VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #2, from Dynamite Comics on October 12th, 2022, finds Vampirella and Ren acclimating to the 1960s as they head to a seance party with Adam Van Helsing in search of a magical dagger.
The Details
- Written by: Jeff Parker
- Art by: Benjamin Dewey
- Colors by: Dearbhla Kelly
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Joseph Michael Linsner (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: October 12, 2022
Is It Good?
VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #2 is a confusing blend of demon horror, slapstick heists, and nostalgia for an issue that’s a mixed bag. On the plus side, the situation is amusing, and longtime Vampirella fans will enjoy seeing Pendragon and Adam Van Helsing in their original prime.
The highlight of Jeff Parker’s story is the walk down memory lane to the early days of Vampirella stories. Transported back in time from a botched transference spell (see issue #1), Vampirella finds herself in the company (again) of Mordecai Pendragon and Adam Van Helsing. Pendragon’s faux-sorcerer status is always a treat when he’s forced to fake his way through a demonstration, and Adam is dashing as ever as one of Vampirella’s true loves.
Unfortunately, the down point of this issue outweighs the nostalgic treats. Vampirella knows she and Ren (inhabiting Pendragon’s body) were thrust back in time after Baroness Gruzal’s botched attempt at a body swap, but they express no urgency in getting back home. Ren raises the concern about inadvertently changing the timeline, but Vampirella simply ignores the concern. And when the group sneaks into a seance party to steal a cursed dagger, Vampirella suddenly decides to have sex with Adam in the very room where the dagger is kept, guaranteeing they’d get caught. Nothing about Vampirella’s actions and reactions makes sense.
You could argue that Vampirella is playing along with how the event originally worked out so as not to disrupt history, but Vampirella states upfront that she has no memory of the event, so she has no way of knowing what actions to take. In trying to construct a fun time travel trip down memory lane, everything about the execution is turning into a series of confusing contradictions.
Dewey’s art is fairly good in this issue. The awkward choreography observed in the first issue is no longer present, the line work is clean and detailed, Kelly’s colors are stellar, and the overall look of the comic is excellent.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #1 review to find out how Vampirella got herself into this mess.
We begin with Vampirella and Ren (inside Mordecai Pendragon’s body) walking down a sunny street in the 1960s. Vampirella recognizes the location, and she recognizes Adam Van Helsing finishing up a call in a nearby phone booth, but she doesn’t recall the circumstances of this moment in time. She and Ren decide to play along with Adam for the time being.
Adam explains he’s gained an invitation to a magic seance at Baron Grazel’s mansion, and he intends to use the opportunity to steal back a cursed dagger. Unfortunately, only real magic wielders are invited, and Ren (inside Pendragon’s body) needs to prepare to perform a demonstration. When the time-displace trio gets to the party, they find a lot of magic, free love, and recreational substances to shock Ren’s 2022 sensibilities.
We conclude the issue with a vampiri-assisted feat of illusion, a very poorly handled robbery, and summoning that went wrong.
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Final Thoughts
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VAMPIRELLA: MINDWARP #2 hits the nostalgia mark with a cool 1960s vibe and Vampirella’s supporting characters from her early days, but Vampirella consistently acts and reacts in ways that don’t make any sense. You’ll enjoy the art, but the story is quickly becoming a struggle to understand.
Related Information
Who owns the rights to Vampirella?
Dynamite Comics purchased the full licensing and publishing rights from Harris Comics in 2010.
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