Vampirella #27 - Warren

Another mag that just arrived the other day, and our first Vampirella post! Who better to celebrate Valentine's Day with than Vampirella?

Growing up, I was never one much for Vampi, since I knew that any magazine with covers like these would probably not pass muster in my parent's house. Plus as a young boy, I think pictures of a woman who looked like her intimidated the hell outta me.

Now that I'm more mature (hollow laugh), I've come to appreciate the level of talent, craftsmanship, and fun that Warren brought to arguably its most famous creation. After a great spooky cover by Enrich (hey, where's a Vampirella: Cover to Cover hardcover?) this issue starts with "Wolf Hunt" by Joe Wehrle and the great Estaban Maroto. This is exactly the kind of story that would've kept me from getting this as a kid: the main female protagonist is nude during the entire story.

Next by Don McGregor and Luis Garcia is "Welcome to the Witches' Coven", a spooky tale about a cult of, you guessed it, witches. "Quavering Shadows", by Doug Moench and Jose Bea takes place in both modern day and medeival times, and features probably the wordiest Moench story ever. Next is "The Frog Prince", a humorous tale written and drawn by Bill DuBay, who was the Warren EIC at the time. While it's a nice break from all the doom and gloom, DuBay's art is...let's move on.

The color feature in this issue was a story starring Vampi herself by Jose Toutain and Jose Gonzalez. A nice little story, but stories like these always made me wonder why no one ever commented on how Vampirella was dressed. There's even a little kid in the story, and one look at Vampi would push any young boy into Instant Puberty.

"Cilia" by Nicola Cuti and Felix Mas, is an old-fashioned ghost story, complete with lost freighter. Jeff Jones writes and draws "Quest", a really nice moody morality tale. Jones' art is just beautiful, and each panel is a perfect balance of black and white.

After that of course are all those great Captain Company ads, so that must mean we've reached the end of the...hey, wait a minute! There's one more story, tucked in the back of the issue, written and drawn by Wally Wood! "War of the Wizards" is a classic Woody-style tale of barbarians, naked women, and wizards, all with tongue firmly in cheek. This is one of the best stories in the issue...why its buried amid ads for Vampirella t-shirts and monster make-up kits is beyond me.

One last fun feature is on the inside covers, front and back, is a game board for the "Capture" game, complete with player pieces and a spinner that you cut out yourself. How many issues of Vampirella #27 got mangled by kids eager to play the game I do not know. Luckily my copy is complete.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to go get my scissors...