Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Vol. 1

Vampirella, Crimson Chronicles #1-37

by Archie Goodwin, Steve Englehart, Forrest J. Ackerman

Finally, the legend of Vampirella can be told... from her very beginning! The Essential Warren Years collects the complete story of Vampirella, the raven-haired heroine and beloved horror hostess! Starting with her first appearance in "Vampirella of Drakulon" by Forrest J. Ackerman and Tom Sutton, and spanning each and every fear-fraught issue from the first five years of Vampirella Magazine, this massive tome not only introduces one of the most iconic characters in horror comic history, but her hypnotic supporting cast: the Conjuress, Pendragon, Adam Van Helsing, the Cult of Chaos, and the undead lord Dracula! Featuring the creative talents of Archie Goodwin, Jose Gonzalez, Steve Englehart, Gonzalo Mayo, and more!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Vampires

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Archie Goodwin was an American comic book writer, editor, and artist. He worked on a number of comic strips in addition to comic books, and is best known for his Warren and Marvel Comics work. For Warren he was chief writer and editor of landmark horror anthology titles Creepy and Eerie, and for Marvel he set up the creator-owned Epic Comics as well as adapting Star Wars into both comics and newspaper strips. He is regularly cited as the "best-loved comic book editor, ever."

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Volume 1 collects material from Vampirella #1-2, 7-8, and 11-37.

I learned of Vampirella's existence decades ago as a horny teenager thumbing through Wizard magazine. Since I've been attempting to fill in some comics blindspots the last couple years, I picked this one up.

Vampirella is an alien from the dying planet of Drakulon, a planet where all surface liquid more closely resembles hemoglobin than water. After jumping aboard a rocket, Vampirella finds herself on Earth with a lust for blood! Yeah, I know Vampi's origin was tweaked decades later so her story more closely resembles that of every other vampire story ever but this version has some Bronze Age charm.

After landing a job as an assistant to alcoholic stage magician Pendragon, Vampi spends a lot of time going up against the Cult of Chaos and pining over Adam Van Helsing, descendant of the legendary vampire hunter. She and her friends go up against zombies, Dracula, Lovecraftian horrors, and all sorts of other stuff.

The stories within have a host of authors, the most notable being Len Wein, Archie Goodwin, and Steve Englehart. Jose Gonzalez does the bulk of the art and it is a sight to behold. The stories are average for the time period, nothing earth-shattering. Joe Gonzalez draws a sexy alien vampire but he doesn't take a lot of short cuts to do it, conveying sexiness with facial expressions for the most part.

This book surprised me in a lot of ways. I was expecting way more gratuitous T&A and sleaze in general. I did not expect it to feel like a Bronze Age Marvel book but that's what it most reminded me of. Once you get used to Vampirella's skimpy costume, there really isn't much in the way of sexual content until the last 40 pages or so. Another thing that surprised me was that Vampirella doesn't go on a lot of feeding frenzies, trying to subsist on a serum that sates her appetites. She frequently takes a backseat to the male characters, in fact.

While I'm glad I read Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Volume 1, I don't know that I'll be in a hurry to read the next volume when it is released. Three out of five coked up alien vampires.

[Shane Findlay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love my 70s Vampirella essentials!
Reread…

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lately I've been trying to go back and read more female superhero comic books, mainly just out of curiosity about whether there's anything even remotely worthwhile about them or if they're all just poorly written excuses for nerdy pornsploitation. Since I have a certain soft spot for Horror comics, I thought Vampirella might be a good one to check out a little more and I found this cheap collection of Vampirella's early origins.

First of all, I want to directly address the costume. Her outfit is easily the absolute worst, most pornulated superhero costume of all time. I was constantly getting completely distracted from the actual plot lines in the story by it's sheer, mind boggling impracticality. I mean, it is pretty much DEEPLY impractical for the laws of physics, let alone for fighting demons ok? And beyond that, I'm pretty sure Vampirella would have the damnedest time even having a normal conversation with anyone because the second she walks into the room, people would be like, "By joves, what wizardry hath allowed your bikini to cling to your underboob with such force and tenacity? Surely it is the devil's unholy work!" Or alternately, they would be like, "Where the hell do you stash your wallet lady? Not to mention the magical vials of blood serum which you desperately need every day of your life to avoid going into a mad bloodrage killing spree?"

