Interview: Vampirella Is Back With A Vengeance
Aug 18, 2019
Originally debuting in 1994, Vengeance of Vampirella portrayed a more savage and feral look at the Daughter of Drakulon. Now, for the 50th Anniversary of Vampirella, original series writer Tom Sniegoski (joined by the incredible art of Michael Sta. Maria) is back and issue #1 features a host of incredible cover artists. Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
We talked with Tom Sniegoski and Michael Sta. Maria about the new Vengeance of Vampirella from Dynamite!
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PREVIEWSworld: Let’s first flash back to your previous history with Vampirella. You wrote all of the mainline Vampirella series as well as most spinoffs and follow ups for nearly four years in the 1990s. This was an exciting time for comic books and for Vampi as well. It was an era of controversial blockbuster storylines like The Death of Superman and Knightfall. Some fans may not know that your run capped off with the explosive Vampirella: Death & Destruction. How do you look back on those times?
Tom Sniegoski: As a comic fan, it was incredibly exciting. My editor over at Harris basically gave me the Warren magazine toy box and let me go wild. I’d only written some smaller, independent books at the time so being given the chance to really cut loose with these amazing characters was a real honor. What was equally amazing was that folks really seemed to be digging my take on the character. I’d always said that I wanted to do a book reminiscent of the Marvel monster books of the 1970s – Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf by Night, Ghost Rider, etc. Vengeance of Vampirella was my try at that.
PREVIEWSworld: Which leads us right into this new title… This Vengeance of Vampirella series picks right up from the finale of Death & Destruction, as if Vampirella Lives and all the subsequent stories didn’t happen. But the real-time passage of 25 years has passed in-story. What’s it like picking right back up where you left off? Are you writing Vampirella any differently in 2019?
Tom Sniegoski: It's crazy cool! I keep joking and calling this the Sniegoski-Verse version of Vampirella. I’m amazed how easy it actually was. I refreshed my memory of what Christopher Golden and I did with the story in Death & Destruction, and I was off like a shot. I knew exactly what I wanted to do and was psyched to do it. My take on Vampi is familiar, but at the same time slightly different. This is a Vampirella that has lost quite a bit and this loss has changed her, made her harder and more dangerous.
PREVIEWSworld: Without delving too deep into spoilers, can fans expect some old friends and foes to pop up in this new series? How has the passage of time affected the world around Vampirella?
Tom Sniegoski: Yes! Friends and foes return… some with big differences. Writing these characters again was almost as exciting as getting to write Vampirella after all this time – almost. The world has changed dramatically since the ending of Death & Destruction and has sort of become a character in the new series. It’s an incredibly dangerous and terrifying place now.
PREVIEWSworld: You worked with some fan-favorite artists back in the day, some of which are now major figures in the industry. Buzz is even coming back for covers on this book! What’s it like working with Michael Sta. Maria as part of the next generation of great Vampirella artists?
Tom Sniegoski: I’d always felt that I’d won the lottery on my Vampirella run. The artists that I got to work with were amazing. Buzz, Caesar, Kirk Van Wormer, Kevin Sharpe, Louis Small Jr. – I’m sure I’m forgetting someone, and I apologize – I’m old! But yes, the book always looked amazing. And Michael Sta. Maria is carrying on the tradition! When the editors at Dynamite showed me his stuff I was completely blown away! The sample pages he did from my first script for the new series made my mouth drop, they were that good. I immediately emailed my editor and said, “You’ve hired this guy, right?” Much to my pleasure, they had. The book is going to look so good… and I hope it reads as well too!
PREVIEWSworld: Michael, how would you describe your artistic take on Vampirella? It goes without saying that so many stellar artists have contributed to the character over her prolific 50 year history. Are you taking influence from any of the greats and/or marking your own path?
Michael Sta. Maria: I’m trying to make my own style, but at the same time I am influenced by previous artists for inspiration and reference. I think this combination makes me strive to create a better comic book for the readers and my collaborators. My father is also an artist, and he taught me to draw. However, my career truly started the day I met Stephen Segovia – who has drawn Vampirella as well. Today he is my mentor, a good friend and a constant inspiration. I hope fans love my Vampi!
Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
Humanity holds on, but barely, the playthings and slaves of a multitude of supernatural monstrosities that have made the earth their own. Mistress Nyx continues to rule the planet, her Chaos Lords reigning over the various regions of the world, but she is getting bored - There's no one to challenge her! That is, until a small, but determined rebellion finds what could be their savior or seal their doom!
This new series - and anniversary event - is not to be missed!
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, Legacy, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, developed into a series of novels about the character Remy Chandler.
Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
Humanity holds on, but barely, the playthings and slaves of a multitude of supernatural monstrosities that have made the earth their own. Mistress Nyx continues to rule the planet, her Chaos Lords reigning over the various regions of the world, but she is getting bored - There's no one to challenge her! That is, until a small, but determined rebellion finds what could be their savior or seal their doom!
This new series - and anniversary event - is not to be missed!
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, Legacy, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, developed into a series of novels about the character Remy Chandler.
Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
Humanity holds on, but barely, the playthings and slaves of a multitude of supernatural monstrosities that have made the earth their own. Mistress Nyx continues to rule the planet, her Chaos Lords reigning over the various regions of the world, but she is getting bored - There's no one to challenge her! That is, until a small, but determined rebellion finds what could be their savior or seal their doom!
This new series - and anniversary event - is not to be missed!
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, Legacy, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, developed into a series of novels about the character Remy Chandler.
Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
Humanity holds on, but barely, the playthings and slaves of a multitude of supernatural monstrosities that have made the earth their own. Mistress Nyx continues to rule the planet, her Chaos Lords reigning over the various regions of the world, but she is getting bored - There's no one to challenge her! That is, until a small, but determined rebellion finds what could be their savior or seal their doom!
This new series - and anniversary event - is not to be missed!
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, Legacy, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, developed into a series of novels about the character Remy Chandler.
Set 25 years after the initial series, Vampirella is Dead!? Long Live Vampirella!
Humanity holds on, but barely, the playthings and slaves of a multitude of supernatural monstrosities that have made the earth their own. Mistress Nyx continues to rule the planet, her Chaos Lords reigning over the various regions of the world, but she is getting bored - There's no one to challenge her! That is, until a small, but determined rebellion finds what could be their savior or seal their doom!
This new series - and anniversary event - is not to be missed!
THOMAS E. SNIEGOSKI is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His teen fantasy YA series Fallen was adapted into a trilogy of monstrously successful TV movies by ABC Family Channel. His other books for teens include Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, Legacy, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. The author's first adult novel, A Kiss Before the Apocalypse, developed into a series of novels about the character Remy Chandler.
