Cover art by Nick Bradshaw for the Vampirella vs Fluffy the Vampire Killer one-shot issue by Dynamite Entertainment in October 2012. Yes – Fluffy was an obvious parody of Buffy
TOP 10 GIRLS OF VAMPIRELLA (SPECIAL MENTION)
Ok – I’ve counted out my Top 10 Girls of Vampirella for the girls featured with Vampirella in her comic but now it’s time for special mentions for her crossovers with girls from other comics. (Technically, my top ten included one such entry already with Chastity, who originated with her own comic in Chaos Comics – although she still counts as when she featured in the Vampirella comic it was after Vampirella’s publisher had acquired Chaos Comics).
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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 cover art by Nick Bradshaw for the Vampirella vs Fluffy the Vampire Killer one-shot issue by Dynamite Entertainment in October 2012.
Yes – Fluffy was an obvious parody of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. No – Fluffy does not rank a special mention, although Buffy does because of this parody among a range of fan art and other references, even if the two have never officially had a crossover.
Vampirella and Red Sonja swapping costumes in variant cover art by Josh Burns for Vampirella: The Dark Powers 4
(1) RED SONJA
Of course, top entry has to go to Red Sonja as my next place entry after Vampi in my Top 10 Girls of Comics – love it when they pair up!
It helps that they’re published by the same publisher, Dynamite Entertainment.
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For my iconic feature image, I couldn’t resist Vampirella and Red Sonja swapping costumes in variant cover art by Josh Burns for Vampirella: The Dark Powers 4. Who wore it better?
Josh Burns also did some spectacular cover art of the duo in other issues, as did Lucio Parrillo and Shannon Maer – the latter when the two paired up for our next entry…
Art by Dan Parent in the usual Archie style for variant cover D, Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty & Veronica, issue 2
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Second top entry has to go to Betty & Veronica (yes, that Betty and Veronica, the most famous duo of female students at Riverdale in Archie Comics) – from when they met Vampirella and Red Sonja for an awesome foursome!
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For my iconic feature image, I couldn’t resist this cute art with its gag by Dan Parent in the usual Archie style for variant cover D, Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty & Veronica, issue 2.
It may have been a limited series of 12 issues but it had some awesome cover art!
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Matching cover art by Derrick Chew for issues 3 (Vampirella) and 4 (Purgatori) for the limited five issue series Vampirella Versus Purgatori
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(3) PURGATORI
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It was only natural that they paired these two literal vamps up – particularly after Dynamite bought Purgatori’s publisher Chaos. Purgatori may have originated as adversary to Lady Death (and hence also features in my Top 10 Girls of Lady Death) but as a demonic vampire she was a natural fit to Vampirella.
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For iconic feature image, what else but the matching cover art by Derrick Chew for issues 3 (Vampirella) and 4 (Purgatori) for the limited five issue series Vampirella Versus Purgatori?
Derrick Chew consistently rocked the cover art for the series, but there was also rocking art of the duo by Sun Khamunaki and Lucio Parrillo.
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(4) CATWOMAN
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Vampi obviously has a thing for catwomen, what with Pantha and all, so of course they paired her up with DC’s Catwoman
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For my iconic feature image, who else could do the duo justice other than cover artist Jim Balent in his unmistakable style?
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Cover art by Mike Deodato Jr (with his distinctive signature) for the preview issue of Lady Death vs Vampirella II published by Chaos Comics in February 2000.
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(5) LADY DEATH
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Of course they had to pair up the two biggest bad girls in comics – twice!
Just a note – Lady Death has her own entry in fourth place, just two places down from Vampirella, in my Top 10 Girls of Comics.
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As per image caption
Cover art by Mark Texeira for the first issue of the Vampire Witchblade crossover comic as well as the trilogy collection
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(6) WITCHBLADE
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And yes – Vampi paired up not just with Lady Death but also that other classic 90s bad girl, Witchblade’s Sara Pezzini (who also features in fifth place in my Top 10 Girls of Comics). Needless to say, the Witchblade liked her!
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For my iconic feature image, I chose the cover art by Mark Texeira for the first issue of the Vampire Witchblade crossover comic as well as the trilogy collection – you may recall his art for my iconic feature image of Pantha.
