Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dynamite, entertainment, Nancy Collins, Patrick Berkenkotter, vampirella

"Deciding To Recapture Some Of That Old Warren Publications Feel Was Only Natural." – Nancy Collins On Vampirella

Today we see the release of the second issue of the new Vampirella series by Nancy Collins and Patrick Berkenkotter. The tone of the new Dynamite series returns to the characters original horror roots. Byron Brewer talked with Collins about the darker approach to the character and what she has in store as the series progresses.

BYRON BREWER: Nancy, you are certainly carving out a unique path for Vampirella by returning her to more horrific roots. Is it difficult working with a character that has such and long and complex history?

NANCY COLLINS: Not really—After all, I worked on Swamp Thing, which has an equally complicated back story. Instead of coming in and pressing the reset button and completely re-doing Vampirella's origin, I opted for a more organic style of storytelling by only referring to her past and origins as the story requires. Vampirella's continuity has been diddled with so often, I figured the best way around it was to refer to it as little as possible. The only pre-requirements I got from Dynamite was that I ignore the whole 'vampire from space' angle and keep her old boyfriend Adam dead. And since I hadn't read Vampirella since her black & white days, deciding to recapture some of that old Warren Publications feel was only natural.

BB: The Witches Hammer make quite a formidable foe for Vampi, especially since they ostensibly represent her former employer, the Vatican. Will we see more of her reaction to this shocking turn of events, especially as she teams with those she used to combat; namely, vampires.

NC: The Hammer and its leader, Father Nicodemus, will be reappearing during the "Our Lady of Shadows" story arc, and I have plans for them to become reoccurring enemies. You'll also get a peek into the Malleus Maleficarum's past in the forthcoming Vampirella: Prelude to Shadows one-shot.

BB: There seems to be a lot of Lestat, the vamp from Interview with a Vampire, in Drago. Any inspiration there? (Beautiful scene in #2 with Drago and the night moth/butterfly.)

NC: Thank you. Although I can see the similarities, I wasn't thinking about Lestat when I created Drago, but more Willem Dafoe's character of Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire (2000). I also incorporated elements of one of my own characters—the outwardly hideous, but inwardly poetic/romantic Count Boris Orlock from the Vamps YA series.

BB: Travel seems to be the theme for the new book, as Vampi takes on diverse breeds of vampires. Can you tell us some of the future ports of call, and how some of these vampires may differ from each other?

NC: She's going to be giving her passport a workout, as she'll be seeing action in Thailand, the Greek Islands, Serbia and good old Transylvania, and later Switzerland, France and India.

BB: Will we be seeing Vampirella take on "dark powers" heretofore unassociated with her as she begins her new ritual to gain strength?

NC: Not so much powers, but she's going to find it harder to resist her inner darkness. How much of that is the result of Lady Umbra's influence, or the vampire blood she's ingesting is debatable.

BB: Will we see others of Drago's mind-set, peace-loving vampires who are not anxious for an Apocalypse?

NC: Yes, we'll be seeing more such creatures—and not just vampires—as Vampirella learns that there is more to the supernatural world than even she dreamed of.

BB: Will the Lady of Shadows be doing anything to perhaps thwart Vampi's new mission of her destruction?

NC: Lady Umbra isn't as confrontational as her brother, Lord Chaos. Instead of overpowering her victims, she seduces them, which makes her far more dangerous.

BB: We have seen a lot more female creators working with a lot of female heroines in the last few years. Would you consider your tenure on Vampirella as part of that trend, and how do you see women's rise in the comics industry?

NC: I would have to say that I am part of the trend, given the fact that I am the first woman (to my knowledge) to write for Vampirella in her 45 year history. Women have always been in the comics industry, but now we're finally being noticed and treated like genuine creators as opposed to novelty acts, ala trained bears riding bicycles. Despite being largely ignored by the publishers since the creation of the Direct Market, women make up 46.6% of comics fans. It's time we had characters that, even if they don't speak to us directly, at least don't degrade us. Personally, I'm just trying to write a good story, one everyone would like to read, regardless of gender.

BB: The team of Patrick Berkenkotter and Dennis Crisostomo seem to be doing ideally on art, bringing a nice juxtaposition between classic Vampi and this new horrific direction. Your thoughts?

NC: Patrick and Dennis have done an amazing job on the comic, giving Vampirella that delicate balance of kick-ass and sexy that is intrinsic to the character. I send along photo reference when I can, and they've done a great job of recapturing the feel of the old Warren-era comics.

BB: Nancy, how long before we see Coleridge's "master"?

NC: You see him by the end of issue #2. He's Drago's manservant. Although exactly who—or what—Coleridge truly is won't be revealed until a little later.

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