Which brings me to my next point: Vampirella seriously needs to get some pockets or a backpack or a utility belt or some sort of storage solution for the demands of her daily life. Like, every day she runs out to fight evil cults and every day she somehow OOPSY loses her magic vial of blood serum and comes THIS CLOSE to killing her nearest and dearest. It happens so often that I stopped believing that it wasn't intentional on a deeper psychological level. Like, Vampirella is clearly secretly annoyed by her companions, but is too passive aggressive to call it quits except by "accidentally" having to eat them. Vampirella, I really feel that it is time for you to just woman up and tell them to their face that you're just not that into them. You know? And while you're at it, let's stop enabling Pendragon's alcoholism and just stage an intervention already, ok?

With all that said though, there is a lovable and surprisingly cheerful campiness to these comics and the art is pretty great. Meh.

[Clay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've known of the character Vampirella, but not much more than her name and her revealing red costume. So It some picked up this volume to get some background. The first two chapters (from her first two appearances) were pretty juvenile and seemed better suited for standard four-color comics than a black and white magazine. Still, it was the origin story and it's follow-up to establish the character.

The next story (from issue #8) was far and away better plotted, more intriguing, better illustrated, and introduced both a continuing sub-plot and cast of supporting characters that carried through for the next fifteen or so episodes. While the writing stayed consistent, the art improved dramatically over the course of these early issues. Jose Gonzalez demonstrated an inventiveness and sense of experimentation that grasped the depth and breadth of what could be done in the B&W magazine medium. His use of ink and white space, shading and pencil work, page and panel design must have been some of the best comic art in the (horror) medium in the early '70s.

In the second half of the book, some of the supporting cast were dropped for no given reason, the plots got a little thin with regards to getting Vampirella into a certain location and situation (much like action plots of seventies TV shows), and she kept dropping or forgetting her blood-serum that needed to be taken every 24 hours or else she would crave human blood again. All a bit silly and repetitive when read in rapid succession, but even so, some interesting and imaginative ideas for the horror comics genre were presented.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading this off & on for months, just picking it up once in a while and reading a story or two. I finally finished it today. This is a collection of the earliest Vampirella stories, which were originally published back in the early 70s. I'm not a huge Vampirella fan; I bought this collection on a lark, more than ten years ago, so it's been sitting on the shelf for a long time.

Vampirella is a pretty ridiculous character. And these stories are, by and large, pretty darn ridiculous. These kind of stories can be a lot of fun to read though. The stories in here that were written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by José González are all pretty good. The others are hit & miss. Some are pretty bad. This definitely isn't for everyone, but if you're the kind of person who likes goofy cheesecake vampire comics from the 70s, here they are.

The reproduction quality in this book is pretty bad, which is a shame, given how detailed some of the artwork is. (This is an old Harris Comics book. I'm sure there are more recent collection of these stories with better quality.)

Anyway,

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some major bronze age writing talent at work here, and creditable b/w artwork, but I could not get into it.
I've heard it said that Vampirella was intended for adolescent boys who could ogle her skimpy costume in the absence of other, less easy to obtain pictorial titillation. I feel sorry for them.

[Hagay Hacohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smarter then you think, more to it then meets the naked eye

This is a wonderful collection and a fantastic way to get to know the character. Like the much more recent Batman character Harley Queen, Vampi was first used to serve as a device to promote the plot between various illustrated horror tales. Like Harley, fans responded so well that the creators gave the character a much wider range. While the initial reason might have been their attractiveness (both are presented in minimum clothing and as daring women) and the mostly male readership of comics these are more than she candy.

The Vampi stories are surprisingly well written, using a variety of sources to shape the Vampi universe. Dracula makes several appearances but so do the Aztec sun God and ancient Egypt. The ending, with a grand tour of vampires in world myths, is highly intelligent and shows the writers were serious about their craft.

The stories themselves are smarter than you think. Vampi and her companion make an odd match of opposites. A young woman and an old man. Yet their relationship is strong, both struggle with thirst (blood or drink) and both need each other. Perhaps the oddness of the relationship is one of the reason Vampi had never been a huge comic book character.

