LEGENDERRY: VAMPIRELLA #1 Review

Legenderry returns! But will this expansion end in success or failure? Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

A return to Bill Willingham’s fantastical steampulp world of LEGENDERRY! Vampirella comes home from the epic battle in The Principality to find that her Scarlet Club has been closed, and powerful forces within The Big City are conspiring to destroy her… but they quickly learn they’ve pissed off the wrong immortal vampire.

Having been a fan of Bill Willingham and Sergio Fernandez Davila‘s Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure, I was glad to hear that Dynamite would be expanding on this world with a selection of mini-series, featuring some of our beloved Dynamite characters in this steampunk setting. The first character in this line is Vampirella, with the bloodthirsty bombshell trying to get her business back off the ground, following the explosive events of Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure.

Written by David Avallone, Legenderry: Vampirella manages to balance the world of Vampirella, and the world that Bill Willingham created in Legenderry nicely. Having a very dramatic tone throughout, with exciting action, this opening issue certainly can’t be accused of lacking in excitement. In saying that, I did feel that the steampunk element was missing slightly, as though the world felt just like that from Willingham’s mini-series, with the art following suit, the plot itself felt as if it could easily be placed in any genre.

Bionic Woman artist, David Cabrera, handles the illustrations on this series, delivering a visually stunning series of events. Between the breathtaking landscapes, and intense character expressions, Cabrera certainly manages to set an alluring atmosphere, with his layouts being extremely dramatic. He also manages to generate some energetic action, complimenting the events of Avallone’s script brilliantly. In addition to this, the colours of Robby Bevard also manages to add depth, with the sleek finish adding a fabulous finish to Cabrera’ art.

Legenderry: Vampirella #1 delivers an intriguing premise, with some intense action. It also manages to build on Williamson’s Legenderry brand perfectly, as though the plot could have fallen into any genre class, it certainly felt like the same world.