Being a pretty lady can have it’s draw backs – cat calls, being hit on, and other unwanted advances, all in the effort to get into your pants. Luckily for Vampirella, she has no pants to get into. But then comes all sorts of other problems; Ancient Gods, Vampire fighting religious zealots, and college age nerds looking for a good time. Can our buxom, fanged, beauty come out on top? Take the jump faithful Spoilerite, and find out.
Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion #1
Writer: Joe Harris
Artist: Jose Malaga
Letters: Marshall Dillon
Colors: Renier Petter
Covers: J. Scott Campbell, Sean Chen, Billy Tucci
Editor: Joseph Rybandt
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Story Pages: 22
Cover Price: $3.99 USD
Previously, in Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion: Vampirella is the daughter of Lilith, and her goal is to kill all evil vampires. The Scarlet Legion is a Vatican sponsored Vampire Hunting Squad, they have a member by the name of Pendragon within their ranks that once was a ally to Vampirella.
FANGS FOR THE MEMORIES
From a seedy Strip Club in the Tampa Bay area, to a Brooklyn brownstone, the touch of Chaos is far and wide. With the Vatican sanctioned team known as the Scarlet Legion sent out to reign in the Chaos, that is sacrificing people to their ancient Gods. Can the Scarlet Legion and Vampirella team-up to prevent ancient evil from spilling out? Or will their conflicting natures lead to nothing but trouble?
Having only read a single issue of Vampirella before, I went into this issue with open eyes, and a open mind. I really didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a story that seemed out of place, that it would be more at home in 1998. The focus is that of some oncoming Chaos, and the forces of “good” trying to eradicate said Chaos, in order to prevent it from overrunning the Earth. A story subject that his general, and offers really nothing new, and nothing to latch on to.
The characterization is pretty much flat all across the board. No one, and that’s including Vampirella, stands out amongst the crowd and is able to carry the story forward. The supporting characters such as members of the Scarlet Legion, and the College Age Nerds are quite annoying. I wanted to skip over the parts of the comic they were featured, and that would have cut the comic down to like 7 pages, and I really don’t think that was a good sign.
A BLOODY GOOD TIME?
With the artwork by Jose Malaga, I was given a visual treat that was very easy on the eyes to say the least. The ladies including Vampirella look simply amazing without looking trashy, even if they are found in strip clubs. Each and every character has a distinctive look that continues from page to page, and in doing so, kept my lack of story interest subdued by my keen visual interest in the comic.
There were a few things that didn’t work visually though. There is a Scarlet Legion aircraft that looks like a flying cross, that really stands out, and not in a good way. It’s pretty weak visually, and is jarring, and broke up the visual narrative in a very haphazardly way. The covers are very striking visually, and of course played up for the “eye candy” factor. But no real surprise there, after all this is Vampirella we are talking about, anything other than “eye candy” would be a waste of time.
THE VERDICT: BLEEDING OUT IS NO FUN
This comic book wasn’t for me. It was blind read, just a number one I thought I could dive into without hitting my head on the bottom of the pool. But, to some degree that’s exactly what happened to me. The writing wasn’t there, the story was just out of it’s time, and the way the issue ends feels more like a forced cliffhanger.
The artwork is very pretty, even with a few missteps present like that of the horrid flying crucifix, it pretty much comes off without a hitch. But the art doesn’t make up for the story, or in this case lack there of. This comic can’t skate on by with pretty pictures of scantly clad vampiresses alone. The comic has to have some form of substance, or when that is lacking, entertainment. Neither of which I found under the cover of this comic.
Maybe this comic wasn’t meant for me, and rather a diehard Vampirella fan. But I’d like to think that every comic is someone’s first, and that should be doubly true if it’s issue one. But, that is not this case for Vampirella and the Scarlet Legion #1, which receives 2.5 Stars, out of 5.
[rating:2.5/5]