Christopher Priest Ties Together His Whole Tenure
October 11, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite announces the ultimate celebration of Vampirella’s lasting legacy with a major milestone issue set to debut this February, kicking off the next phase from legendary writer Christopher Priest. Welcome to Vampirella #666!
To mark this occasion for the character — building past the 50th anniversary celebrated in 2019 and encompassing truly how prolific that history has been — Dynamite Entertainment is “renumbering” the flagship Vampirella title to account for every release she’s appeared in to this date! Further details on how this impressive grand total has been reached are detailed below.
Christopher Priest shares, “Ergün and I are having a blast with this, a Groundhog’s Day murder mystery that flips the script of our debut story and shakes up the premise of our Vampirella saga: a single girl trying to make it in the big city who just happens to be a vampire from outer space. Vampirella’s story arc has always embodied a universal theme of belonging, the pursuit of community — friends, family, love — which have all been denied or stolen from her. In this new vision, Vampi literally has everything, every happiness, she has sought since her arrival on Earth, but inevitably must be willing to lose it all in order to save her soul.”
“If you’ve never read our book before, #666 is the perfect jumping-on point. If you’ve been with us all along, #666’s many Easter eggs will be an added layer of humor, mystery and poignancy as we explore even farther into the endless possibilities of this classic character. Ergün and I thank everyone who has supported our super-unorthodox, humorous, poignant, and often tragic take on this character and franchise, and invite everyone to come along with us to the next chapters of Vampi’s journey.”
Vampirella is entering her sensational sixth decade with a new beginning — literally. Call it déjà vu, as the new story has Priest revisiting her groundbreaking and bestselling 50th anniversary launch… except everything has changed. Many aspects seem idyllic. The Daughter of Drakulon finds herself happily married, long-dead friends are now alive again, her usually toxic mother Lilith is a nurturing part-time super agent. The only asterisk is the evil blonde who stalks Vampi, murders her at the end of every issue, and the cycle repeats ad infinitum…
In this new arc subtitled “Beyond,” reality itself has reset, but in a twisted way. Wrongs are righted, loved ones are back — including the memory of Vampirella’s murdered child (see: Vampirella/Dracula: Rage). But she’s also lacking the memory of her sinister sister Draculina. She must ultimately choose to set things right again to save the world, even if it means losing paradise, the love and community she’s sought her whole life.
Turkish talent Ergün Gündüz suits up once more alongside Priest, directly calling back to the historic vision of Vampirella and her world that the two created together. Prolific letterer Willie Schubert is back as well. Vampirella #666 brings together every thread and theme all the way from Vampirella #0 from Free Comic Book Day 2019 to the recent Vampirella/Dracula: Rage #6, tying together the nearly 70 total issues Priest has written in his tenure, as well as elements from adjacent spinoffs like Victory, Nyx, and the 665 previous key appearances of the character.
This hallmark Vampirella epic seeks to be a funny, emotional, gut-wrenching exploration of the true meanings of bonds of family and community. What makes love so important, and can a single woman alone in the big city away from her home like Vampirella ever truly find it?
Vampirella #666 features a batch of beautiful covers, from Gündüz himself, to Joseph Michael Linsner and Carla Cohen. Making his debut portraying Vampirella for this series is juggernaut painter Felipe Massafera. Dynamite will be sharing further covers and interior art from the story with fans soon.
For this milestone issue, Dynamite is making the package extra special for fans. Six extra pages will be included, reprinting the rare wordless short story that Christopher Priest did with the iconic Alan Davis for Vampirella nearly 25 years ago. Originally published in Vampirella “The New Monthly” #19 in September 1999, this gorgeous tale shows the character’s heart and will be included at no extra cost.
To come to the awe-inspiring and fun grand total of #666, Dynamite is counting every key Vampirella franchise release. This includes titles under the tenures of Warren Publishing, Harris Comics, and Dynamite Entertainment. Additionally included are eponymous crossovers co-published with others. Also incorporated are core spinoff titles of allies and enemies Pantha, Nyx, Draculina, Victory, and the Sacred Six. Lastly, dedicated reprint periodicals through the years are allowed. Dynamite is happy to share the full math with interested press and fans.
The foundation spans across 112 issues of Warren’s initial magazine, 25+ issues of Vengeance of Vampirella under Harris, 26+ of the aforementioned “New Monthly,” 22 of the heralded 2001 relaunch spearheaded by Mark Millar and Mike Mayhew, 10 of a 2000s magazine revival, Dynamite’s bestselling initial title in 2010 with 38+ issues, the fan-favorite Nancy A. Collins run with 14, tenures by Kate Leth, Paul Cornell, and Jeremy Whitley, team-up titles with Red Sonja and others, Priest’s historic 50th anniversary series and its follow ups, the modern returns of Vengeance and Strikes, recent releases of Rage and Dead Flowers, and much more! Additionally, Vampirella #666 will be followed by Vampirella #667!
VAMPIRELLA #666 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ November 2023 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in January 2024. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the book with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more!
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