Vampirella: Roses for the Dead Vol. 1

by Kristina Deak-Linsner, Joseph Michael Linsner (Artist)

Fan Favorite artist Joe Michael Linsner is joined by writer Kristina Deak-Linsner to create a Vampirella story that takes Vampi back-to-basics as Dynamite prepares to celebrate her 50th Anniversary in 2019! Vampirella hunts down a sexual predator in order to feed her insatiable thirst for blood. While tracking him down to a Philadelphia nightclub, Evily the Witch bars her path. They clash and the plan is thwarted. Do they both decide to team up against him, or remain at odds? Whatever the means, Vampi vows to get revenge!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Vampires, Action

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2019

Reviews

[L. McCoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy fuck, I am addicted to this character...

What’s it about?
A serial rapist is on the loose. One victim left in a coma is a promising young clairvoyant with a connection to Evily, a brave witch. Vampirella is after the same guy. Time for a team up.

Why it gets 5 stars:
The story is very interesting. It’s like a mix of crime drama, superhero action and supernatural horror. What’s not to love?
The artwork is fantastic! Suits the characters, story and atmosphere well.

The characters are interesting. So we don’t see much about the girl who was raped but she seemed interesting based on the bit of her we see. Vampirella is one of my favorite superheroes and yeah, she is well written in this. Not afraid to show emotion while being bad-ass and stunning as usual. Evily is interesting for sure, very well written (of course the writer is into witchy stuff herself according to the afterword so she probably knows a thing or 2 about witches).
Lots of fast paced stuff in this comic!
Despite such a dark subject matter, there is some comic relief. It was very well done too.
This comic is not too predictable. Okay, some bits are kinda predictable but there are quite a few decent twists and that’s especially cool because I often find horror and superhero stuff to be a bit too predictable so yeah, good job.
The horror is very well done. A big part of it is how it’s not just fake monster stuff but also the story also deals with something that is a very real horror.
There’s a dog in this comic! I love dogs.
The commentary is very well done. I think it’s largely due to being a horror comic, that makes the depiction of this topic as dark and disturbing as it should be, because rape is a real life horror that some unfortunately have to face. I also like how it isn’t sexist towards men, that’s actually something I was slightly worried about walking into this book because while rape and sexism are very real problems, being shitty towards men is... well... shitty and arguably the worst way to approach these topics (even if that is how many approach these topics) so I’m glad to see this story approach these things well.

Overall:
This comic is a great story that approaches a dark subject in a way I wish more books would. An intense mix of crime drama, superheroes and horror. Very suspenseful, very intense, very interesting, sometimes even a tad humorous though not taking away from the seriousness of the subject matter. The characters are very interesting and well written too. Damn, I can’t figure out why you wouldn’t love this book.
Highly recommended!

5/5

Post review song parody about me getting into Vampirella comics (read in tune of Senorita by Camilla Cabello and Shawn Mendes):
[Vampirella]
They should know they can’t beat Vampirella
A bad-ass and beautiful monster killa
The star of quite a few great comics
Oh shit, I need blood
I keep monster huntin’
And you keep on coming for some

[L.]
At first looked silly
Excuse for bloody scenery
And of course boobies
But I remembered the name, it’s Ella
It is Vampirella
Yeah, oh
But then when I tried
I read for hours and goddamn
A pleasant surprise
I guess she just gained a big fan, El-la-la
This is actually good stuff, yeah

I guess I’m a fan of Vampirella
A mix of superheroes and some horror
So many books, usually well done
So goddamn well done
Ooh, I keep on coming
Ooh, you know I love it when I read Vampirella
[Vampirella]
I guess my stories are just perfect for ya
These comic books ya love so damn much
As I thirst for blood
Monsters I’ll be huntin’
Evil-doers are all so fucked

Villains so hostile
There's just some things that never change
They harm innocents
So killing them is a-okay, is it not?
‘Cause you know the reason I fight monsters
Gotta save you all, ooh

My adventures impress ye
Hooked on this stuff
Fighting with moves so deadly
Looks stun

[L]
I guess I’m a fan of Vampirella
A mix of superheroes and some horror
So many books, usually well done
So goddamn well done
Ooh, I keep on coming
Ooh, you know I love it when I read Vampirella
[Vampirella]
I guess my stories are just perfect for ya
These comic books ya love so damn much
As I thirst for blood
Monsters I’ll be huntin’
Evil-doers are all so fucked

All along I was perfect for ya
And I hope you read more of my stuff
[L]
Yeah ya know I'll be reading ‘bout ya
reading ‘bout ya, ‘bout ya

About ya (supe action plus horror)
That’s ya

[Vampirella]
Evil will keep coming
[L]
Stunning, bad-ass villain killer!

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome story of Vampi's team up with a witch as they deal out justice to a sexual predator. Excellent story and beautiful illustrations. Highly recommended

[Emmanuel Nevers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Story but the art really shines in this one!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein Straftäter ist auf freiem Fuß, der es hauptsächlich auf Frauen abgesehen hat. Eines seiner Opfer, das im Koma liegt, ist eine vielversprechende junge Hellseherin, die ein Schützling von Evily ist, letztere ist eine sympathische Hexe. Vampirella ist hinter demselben Täter her wie Evily, also Zeit für ein gemeinsames Vorgehen gegen den Unhold, um ihn auszuschalten und beiseite zu schaffen.

