UPDATED: FANGORIA COMICS ACQUIRES VAMPIRELLA

[MattBrady]

note – image is from the 2006 Vampirella Halloween Special

And lo, there apparently shall come a new address.

At the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors convention held this past weekend in San Jose, CA, Fangoria Comics Editor-in-Chief Scott Licina announced that the fledgling comic company had acquired the character of Vampirella, which had previously been at Harris Comics.

When asked if this was a licensing deal through Harris, Licina reiterated that it was an out and out acquisition of the character, and all future Vampirella comics would be coming out under the Fangoria Comics banner.

Vampirella was created by horror legend Forrest J. Ackerman for Warren’s Vampirella black and white magazine in 1969. The character appeared in Warren magazines from its introduction through 1983, when, after a bankruptcy, Harris Publications acquired the company’s assets. In the early ‘90s, Harris revamped and realunched Vampirella in a variety of series and miniseries (and versions, such as the manga-influenced Vampi), which lasted through to the early years of this decade.

Also at the convention, it was confirmed that one of the first titles for Fangoria Comics will be BUMP by artist and writer Mark Kidwell, and Fangoria will also be producing a comic book prequel of the new Robert Kurtzman film, The Rage, with the comic’s tentative title being: Robert Kurtzman's The Rage: Beneath the Valley of The Rage.

Update 1.12.07

At ComicMonsters.com, Fangoria Comics' Scott Licena has confirmed the news, posting:

Yes, the original Bad Girl Bloodsucker has a new crypt to call her own- and I think you'll all be VERY happy with the results!

I can't spill much yet, but believe me, this ain't Roger Daltry's Vampi! We're going back to what made VAMPIRELLA a legend, and using legends in the process!

FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT will ONLY bring you the best in horror, in all it's many menacing mediums. Vampi is BACK- and believe me she's getting the star treatment at The True House of Horrors!!!

The new powers-that-be at Fango have loved Vampi since her inception, and worked long and hard to own her. That's what's going to make the difference in the end results of ALL the VAMPIRELLA projects and products- passion! That's what's made FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT the horror juggernaut it's become over the last two years- their love for horror and the brains, talent and means to make it happen.

[creatorman]

As a fan of Vampirella, I hope to see a cool new ongoing coming out soon. Shamless plug, but I would personally love to write an arc of Vampi. I was first introduced to the character in the 90's, the issue that had the foil blood cover was just stunning. Long live Vampi.

[The_Adventurer]

Interesting. Has the Vampirella Magazine been running recently?

[Vyper]

Didn't the creator sue Harris for publishing new Vampirella material without his approval?

[lpjunior]

Ahh, the only T&A comic that can get critical approval. Let's see Lady Death pull that one off. I hear the Morrison/Millar era was good.

[christosgage]

Originally Posted by Vyper

Didn't the creator sue Harris for publishing new Vampirella material without his approval?

Jim Warren sued Harris over all the Warren characters. I believe they came to a settlement in which Harris got Vampi and associated characters (including possibly Pantha) and he got everything else, i.e. Uncle Creepy, etc.

I'm a pretty big Vampi fan myself, at least the old school version. Archie Goodwin told some great stories.

[jza1218]

Originally Posted by The_Adventurer

Interesting. Has the Vampirella Magazine been running recently?

The most recent was the Revelations miniseries I believe

[skeletorjr]

I would love to see new printings of the original Crimson Chronicles

[Kolimar]

Interesting move. I can't wait to see what they do with the property.

[alazar]

My question is, who owns Fangoria. Or are they a sole property.

If I had known vampirella was up for sale I would have made
a serious bid. Have to do something with my Apple, and Google
dividends.

[Arvandor]

I knew Harris were in trouble, and they've apparently been negotiating Vampirella's future for some time.

I wasn't expecting Fangoria though. The rumour was that Dynamite were after her.


I'm a pretty big fan of Vampi myself. Looking forward to new stories. I wonder if they'll continue the Revelations series.

[Troy Brownfield]

Originally Posted by alazar

My question is, who owns Fangoria. Or are they a sole property.

Fangoria magazine was birthed from the Starlog Group publishing company. Today, Fango are more or less their own brand, with magazines (GoreZone, etc.), a Sirius radio channel, TV and film production, and of course, comics.

[DavidGallaher]

Congrats, Scott!

[The_Adventurer]

Originally Posted by Troy Brownfield

Fangoria magazine was birthed from the Starlog Group publishing company. Today, Fango are more or less their own brand, with magazines (GoreZone, etc.), a Sirius radio channel, TV and film production, and of course, comics.

So it's primarily a magazine company? Very interesting. An all new Vampirella comic magazine could get my interest.

[jasonm]

More killer news from Fangoria, awesome!

[Alexander Knox]

Originally Posted by lpjunior

Ahh, the only T&A comic that can get critical approval. Let's see Lady Death pull that one off. I hear the Morrison/Millar era was good.

It was very good. Very much in the vein of Buffy and the Blade movies. Really fun.

Millar also wrote a cool three-issue arc about a town full of vampires.

[eddynunez]

I've been a fan of Vampi since the Bad Girl craze of the 90's. While the artwork and writing were inconsistent throughout most of Harris's run, the character always appealed to me. Don't get me wrong, there have been great stories and great creators along the way (Tom Sniegoski, Amanda Conner, Ed McGuiness to name a few). I just hope that Fangoria handles her with the care and respect she deserves. One of the things that always upset me was how her origin was either dismissed/distorted to fit a particular storyline. Hopefully, Fangoria will treat her right.

[deadmerc]

I was a big fan of the Harris relaunch in the 90s. I kind of lost interest as the decaded ended though. I think that initial relaunch series ended or changed.

[ScottRowland]

I really enjoyed the Vampi's by Archie Goodwin and the first revival, by Kurt Busiek with Richard Howell as editor. Most of the other stuff has not appealed to me as much. My suggestion to Fangoria is to map out a strong creative direction and stick with it.

[fuzznugget]

I would like to take this opportunity to express my interest in a big fat reprint collection, similar to Marvel Essential & DC Showcase books of the entire Warren catalog by WHOEVER holds the current rights. To hold in my hand a 500 page book with the 1st 20 issues of Creepy, Eerie, or Vampi would be AWESOME!

[CBeranek]

Congrats to Fangoria! Keep rocking.

[Pickle Press]

This is good news, as long as the character is treated well. The character is a gold mine of possibilities, but has been wasted for several years now. The recent "Revelations" storyline was nothing to shout about, and the character was mainly running around killing demons because she apparently had nothing else to do.

Vlad, if you're reading this, I'll write this for half your normal pay rate.

Nik Havert - Owner / editor / big cheese of Pickle Press
www.picklepress.net

[Scavenger]

Well, bummer. I was hoping to see the rest of the Revelations series...like the Priest arc.

[paulski]

Fangoria Comics, huh? Interesting.

It's probably unlikely I'll end up getting any of their stuff, but, depending on price and format, not impossible by any means.

[Graeme McMillan]

Interesting post from Heidi:

Hm. We contacted Harris Executive Publisher Jonathan Rheingold for comment and he said the story is “Not factual.”

Well, when we said developing, we meant…DEVELOPING.

I wonder which part is not factual? Heidi had, after all, earlier wondered if Harris was getting out of the publishing biz altogether, so maybe it's that... Or maybe the whole shebang?