Peter Cushing’s personal copy of the 1976 Vampirella screenplay! A frontispiece by legendary artist Bob Larkin, who painted covers for Warren’s Vampirella, The Rook, Eerie, and Famous Monsters of Filmland! Photos of Barbara Leigh in costume as Vampirella at the 1975 Famous Monsters Convention, held in New York! Photos of Talisa Soto in costume on the set of the 1996 Vampirella movie! Rare photos from the collection of Forrest J Ackerman! If there’s only one Vampirella history book you pick up—and let’s be honest, this is the only Vampirella history book that’s been published—then be sure to add it to your collection!
“This is without a doubt the essential, authoritative reference book for anything related to the Warren-era Vampirella… There are lots of books out there with good information—Empire of Monsters, The Art of Vampirella: The Warren Years, The Art of Jose Gonzalez, etc.—but none offers such a broad, all-encompassing look at the history of this character.”—Vampirella of Drakulon (blog)
“A great book for any Warren Vampirella fan.”—Seth Biederman, writer of Vampirella Manga 2999 and Vampirella Manga 3000, former Harris Comics Vampirella editor
“Not only a fantastic reference guide, but it is also a love letter to the fanged horror heroine. New fans and old will be interested in the bibliography especially. Libraries that specialize in comics should consider including this volume in their collection as well. Highly recommended.”—Monster Librarian
From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures is available in print and digital formats. Visit its product page for ordering information.
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