Die Geschichte ist eine Mischung aus Krimi, Superhelden-Action und übernatürlichem Horror. Da kann ja eigentlich nichts mehr schiefgehen.
Die Illustrationen dazu sind fantastisch und unterstreichen perfekt die Charaktere, die Geschichte und die Atmosphäre.
Die ganzen Figuren sind allesamt bemerkenswert und hochinteressant. Wir erfahren zwar nicht viel über das Mädchen, dem übel mitgespielt wurde, aber das bisschen, was wir von ihr sehen, macht neugierig. Vampirella ist eine meiner Lieblingssuperhelden und ja, sie ist in diesem Buch gut dargestellt. Sie hat keine Angst, Emotionen zu zeigen, wobei sie auch knallhart und umwerfend sein kann, also sie ist wie immer.
Evily ist auf jeden Fall genauso interessant, sehr gut beschrieben (natürlich hat die Autorin laut dem Nachwort selbst mit Hexen zu tun, also weiß sie wahrscheinlich ausreichend Bescheid über Hexen).
In diesem Comic geht es rasant zu und trotz des düsteren Themas gibt es auch einige witzige Momente, das war auch sehr gut gemacht vom Autor und der Zeichnerin, und auch der Horror kommt nicht zu kurz.
Zum Glück wartet dieser Comic mit ein paar Überraschungen auf, es gibt ein paar gute Wendungen, und das ist besonders cool, weil ich Horror- und Superheldengeschichten oft ein bisschen zu vorhersehbar finde, also ja, gute Arbeit.

Dieser Comic ist eine großartige Geschichte, die ein düsteres Thema auf eine Art und Weise angeht, wie ich es mir von mehr Comics wünschen würde. Sehr spannend, sehr intensiv, sehr interessant, manchmal sogar ein bisschen humorvoll, was aber der Ernsthaftigkeit des Themas keinen Abbruch tut. Verdammt, ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, warum man diesen Comic nicht lieben sollte.
Sehr empfehlenswert!

[Carey Healy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first introduction to both Vampirella and Evily. The book was good, but didn’t quite land for me. It is about how Vampirella and Evily team up to track down a sexual predator.

The story covers pretty dark topics, but it isn’t treated with the gravitas that it deserves. The art is kind of standard, and I think it could have benefited from heavier shadowing, dirtier lines, and darker colors. The book lacks a certain grit, both in art and story. Also, I found Vampirella skimpy outfit to be distracting and inappropriate. The story is mature, but the posing and appearance of Vampirella are a little juvenile. Paneling and layouts are good, and the exposition in the story is just enough to get a new reader valuable information without overwhelming.

I am sure it’s a tough balancing act for the creators to honor the character’s heritage but modernize her. They did a decent job with the task, but I wish the final product was a little more serious and mature.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bom, é um daqueles crossover genéricos da Vampirella com algum outro personagem que eu não sei bem quem é, Evily, a bruxa.
Originalmente, a Evily era uma prima da Vampi, mas acho que isso não vale mais. Enfim, Vampi está caçando um predador sexual que, com a ajuda de uma viciada, droga mulheres para, bom, violentá-las num beco sujo. A protegida de Evily, Clara, foi uma dessas mulheres e a bruxa também quer vingança; depois de um pequeno confronto entre as duas, elas se unem e saem à caça do cara.
Como falei, genérico, tem as reviravoltas esperadas, nenhuma revelação é realmente surpreendente, tem uma ou outra coisa legal, a arte é bem feita, mas o que mais me incomodou foi o clichê da violência sexual como o fio condutor da história, até no sentido de fortalecer a vítima e ela se tornar alguém mais forte para se tornar a heroína ou coisa parecida.
Achei que não fizessem mais esse tipo de história.
Enfim, genérico.

[Alexandre · Rating 1 out of 5]

story is kinda ordinary

[Pat Blades · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good God I loved everything about this this comic the art was amazing the story blew me away I loved everything about all the characters DEFINITELY DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a short book (and it was a hardback) but a good story.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a "back-to-basics" approach right before Christopher Priest's 50th Anniversary run began. And it reminds me that Vampirella's "basics" are pretty boring, at least to me.

[Russ Spence · Rating 2 out of 5]

not the best, this doesn't really engage me and the characters are one dimensional, which might not matter to you when you're reading about a vampire in a bathing costume, but still does to me

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Vampirella: Roses for the Dead" is a creative and compelling addition to the large and growing number of stories and books featuring the titular character. Originally, released as a special offering for the 50th anniversary of the character's advent this book tells a compelling story that nicely unifies many existing and sometimes competing themes that have emerged over the years while also feeling modern and new at the same time. Special note should also be taken of the artwork, which updates characters and costumes without seeming heavy handed, and the thought provoking introduction and afterword.

4.5 stars rounded to 4.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

VAMPIRELLA: ROSES FOR THE DEAD

Every comic issue has a different cover artist to the artists actually drawing the comic. In this case, it’s a real shame because the covers suggest ‘sleazy’ and ‘cheap’.
This 4-issue series is like a dark gothic spin on ‘Scooby-Doo’.

Issue#1 – “I come from another planet entirely – Drakulon. I am not an Earthly being. In fact, I knew nothing of Christianity until I came here.”

Issue#2 – “I’m just learning the power of the ‘arrow of time’ spell. I cannot hold it to a permanent state as of yet. Or believe me, I would have done just that.” - Evily

Issue#3 – “… tasted like a thrift shop ashtray.”

Issue#4 – “I devote all my energy to ridding this world of evil vampires.”

[Cameron Delgado · Rating 5 out of 5]

This queen (read in public on a plane)