VAMPIRELLA #1 Written by Eric Trautmann, Art by Wagner Reiss and Inlight Studio, Lettering by Marshall Dillon, Edited by Joseph Rybandt
Vampirella has never been a character that I’ve been interested in reading. Vampirella debuted in 1969 and has made countless appearances over the years, both in her own series and as a guest-star, but she just seemed to hold little appeal other than a sex object. Look at Joe Mad’s cover above and tell me I’m wrong. Of course, it would be inevitable that one of my favorite writers would eventually take over the character and so it has happened with Vampirella #1, written by Eric Trautmann. So, what did I think of the mix of excellent writer and poor, one dimensional character?
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Vampirella #1 is a terrific first issue and an outstanding comic, period. The story was engaging and definitely felt like 1970s horror and action re-envisioned in the present. In short, Trautmann stays true to the roots of Vampirella while simultaneously losing the overt eroticism and adding three dimensional realism. Through Vampi’s internal monologue Trautmann manages to turn her into a fully developed character that is not only alluring, but someone interesting. Again, having never really read the character previously, I’m hooked on this book and can’t wait for the second issue.
Wagner Reiss’ artwork is reminiscent of Neal Adams in some ways and a great fit for the tone of the book. Reiss has a clean style that takes you through the story in a dynamic fashion without just being a series of pinups. You really feel like you’re in Seattle in the exterior scenes and you can thankfully easily tell the characters apart. I hope Reiss is chained to this book for a long time to come.
All in all, this is the best book out this week and a perfect start to a fun book. If you’ve never read Vampirella before you will want to continue to after reading this. Long-time fans might be put off by Vampi actually being given clothes to wear, but how could you take her seriously in a meaningful story in what she’s been traditionally been drawn in? Hats off to Eric Trautmann for making me like a character I’d previously despised and for writing another great comic.
Earlier in the week I spoke with Mr. Trautmann about taking over writing the adventures of Vampirella. Below is the short interview. Enjoy and if you only pick up one comic this week, make itVampirella #1. Ok, you should pick up Red Sonja #53, too.
POP CULTURE ZOO: Initially I was surprised to hear you were taking on Vampirella.
ERIC TRAUTMANN: Not as surprised as I was, honestly.
PCZ: Upon further reflection, you are actually the perfect choice. How is it you do such a great job writing strong female characters?
ET: I’m actually not sure I do, but it’s nice of you to say. When I’m writing any character, I try to write that character as honestly as possible, and try to “know” where that character is, emotionally, at any given moment. In the case of the female characters I’ve written, it’s been a combination of working hard to put myself in their headspace, and having a wonderful example of a tough, empowered woman in my life. You have, of course, met my wife…
PCZ: Indeed I have! [Eric’s wife, Gabrielle, owns and operates our favorite comic book shop, Olympic Cards and Comics in Lacey, WA] Was Vampirella a character you actively lobbied for? Were you a fan prior to taking the assignment?
ET: I didn’t lobby for it, per se. Joe Rybandt, my editor at Dynamite, actually persuaded me to pitch it; I had just completed my first issue of Red Sonja, and I guess everyone at Dynamite liked it. I had been aware of the character, certainly, and had read a fair amount of Vampirella stories over the years, but I had lost track of where the character was at in the ’90s. I had been more a fan of the creative teams that had worked on the character, which is a pretty daunting list of heavyweights.
PCZ: What is your take on the character? To you, what makes Vampirella an interesting character worth reading about?
ET: She’s somewhat alienated from the people she’s protecting; she’s a monster built to kill monsters, which, when you think about it, is kind of a horrible existence. So, there’s the potential for real drama in there, I think.
PCZ: Ok, so addressing the elephant in the room, Vampi has a new costume for this series, some would say she actually has a costume for the first time. What went into the decision to make such a radical departure from the past?
ET: For one thing, the kind of story we’re doing. It’s more of a procedural/investigation tale, and by necessity was more realistic. Real people rarely wear “costumes” to sneak around; they wear clothes. When Dynamite wanted the character rebooted, and the decision was made to handle it as a harder-edged story, it was important to me to make sure that one of the character’s signature elements — the sexy, alluring visuals — were represented, but from a standpoint we’d not seen before. Smart is sexy. Competent is sexy. A seven-foot tall, statuesque beauty, wearing Armani and kicking bad guys right in the face? Sexy.
PCZ: Have you been surprised by the reactions to the costume change, considering the fact that these reactions are before anyone has even read the first issue?
ET: Not surprised, really, except perhaps at some of the vehemence of the response.
PCZ: Is this a brand new reboot of the character or a re-imagining? Do any of Vampirella’s previous origins factor into the new series?
ET: Well, all of her origins factor in, really. I didn’t want to be the guy to come in and wipe out / retcon what’s come before. So, my take is that Vampirella herself isn’t really sure what her origin is — was she from Drakulon, or a realm in Hell? Are her memories real, or just implanted? — but she’s decided that it doesn’t matter. To cope with her jumbled past, she’s much more focused on what’s going on right now and what’s coming next than on where she’s been, with one notable exception: she’s still deeply angry about the death of her lover, Adam van Helsing.
PCZ: This series is based in Seattle. Will Vampi get to explore a lot of the Emerald City?
ET: A bit, yeah. It won’t require keeping a Lonely Planet guide handy, and some of the locations in Seattle are fictionalized, but the character of the place — the fog, the rain — seems pretty well represented.
PCZ: Without spoiling things, can you give us a few teases as to what you’ve got coming up in Vampirella?
ET: Mayhem, bloodshed, anger, hallucinations, ancient horrors from beyond space and time, and Dracula.
PCZ: Excellent! Ok, requisite fanboy question, any chance of a Red Sonja/Vampirella crossover in the future?
ET: Ha! That’s a question for Dynamite, I’m afraid. But I’d be game.