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Vampirella #12

Posted: Thursday, September 19, 2002
By: Ray Tate



Writer: John Smith
Artists: Manuel Garcia(p), Jimmy Palmiotti(i)
Publisher: Harris

Though the photorealistic artwork is "gone, gone o' form of woman," Manuel Garcia from The Avengers and Jimmy Palmiotti acquit themselves well. Vampirella looks threatening, and her composure helps convey her status as an immortal hero confident of her skills and her powers. The paper quality is a little too shiny for the artwork, but even this element does not distract too much. However, the new costume designed for Vampirella is ridiculous. The red paint mimicking her usual bathing suit on her black scuba suit looks stupid.

Artwork aside, the story by John Smith takes out all the spy clichés', brushes them off and sets them outside with a for sale sign on his porch. We get the germiphobe bad guy. The shark attack in which the hero kills one to distract the others with a feeding frenzy. Cue the ninjas.

Mr. Smith does nothing really new with any of the Bondish attributes. He just replaces said spy with Vampirella. It's not that she seems out of character. She really hasn't time to display her character during these battles, and her puns while flavored with a certain cannibalistic attitude which fits her vampiric nature make the reader wince.



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