TOP 10 GIRLS OF VAMPIRELLA

 

And now my top ten for the other girls featured with that original classic bad girl of comics, Vampirella. Of course, Vampirella herself earns second place entry in my Top 10 Girls of Comics, but her ongoing comic series has featured other female characters, particularly two with perhaps the highest profile (and certainly my personal favorites).

 

ART

 

But first a note on the visual images used in this top ten. Given the copyright in such images, I only use a visual image as fair use for the purposes of comment and review in each entry – a feature image to identify the character, either in general or in her most iconic version as I review it to be (or both), sourced from comics panels or covers and cinematic images, often which I review to be iconic of itself or which influenced my view of their most iconic version.

I also include a special section in each entry under the subtitle of art – not for any actual art as such but instead where I identify the source of the image and potentially name notable artists for the character. There’s probably some cosplay out there but none from my favorite models.

As for the title feature image I’ve chosen for this page, it is Al Rio’s art of Vampirella against the Blood-Red Queen of Hearts as limited edition variant cover F of the Vampirella Quarterly June (Summer) 2007 by Harrris Publications. (RIP Al Rio – one of the best comics cover artists).

 

 

(1) BLOOD-RED QUEEN OF HEARTS

 

Top spot has to go to the Blood-Red Queen of Hearts, bad to the bone all the way back to Babylon. Not to mention more scantily clad than Vampirella herself.

No, seriously – she goes back to Babylon, where she was Jezebel (presumably the source of the Biblical Jezebel), a priestess of the Cult of Chaos with enticing beauty. However, she was a little too ambitious, seeking to be Bride of Chaos and immortal to boot. She did gain immortality of a somewhat cursed kind – the Chaos god stripped her of her body but trapped her essence in a Queen of Hearts card (well before the historical origin of playing cards) for eternity. She has no body of her own and is forced to go body-hopping between female “hosts” who touch her card – that is, until their mortal bodies are worn out by their essence. On the bright side, her hosts gain her enticing original appearance from her essence while they last.

 

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For my iconic feature image, I used comics panel art of Blood-Red Queen of Hearts which, dare I say it, captures her essence (even if I don’t know the artist).  Certainly, TV Tropes thought so as they used it for her character profile.

 

 

 

(2) PANTHA

 

Second top spot goes to Pantha, my other personal favorite.

Alternating between adversary and ally to Vampirella – Pantha, the semi-divine immortal were-panther with an even more accentuated figure than Vampirella herself. And you know this because they actually have her measurements in the comic itself. (That’s in the Mark Millar Pantha collection – I can’t remember all the measurements now but I do recall the bust at 38 inches).

 

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For my iconic feature image, I used cover or poster art of Pantha by Mark Texeira – showcasing those measurements (and I seem to recall it being used for the cover art of the collection by Mark Millar).

 

 

 

(3) LILITH

 

Vampirella’s mother – well, we can see from where Vampi gets her looks and minimalist taste in clothing. Note that Vampi’s origins have been retconned to utter confusion – of which I can only remember that Draculon, originally Vampi’s alien homeworld, was retconned to a part of Hell.

 

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As per the image caption.

 

 

 

 

(4) DRACULINA

 

Vampirella’s sister – essentially the same as Vampirella but with a blond hair and black costume palette swap. And she had enough popularity or profile to get her own title!

 

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As per image caption.

 

 

 

 

(5) VICTORY

 

Kind of Vampirella’s magical sister – Victoria “Victory” Harris was transformed into a vampire by a ring given to her by Vampirella’s mother Lilith. And yes – another character to get her own profile.

 

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As per image caption.

 

 

(6) CHASTITY

 

Vampire bad girl revamped (heh) when Vampirella’s Dynamite Entertainment absorbed Chastity’s Chaos Comics – and again getting her own title.

 

ART

 

As per image caption.

 

 

 

(7) NYX

 

Literal daughter of Chaos and adversary to Vampirella.

And yes – she got her own title.

 

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As per image caption.

 

 

 

(8) LORELEI

 

Moving from major to minor characters (i.e. those who did not score their own titles) to round out my top ten – a vampire native from Drakulon, with visual Goth style.

 

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As per image caption

 

 

 

 

 

(10) SOFIA MURRAY

 

Wrapping up my Top 10 Girls of Vampirella with this human ally of Vampi.

 

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As per image caption.