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Cover art by Billy Tan for the one-shot crossover issue of Tomb Raider, Witchblade, Magdalena and Vampirella
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(7) LARA CROFT
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That’s right – Lara’s also in comics, published by Top Cow, Witchblade’s publisher. So of course they – Sara Pezzini and Lara Croft (as well as Magdalena from Witchblade) – teamed up with Vampi!
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As per image caption – although there was also art by Art Adams. Squee!
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Cover art by Jay Anacleto for the Vampirella / Dejah Thoris comic – also used for the trade paperback
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(8) DEJAH THORIS
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I suppose it’s in theme for an alien vampire to visit the red planet – and pair up with Dejah Thoris
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As per the image caption – although there was a prolific amount of cover art (and even cosplay), which I’ll have to look into further!
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Anniversary cover art by Shi creator Billy Tucci
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(9) SHI
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But wait – there’s more special mentions from Vampirella crossovers!
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So here’s to ninja assassin Shi as ninth special mention for her pair up with Vampi
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What else but Shi creator Billy Tucci’s anniversary cover art of the duo?
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Cover art for Magdalena / Vampirella issue 1 – Top Cow Productions imprint of Image Comics, published December 2004
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(10) MAGDALENA
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If Vampi crossed over with Witchblade then she was going to cross over with the Magdalena (as the Magdalena is a character within the Witchblade story universe). I can only hope both of them walked around the Vatican like that – in their costumes, that is. And yes – the Magdalena already does, as part of her organization within the Vatican, so it’s only a matter of the Vatican letting Vampi walk around in her swimsuit. Which they absolutely should. Amen!
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As per image caption
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Crossover first issue cover art by writer and illustrator – also creator of Dawn – Joseph Michael Linsner
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(11) DAWN
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One goddess pairing up with another. Although in Dawn’s case, the goddess part is literal.
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What else but the first issue’s cover art by the crossover’s writer and illustrator, as well as creator of Dawn, with his distinctive style – Joseph Michael Linsner?
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Cover art by Michael Dooney for the first issue of the five part Hack/Slash vs Vampirella series on October 2017
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(12) CASSIE HACK
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Wait a moment – stop the press!
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There’s a Hack / Slash vs Vampirella crossover? I do like me some Cassie Hack so I’ll had to revise my special mentions to include her!
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For my iconic feature image, I chose the cover art by Michael Dooney for the first issue of the five part Hack/Slash vs Vampirella series on October 2017 – it was a close call between that and the variant cover art by Billy Tucci for the same issue.
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Cropped fan or tribute art of Buffy vs Vampirella by J. Scott Campbell – I think the full version is available as a print for sale on his website. Sadly, the cropped version does miss Vampirella’s boots (as well as Buffy’s own stylish footwear)
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(13) BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
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Sadly, Buffy herself has never crossed over in comics with Vampirella, except in fan or tribute art as by J. Scott Campbell – but I simply have to feature this fantasy duo of television slayer with comics vampire based on the possibilities alone!
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Otherwise, they seem only to have crossed over in parody of each other. I’ve seen a DC cover for a pair-up of the duo, but I think the DC label itself may be parody. Vampirella has faced off parody versions of Buffy in comics, including the transparently named Fluffy, but again I’m not sure of the authenticity within canon.
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My favorite parody of one by the other is actually from the Buffy TV series, where Buffy finds and views with obvious distaste a figurine of Vampirella in the villainous trio’s lair (in Season 6).
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Speaking of television series, shout-out also to the same possibilities for Vampirella’s crossover with the True Blood series. I had thought it was an actual crossover – there are True Blood comics – but I can’t find any authentic source.
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I was hoping to find a screenshot of Buffy picking up that figurine of Vampirella (from the episode “Seeing Red”) but was unable to find one – but it’s hard to go past that fan or tribute art by J. Scott Campbell for an iconic feature image. It’s also the best fan art (I have seen some from other fan artists) – among other things, it really seems to match the style and essence of each character against the other. One of J. Scott Campbell’s best pieces!
