Review: Vampirella Red Sonja #1
Don’t you just hate it when a company has a good idea and then goes and saturates the market with it? This time I am not talking about Batman or another Spider-Man book. I am talking about the collaboration between Vampi and Sonja, a partnership that has seen the Swords of Sorrow all the way to Riverdale as the pair get to pal around with Betty and Veronica. Now, colorist turned writer Jordie Bellaire of Buffy fame, takes the other end of the stake to chronicle a new chapter for the Dynamite Damsels.
The year is 1969; Vampi hasn’t been on the planet for that long. Posing as an American journalist, she is on the trail of a yeti who seems to terrorising a certain part of the Russian landscape. Using all her vampiric, feminine wiles, Vampi is on the trail, though the red haired she-devil she finds is definitely more dangerous than a yeti!
Jordie Bellaire has been cooking up a storm over on Buffy, so it’s great to see her spread her wings so to speak, on another book. With Vampi, Bellaire gets to move away from one licensed character to another. This time around though, there is a level of flexibility with Vampi that not be enjoyed on Buffy, mainly due to the TV expectations of the latter. Structure wise, by going back sometime, Bellaire gets to play with setup, showing a different side to Vampi than some may expect. Dialogue wise, the story moves along at a fair clips, never going as far as to spoil the big reveal, which a huge credit to Bellaire, who succeeds where more experienced writers may well have failed.
Drew Moss supplies the art with a scheme that certainly has that 60’s vibe down. It kind of reminds me of a less detailed Joelle Jones, especially the look of Lady Killer. Moss takes a step away from “babe in a swimsuit”, though fans of classic Vampi shouldn’t be too disappointed with the minor alterations. Moss takes it a step further by showing Vampi in more sophisticated light, dealing with a different type of predator. The panels are well placed, though the backgrounds, at times, could do with a little more details. Still, where there is a lack of action, Moss manages to do well with faces, showing some strong emotional aspects. Colors are provided by Rebecca Nalty who uses a black border scheme to highlight the colors in the panels, which are a darker affair suiting the mood of the book well.  Rounding of the creative team is letterer Becca Carey who gives the book a clean font that doesn’t impact the flow or pacing of the art. There are a number of covers to choose from, though the Dodson duo of Terry and Rachel is a hard one to beat.
In many ways, both Vampi and Sonja are as flexible in iteration as Batman or Superman. I am pleased that Dynamite are continuing to look at these two in a way that both can entice both new readers and established fans of both,
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
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Written by; Jordie Bellaire
Art by; Drew Moss
Colors by; Rebecca Nalty
Letters by; Becca Carey
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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