Is this a worthwhile annual or should fans save their money?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

An eager young fanboy wants to be Vampi’s new partner, and against her better judgment, she goes with him to a truly unsettling scene: a little town holding a convention for a popular series of vampire books and movies. As the town goes to absurd lengths to profit from fans, a gang of different predators arrives – and they’re ravenous!

This latest Vampirella annual is comprised of two one-and-done stories that are by no means necessary reading.  The first one focuses in on a rather unique team-up situation that has some interesting thematic references and results.  In the latter end of the issue, fans will find a brief crossover with Pantha that’s more or less about an animal in heat.

Orchestrating a script that makes fun of society’s current fascination with neutered monster stories, may not be a completely original idea but writer Mark Rahney does a fairly good job delivering a solid spin on the concept.  On the other hand Jay Faerber is not quite so fortunate, as he offers up a goofy little crossover that’s passable at best.  Both stories fail to offer any real narrative value, but the first one is indeed more entertaining than the second.

Ilias Kyriazis handled the art duties for the first story, delivering quirky and unique visuals that worked really well with this brief tale.  His deformed renderings may be a bit off-putting to some readers, but personally I found his design sense striking and engaging.  On the other hand, Dub with Djiff handled the art for the final short story and the results were uneven.  The brief romp was plagued by inconsistent details and uninteresting panels that ultimately left me underwhelmed.

Vampirella Annual #2 is a comic book that offers two somewhat entertaining outings but may only be worth your time if you’re already a hardcore fan.  For that reason alone this comic book does not earn recommendation.

2.5/5