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Sacred Six cover art by Josh Burns – the only cover art I located which featured all six of the Sacred Six, albeit with Pantha in her panther form
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(14) SACRED SIX
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This special mention is for Vampi and five of my Top 10 Girls of Vampirella (Nyx, Chastity, Victory, Draculina and Pantha) revisited coming together in one story, the titular Sacred Six. The Sacred referred to a town called Sacred, not the quality of being sacred, although I’d happy venerate Vampi (perhaps as Our Lady of Blood). Vampi’s mother Lilith was in it as well
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As per image caption.
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I’m not sure that this Vampirella cover art by Nathan Szerdy is of the Vampirella Army but it’s the only image I could find under that search title, it looks like it is, and I’m running with it!
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(15) VAMPIRELLA ARMY
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I can’t find too much information about this special mention entry, but what I can find suggests that the Vampirella Army was an army of female vampires formed by Vampirella against Chaos. And I am here for it!
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As per image caption. Although can I again say how much I like Nathan Szerdy’s Vampirella art – his Vampirella art is his best art in my opinion.
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Cover art by Tim Seeley for the Vampirella / Army of Darkness first issue as well as for the paperback collection
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(16) VAMPIRELLA / ARMY OF DARKNESS
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And we wrap up my special mentions for Girls of Vampirella…with Vampi herself, in her crossovers with other franchises that appeal to me and hence rank special mention for their distinctive character.
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Vampirella and Evil Dead / Army of Darkness crossover? Groovy! Although Ash always had a weakness for the ladies…
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What else but the cover art by Tim Seeley for the first volume? So good they used it for the collected paperback edition. Although I had seen his art before, this art placed him on my favorite artist radar!
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Cover art by Gabriel Hardman & Jordan Boyd for Aliens / Vampirella first issue
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(17) VAMPIRELLA / ALIENS
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Vampi is canonically alien – at least in her original canon – so it makes sense that she’d crossover with the most famous titular (heh) aliens of film, the Xenomorphs. I know which alien I’d prefer for first contact.
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I think she’s got a fighting chance…
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Technically I think at least the Xenomorph Queen is female so counts as a Girl of Vampirella?
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As per image caption
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Cover art by Roberto Castro for the Dynamite Entertainment Pathfinder: Worldscape – Vampirella one-off issue
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(18) VAMPIRELLA / PATHFINDER
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Yes – Vampi (and Draculina) appear to have featured in a comic set in the Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 edition spinoff, Pathfinder.
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I’d play her!
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As per image caption.
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Vampirella vs Reanimator trade paperback cover art by Johnny Desjardins
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(19) VAMPIRELLA VS REANIMATOR
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Vampirella gets Lovecraftian! Vampi herself in crossover with Herbert West!
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As per image caption.
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Wraparound cover art by J. Scott Campbell for the one-off Vampirella Crossover Gallery art issue by Vampi’s former publisher Harris in 1997
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(20) VAMPIRELLA CROSSOVER GALLERY & OTHER
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And I wrap up special mentions with this catch-all entry for Vampi crossovers, as represented by the wraparound cover by J. Scott Campbell for the Vampirella Crossover Gallery. This issue didn’t actually feature any crossovers – at least in terms of story – but was more a collection of art crossovers with Vampirella and other characters.
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Featured on the cover of the Vampirella Crossover Gallery art issue – Rascals in Paradise, Kabuki, Savage Dragon, Painkiller Jane, Shi, Pantha, Madman, Monkeyman & O’Brien, and Hellshock. The obscure character Ash was also featured on the cover but as opposed to the other characters on the cover did not feature in any of the art inside. As noted, the Vampirella Crossover Gallery issue only featured art, rather than actual crossover stories – with the exception of Savage Dragon and Painkiller Jane who did have their crossovers with her elsewhere.
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Vampirella crossover stories featured elsewhere include crossovers with Shadowhawk, Wetworks, Frankenstein Mobster (yes – you read that right), Sword of Dracula, The Darkness, and Dark Shadows.
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Wraparound cover art by J. Scott Campbell for the Vampirella Crossover Gallery one-off art issue by Vampi’s former publisher Harris – I’ve pretty much said it all in the image caption and the feature itself!
