Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Vampirella: Southern Gothic by Nathan Cosby and Jose Luis

There are some truly iconic horror comics characters.  Swamp Thing.  Man-Thing.  Werewolf by Night.  Cain and Abel from DC’s House of Mysteries and House of Secrets.  Dracula featured prominently in Marvel comics for an extended period.  And, of course, Vampirella.  Mixing the dark imagery of Creepy and Eerie with the sex appeal of Elvira, Vampirella has had the staying power so many horror comics lacked.  Going in and out of publication, Vampirella was most recently acquired by Dynamite Entertainment, which has been publishing a regular on-going series as well as a number of mini-series, including Vampirella: Southern Gothic, written by Nathan Cosby, with art from Jose Luis.

In Southern Gothic, Vampirella receives a call from a former lover following a battle with demons that left her with a mystical wound.  Jacob, the caller, is sheriff in Mississippi who I dealing with an unusual murder case, in which the victim has died before.  Many times before.  Vampirella heads down to Mississippi to investigate, and discovers that there is far more going on in Mississippi than she thought, with crazed demons only being the start of her nightmare.

As a fan of horror comics, not having read any Vampirella was a notable absence, so I was excited to rectify it with Southern Gothic, which turned out to be a great introduction to the character.  Not delving too deeply into the backstory, and smoothly introducing readers to the key elements, the story is fast-paced, holds a lot of action, and is a very fun story.  Vampirella proves to be a very engaging character that can hold her own in her fights with demons, and the supporting cast becomes more and more interesting as the story progresses.

For readers interested in giving Vampirella a try, or for fans looking for a fun stand-alone adventure, Vampirella: Southern Gothic is a great read.

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