Saturday, June 21, 2008

Vampirella 20


This issue features a yellow bordered cover by Luis Dominguez featuring his interior story. The frontis for this issue is "Vampi's Feary Tales: The Matrimonial Murder" by Auraleon (art) and Doug Moench (story), about a con artist who kills men and takes their money, then vanishes.

First up is "When Wakes the Dead" by Jose Gonzalez (art) and T.Casey Brennan (story). Continuing from the previous issue (one of the few Vampi issues I don't have), Vampirella is in the past with the Van Helsing's ancestors, as is Dracula. Dracula is in love with a woman, Lucy, who they manage to bring back to life using Vampi's blood serum, but she dies when she sees Dracula attacking another woman. Vampi herself also has to reveal herself eventually, and the two are forced to return to the present.

Second is "Gender Bender" by Esteban Maroto (art & story), part of the Tomb of the Gods serial, featuring a husband and wife battling each other while shifting forms. One of the most surreal stories Warren would ever publish. One of the pages would be reprinted (with different text) in issue 22's "Orpheus".

Next is "Love is No Game" by Luis Garcia (art) and Steve Skeates (story). A girl pines over her handsome new neighbor but he keeps ignoring her. Eventually she follows him into a field and spots him writing her name on a tree... but it ends up she's joining just one of the many victims he has killed. Great art by Garcia, as always.

Next is "Eye Opener" by Auraleon (art) and Doug Moench. A salesman on the road encounters a young woman, Wendy, and her blind grandmother, who is blind, but keeps the eyes of her dead husband in a box. After he has sex with Wendy, the grandmother claims she's tainted her and he ends up getting in a car accident as he leaves. His eyes suddenly show up in her box as well.

Last is "Vengeance, Brother, Vengeance!" by Luis Dominguez (art) and Greg Potter (story). The story is about two brothers, one who becomes a powerful warrior and the other who is captured, mutated, and forced to become a mute sorceror. The warrior brother saves his woman from the evil ruler, but his brother ends up passing away in the ordeal.

Another one page feature finishes the issue, "Vampi's Feary Tales The Headless Hauntress of Shepton Prison" by Auraleon (art) and Doug Moench (story), about a headless ghost.

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