For those who think the comic is exploitative of women, it is and it isn't. While the art is stunning and present many near nude female characters the plot usually presents strong willed women. Men who are predatory and aggressive are always punished while romantic difficulties are presented and not judged. This doesn't mean Vampi is a perfect example to anything, it's a slightly erotic horror comic that is well written, but it's more 'adult' than you might think. All in all a great read and much less problematic than you'd think. Also, the art is fantastic.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 5.0 of 5

This, my friends, is it. If you’ve heard of the character of Vampirella, or seen the often reprinted classic covers, or seen cosplayers dressed as the sexy vampire, or even picked up one of the newer incarnations of the comic and wondered what all the fuss was about … wondered why anyone would be interested in this character … THIS is the book you need to read. From her creation story (by noted science fiction fan/writer/historian/activist Forrest Ackerman) and her outstanding outfit (created by comic book artist Trina Robbins) to love stories and adventure stories and even a meeting with the master vampire himself, Dracula, and truly outstanding black and white art by José González.

Through this collection we learn that this daughter of Drakulon (her origin is more like Superman’s than Dracula’s), while needing blood for sustenance, prefers to drink from a specially made serum to prevent harming humans. But give her trouble and/or withhold that serum from her and she’ll drain a person dry (there’s no ‘converting’ others to vampirism).

We also learn that she has a number of close associates. The old, alcoholic magician, Pendragon, is perhaps her closest, platonic friend. For quite a time, she would appear as his assistant during a performance and ‘allow’ herself to be turned into a bat by his powers. And in a nice dramatic arc, Adam van Helsing, the last descendant of a long line of vampire hunters, and Vampirella become lovers.

Not all of these stories are 5-star-worthy, and reading it from cover to cover, instead of one issue a month at a time, does get a little tiring. It’s a bit heavy on romance (remember, this came out about the same time as the gothic soap opera series Dark Shadows) and there are moments that just feel uniquely 70’s, but overall this has more entertaining stories than a lot of what I read that s more current.

And then there’s the art. Wow, this art. José González is one of the main artists through this book and his art is simply outstanding. Not just every page, but every panel on a page is an incredible work of art worth framing. Just looking at the book and you can see why it became popular. Easily as much (or more) for the art as for the story. And while it’s not all done by José González, he clearly set a standard which was kept up in these early stories.

This book establishes the character of Vampirella and shows us her early exploits and friends (and enemies). Every writer and artist working on the new Vampirella stories should be required to read this and challenged to write and draw to this level (or better).

Looking for a good book? This very thick graphic novel, Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years Volume One, contains everything you need to know to get caught up on Vampirella, and once you do, you may find that the more modern stories still being published just don’t hold a candle to these stories.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I have been collecting Vampirella comics since 2014, it was not until Dynamite Entertainment announced Vampirella (Vol. 2) No. 1969 (released in approximately December of 2015) that my desire to get to know the original incarnation of Vampirella (the famous vampiress introduced in American comics in 1969) began since the versions of Vampirella that Dynamite introduces are from universes alternate to one original one's own. Then in 2019, I was fortunate enough to purchase a copy of Dynamite's facsimile edition of the first issue of Vampirella's first comic book series (Warren Publishing's Vampirella Magazine that is), and once I did, I knew I wanted more of the original version of Vampirella, leading me to finally purchase a copy of Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years, Volume One. Not only did this paperback had everything I could ask for in a female-led superhero comic (good art, magic, perils, out-of-the-ordinary villains, and a loveable and sexy superheroine I can both fall in love with and relate to), but it also presented a careful selection of stories from Warren's Vampirella Magazine that made it work like a novel as it presented steps of an ongoing process, explaining how the Vampirella gets from one point to another in her epic journey as well as first encounters with important characters who would eventually re-appear time and time again and of course a few status quo changes. The only thing odd about this book (at least in my opinion) was the choice of parental rating given by the publisher, which is M (Ages 17+) as the very few panels of frontal female nudity (which were non-sexual in context by the way) and the lack of strongly graphic violent content make a multi-part story look like something that would qualify for a PG rating (for movies suitable for ages 8+) from the MPAA if it was done as a movie made in the late 1960s and 1970s (note that PG-13 wasn't born yet then), and if I was the Dynamite Entertainment president, I would have rated it Parental Advisory (Ages 15+) since it was created to function like a middle ground between MPAA ratings PG-13 (equivalent to Dynamites' T+ rating) and R (equivalent to Dynamites' M rating), but it should be okay parents to let offspring of theirs who are between ages 8 to 17 read this as long as they don't do it outside of their houses (and I'm a childless comic reader saying this). Anyway, if you could only buy one Vampirella book in your life, Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years, Volume One is that book as it has everything you need to know about Vampirella, and even though Dynamite has delivered some well-illustrated and well-written original Vampirella stories of its own over the years, they somehow cannot compare to what Warren Publishing delivered in terms of quality. I highly recommend this compilation book for not only long-time Vampirella fans, but also those looking for a first taste of Vampirella lore. Hopefully, Dynamite does a second volume of Vampirella: The Essential Warren Years.

[Chrisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

DRAFT

I don't remember why I started reading this. It's pretty cheesy horror and cheesecake fan service. But the artwork is often arrestingly beautiful.

The backstory is coocoo bananas: vampires actually come from outer space from the planet Drakulon, where the blood flows like wine. Literally the planets rivers are flooded with blood. It's water for them. And they live off water. But the planet's binary stars are drying up all the planet's water and the resulting drought threatens all life on the planet. So Vampirella (which is like, "humanella" on her planet?) hops a rocket to Earth where the humans are made out Drakulon water, aka blood.

She has a quick fling with a doctor after surviving a plane crash in the rocky mountains which establishes several enduring plot elements: 1) she now has a synthetic blood serum that if taken every 24 hours quells her bloodlust; 2) one of the people who died in the plane crash was a member of the legendary Van Helsing family, putting the victim's brother and nephew on Vampi's trail; 3) there is an evil god named Chaos who, along with his 7 demon servents, was banished to the Nether-Void, but who will stop at nothing to get a foothold back on earth (Vampi's doctor boyfriend fell victim to a Chaos Cult ritual).

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this via the The Boys vs The Girls Humble Bundle and before that I had barely heard about Vampirella. When I opened this e-comic, my immediate impression was that this predates the 80s and I was correct. These comics are more than 50 years old.

I am not going to comment on her skimpy and very impractical superhero outfit. I accept it as a given. I mean, her outfit is older than me. The artwork, stories, and storytelling feel dated, but I found it charming and I enjoyed the different pace of these old comics ... in moderation. Which is way it took me 20 days to finish this bundle.

[CJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been in a vampire mood, so I finally decided to try Vampirella. This collection features the character's greatest hits from the 70s. Unfortunately, it didn't satisfy my craving. It was far more magical and fantastical than I expected. It honestly reads more like a pulp magazine with Vampirella battling aliens, swamp monsters, giant slugs, mummies, and other random creatures. Despite being the titular character, she’s also often portrayed as a damsel in distress. A little disappointing but I plan to explore the modern comics as well to see if they resonate better with me.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

A fun, long introduction to Vampirella's first 5 years. The stories are hit or miss. The writing can get caught up in its own grandiose idea of poetry that it uses so many big, unusual words that the sentence loses all meaning and purpose. The stories can get too deep into fictional culture as well and rely on, again, a nonsensical concoction of words obtained from a thesaurus randomizer. But when the Vampirella story has simple, understandable fun, it makes a great comic. I really enjoy the character and the building blocks they made for her.

[Jeff Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

SEXY VAMPIRE ACTION

The art of Vampirella is hot, but the stories need some work. The comics are fun to read, but my mother would never have let me buy them instead of superhero comics. Vampirella is all woman, but I wish she had more powers than the ability to change back and forth into a bat. She always has a male chaperone and rarely strikes out on her own. I would like to see her more empowered. But, at the end of the day, the way she is drawn can’t be beat!

[Roger Billings]

A fun read.

Brings back memories when I was younger & reading Vampirella, Creepy, Eerie magazines.
The art work is very good along with the story plots.

[Spot · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was very campy and filled with really bad puns, it was satisfying to be able to read through the first 5 years of the Vampirella story that i would have missed otherwise, since she started well before my time. The art work was black and white, and absolutely amazing looking and detailed.


http://scifivin.com/2015/06/vampirell...

[Aaronlisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up on the original Warren comics Vampirella so finding an edition that covers the first five years was great. The only thing that was lacking was the inclusion of the other stories told in the Vampi comics.

[Greg Trosclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than expected, lush artwork and pretty decent stories. I was mildly surprised.