VAMPIRELLA: YEAR ONE #1, from Dynamite Comics on July 27th, 2022, begins a retrospective on Vampirella’s early years on Drakulon when drought and government mismanagement brought the planet nearly to collapse under the despotic policies of her mother, Lilith.
The Details
- Written by: Christopher Priest
- Art by: Ergün Gündüz, Giovanni Timpano (prologue)
- Colors by: Ergün Gündüz, Flavio Dispenza (prologue)
- Letters by: Willie Schubert
- Cover art by: Collette Turner
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: July 27, 2022
Is It Good?
VAMPIRELLA: YEAR ONE #1capitalized on Christopher Priest’s reimagining of Vaampirella’s arrival on Earth by going even farther back in time to a point where Lilith still sat on the throne of Drakulon and Vampirella was just a young girl. Is it a story worth reading? So far, the jury’s still out.
As far as first issues go, this is the cleanest, clearest one we’ve read from Christopher Priest in quite a while. The characters are introduced with just the right amount of setup and impact. The state of Drakulon at this time is painted with a nihilistic brush of despair. And the seeds of aristocratic double-crosses are firmly planted to rival other properties such as Game of Thrones. The world and its inhabitants are built expertly and efficiently.
When we say the “jury’s still out” on whether or not this story is worth reading, that’s because this first issue doesn’t have much of a hook to grab your attention. If you’re up to speed on Priest’s version of Vampirella lore, you know the broad strokes of this story, and you know how it ends. So far, this first issue does little more than fill in the blanks. Rather than telling the story you didn’t know inside the story you do know, Priest tells you the story you already know with more detail. If you know nothing about Priest’s version of Vampirella, this issue may be more interesting. For existing fans, the issue is mildly boring.
Gündüz’s art is certainly an acquired taste, and for an objectively valid reason. In a recent interview, Priest pointed out he was a fan of Gündüz is not a comic book artist but a graphic designer, and it shows. Characters in the panels look pose-heavy as if the issue is a collection of photo snapshots. Gündüz never uses action lines or blur techniques to express movement, so the net result looks very pretty but very static. Again, this is an acquired taste for the most part, but some of the basics of comic book storytelling are absent in this style, so you’ll either see this visual presentation as a novelty or offputting.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a brief prologue where a pregnant Vampirella and Légere enjoy a life of domestic bliss. It’s here that Vampirella begins narrating her early life in a journal for her yet-to-be-born child.
60 years earlier, Vampirella remembers her time in school when Drakulon was suffering a years-long drought and economic turmoil under the thumb of her despotic mother, Lilith. While Vampirella keeps up performance appearances in school, a band of rebels attacks the palace and drags Lilith away to be executed. A sympathetic chamber maid sprits Vampirella away to escape into the city’s slums.
Weeks later, Vampirella encounters another street urchin who allows her to return to his home for a bath and food. We learn the home belongs to Senator Hilal, a respected official who walks a fine line between wisdom and loyalty.
We conclude the issue with an escape, a betrayal, a death, and another betrayal.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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VAMPIRELLA: YEAR ONE #1 is a clean, clear introduction to Vampirella’s childhood years as a princess on an alien world on the verge of collapse. The character introductions are efficient and clear, and the mood of a world on the verge of starvation is everpresent. That said, the story doesn’t have a solid hook to grab you, and the static art style is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Related Information
Is Vampirella Marvel or DC?
Neither. Vampirella is currently licensed for comic publication with Dynamite Comics. The character began her illustrious career as a comic magazine under Warren Publishing in 1969, then Harris Publications in 1983, but the license eventually made its way to Dynamite Comics in 2010.
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