Vampirella is a highly unusual vampire of mysterious origins who has attracted a large fanbase ever since her introduction in 1969 in EERIE Magazine. Since that time, rights to the character has moved around quite a bit and as of this writing (Sept. 2012) Dynamite Comics is in charge of her character's story. Her signature "look" has become an icon, spawing many artists to portray her as well as encouraging many to copy her costume as part of cosplay.
Origins[]
Initially, Vampirella was portrayed as the sole survivor of the planet Drakulon, where blood naturally flowed as easily water does on Earth. However, her world suffered a catastrophe which dried up all the sources of fresh blood. At this point, a United States space probe landed on the almost-dead world. Operating on sheer instinct, she bit one of the astronauts and drained him. Eventually, she used the same spacecraft to come here to Earth.
Later, this origin was retconned to suppose she actually is the daughter of the mighty dark goddess Lilith and her memories of "Drakulon" were of a fairly comfortable area of Hades.
Scholars in the Wold Newton Universe go further and maintain she is the comic character Lady Rawhide (a sometimes ally of Zorro) bitten by one of Dracula's brides and suffering from delusions as the result of the trauma.
Appearance[]
Vampirella is a tall, pale woman with a mane of raven-black hair and green eyes. Her look is that of a skimpy, red sling bathing suit barely covering her nipples and genitalia, with a golden bat emblem over the crotch. She wears an upturned white collar at her neck, long, high-heeled black boots, and a golden bracelet on one arm.
Powers[]
The character is still discovering her powers, however, she can shapeshift into a bat and has superior strength, speed, stamina. Her fangs emerge at will, and it is evidently very difficult for her to feed without killing her victims. Animal blood does little or no good for her, although a synthetic blood kept her hunger assuaged.
She does not, however, suffer an ill effect from sunlight or holy items, nor can she "pass on" her form of vampirism to others.
Vampirella can be savage in a fight, but at heart she does not like killing. Her best friends on Earth are stage magician Pendragon and her sometimes lover, Adam Van Helsing. The two biggest foes she has had to confront, time and again, have been the demon CHAOS as well as none other than Count Dracula himself.
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