“Vampirella #11” Review – A New Tale Arises!

Writer: Christopher Priest
Artist & Colorist: Ergün Gündüz
Letters: Willie Schubert
Editor: Matt Idelson
Main Cover Artist: Lucio Parillo

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Writing to Die For

To start off, the writing here is absolutely fantastic and tells a deep, well-meaning message. We pick up after the end of the previous issue, where Vampirella and gang got sent back in time after she rejected the advancements of Chaos the Mad God. In order to properly set up the message of this new arc, readers are introduced to both the setting and the villains at the focal point; vampires masquerading as federal agents in an old west town.

I’ll admit that I was a bit thrown off at first, as this was a fairly drastic setting change from the first issue, but once the purpose became clear, I was entirely onboard. As of right now, the purpose of this arc seems to be similar to that of the utter masterpiece that is “Sinners” by Ryan Coogler. Writer Christopher Priest seems to be a telling a story of how colonialism impacts minority communities, using the idea of the vampire as a metaphor. Without going into too much detail so as to not ruin any surprises, this is shown to us using the Shoshone tribe and the correlation between them and Vampirella’s love, Légere. I absolutely love that this topic is being brought up in relation to a character as longstanding as Vampirella and am very excited to see where Priest takes this!

After having done work on “Vampirella” in previous years, artist Ergün Gündüz returns in a jaw-dropping way. While there’s some panels where the details aren’t too great or the action looks a bit stiff, his true excellence really shines through in others. One of the first things I noticed was the usage of shading and light to perfectly capture an eerie mood. My favorite example is a splash page that involves a big train next to what looks like a mill, set at night with the light of the train illuminating our four antagonists. The second I saw this, I felt a chill run down my spine, something that I’m sure was Gündüz’s intention.

Art credit also deserves to be given to the cover artists, especially Lucio Parillo, Derrick Chew and Elias Chatzoudis. All three of them absolutely shine and deserve the recognition. I especially love Derrick Chew’s cover just for his particular art style alone. It speaks to me and my love of both vampires and anime.

Final Thoughts

The writing is absolutely alluring with a staunch, powerful message and artwork that backs it up near perfectly. Any “Vampirella” fan will want to sink their teeth in!

Overall Grade: 9/10

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Were you able to pick up “Vampirella #11”? If so, what’d you think? Let me know in the comments below!