Christopher Priest does not stroll into this issue. Nah. That man comes in like he already owns the room, flips on the lights, and makes everybody at the family reunion tell the truth. Vampirella is the kind of comic that understands something very important: monsters are cool, blood is great, gothic chaos is fun… but messy family baggage? Oh baby, that’s the premium fuel.
And that is exactly why this issue works so well.
Instead of giving readers some lazy “new number one” smoke-and-mirrors restart, Priest gives this book a pulse right out the gate. Draculina is not just another spooky threat floating around the edges of Vampirella’s world. She feels fractured, dangerous, wounded, and weirdly human in the most uncomfortable way. That tension gives the entire issue bite. You are not just watching plot happen. You are watching emotional damage put on heels and walk straight into disaster.
Best of all, Priest writes with confidence. There’s no hand-holding, no overexplaining, no drowning the page in exposition soup. He trusts the reader to keep up, and that trust makes the comic feel smarter. It also makes the issue move. This book has momentum. Real momentum. The kind where you tell yourself “one more page,” and then suddenly you’re at the end looking around like somebody stole ten minutes off the clock.
Davis Goetten absolutely shows up swinging here. The storytelling is sharp, expressive, and cinematic without ever feeling like it’s trying too hard to show off. The body language matters. The facial expressions matter. The silence matters. There are moments in this issue where Goetten is doing the heavy lifting without needing a giant neon sign screaming, “HEY READER, THIS IS IMPORTANT.” That’s craft. That’s confidence. That’s a creative team cooking with the burner all the way up.
The linked review especially praised how Priest trusts Goetten to carry narrative beats visually, how the issue balances background catch-up with accessibility for newer readers, and how the visual shift between black-and-white and full color helps sell Draculina’s emotional journey.
Giovanni Caputo deserves flowers too, because the color work here is slick. When the palette opens up, the pages don’t just brighten, they breathe. Mood hits harder. Emotion lands cleaner. The contrast choices help the book feel eerie, elegant, and occasionally unhinged in exactly the right way. It’s one of those cases where the colors are not just decorating the art, they are actively helping tell the story.
And let’s not do that thing some folks do where they forget the letterer until the end like he just wandered in for snacks. Willie Schubert is doing stealth assassin work on this issue. A book with Priest’s rhythm can get messy fast in lesser hands, but the lettering keeps the pace smooth and the read effortless. Dialogue lands, captions flow, and the emotional beats never get stepped on. That matters. A lot.
What I really dug here is that this comic feels like it respects longtime readers without punishing new ones. That’s not easy. Some legacy books act like you need a doctorate and a corkboard to enjoy issue one. This ain’t that. Priest and company make this feel welcoming while still letting the bigger mythology breathe. That’s a win for old-school Vampi fans, and it’s a win for curious readers looking for a place to jump on without getting hit in the face by continuity bricks.
And let me say this plain: this issue has sauce. It has style. It has that slightly twisted, emotionally loaded, soap-operatic horror energy that makes Vampirella feel like more than just an icon in a red outfit. This comic remembers that the character’s world should be seductive, tragic, dangerous, and a little bit gloriously extra. WEPA. That’s the sweet spot.
Bottom line? Vampirella #1 is a strong, stylish, character-driven launch that leans into family dysfunction, visual storytelling, and emotional unease instead of playing it safe. Christopher Priest is still out here reminding folks why veteran creators matter, Davis Goetten brings the cinematic punch, Giovanni Caputo adds atmosphere and elegance, Willie Schubert keeps the machine humming, and Dynamite deserves a nod for continuing to let this corner of the line stay bold, weird, and alive. If you wanted a new Vampirella issue that feels dramatic, accessible, and genuinely worth your money, this one absolutely gets the job done.
Crusaders Score:
4.5/5
Writer: Christopher Priest
Artist: Davis Goetten
Colors: Giovanni Caputo
Letters: Willie Schubert
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Main Cover A: Lucio Parrillo
Also featuring covers by: Derrick Chew, Joseph Michael Linsner, Elias Chatzoudis, and Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
Author Profile
- I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!
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