Draculina: Blood Simple, a new series starring Vampirella’s devilish sister and her teenaged better half is coming up this February. Writer Christopher Priest (Black Panther, Deathstroke), phenomenal artist Michael Sta. Maria (Vengeance of Vampirella) and master colorist Ivan Nunes return for their follow up to 2021’s breakout Draculina title for a family brawl worthy of “VampireMania!”
Just as Draculina, Vampirella’s evil sister, has begun to acquire a grudging acceptance of Vampirette (her preteen alter-ego otherwise known as Katie), another sibling appears. This mysterious new character is drawn out by the reemergence of the demon Belial, who fathered a legion of demons with Vampirella’s mother Lilith. Levi (short for “Leviathan”) is a powerful half-sea creature with his father’s temper and his sister’s sense of evil mischief – and like Draculina, he wants Belial dead!
“Michael Sta. Maria and I have created an entirely new world apart from the Vampirella franchise titles and I’m really pleased that the success of our first run will enable us to further explore this literal family from hell!,” shared writer Christopher Priest. “Draculina and Katie, her literal better half, return with a plus one, a cantankerous, cigar-chomping sea creature with his own agenda (and his own tail!). I’m very excited the gang’s all here, back for a second round with Michael and Ivan, as we further explore our West Coast ‘bad girl’ twist on Vampirella (Draculina) as she struggles to come to terms with her own inner demons.”
Vampirette has fully embraced the demon Belial, who is now retired and living quietly in Beverly Hills, as her beloved “Uncle Gio.” The siblings Draculina and Levi’s provocations threaten to reignite Belial’s evil fury, to the delight of their mother Lilith, whom Belial saved from certain death but whom she nonetheless despises. Lilith further stirs the cauldron by engineering a confrontation between Draculina and her new protégé, Victory, the new Draculina, which inevitably draws Vampirella into this sprawling family squabble as well! Set the table and warm up the oven for the family reunion from hell and one of the most expansive rosters in any Vampirella title ever!
Draculina first appeared in the pages of Vampirella #2 from Warren Publishing back in November of 1969. The character made her biggest return splash at Dynamite in 2021 in the year long companion series Sacred Six by Christopher Priest and company. Recently, Draculina starred in her first ever solo series from Priest and Sta. Maria that sets up the connection between her and her younger counterpart, Katie/Vampirette. Which now catches fans right up to this new title, but it can be jumped right into by newcomers too!
“It has been an incredible experience working alongside Christopher Priest as he leads the Vampirella franchise into expansive new territory with each issue he writes,” said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. “His critically acclaimed kickoff of her 50th anniversary in 2019 was just the beginning, as he’s expanded so much with Sacred Six, Unholy, Draculina, Year One, and more such as laying the groundwork for Nyx. He just wasn’t quite done with his ideas for everyone’s favorite black-costumed sister, so we can’t wait for fans to bite into this story!”
For Draculina’s grand return and this epic crossover series, a who’s who of top artists are doing variant covers. Jay Anacleto takes charge with a haunting, blood-soaked take on the antiheroine. Vampi franchise greats Joseph Michael Linsner, Rafael Kayanan, Zoe Lacchei, Lucio Parrillo, and cosplayer Rachel Hollon also join the throwdown.
DRACULINA: BLOOD SIMPLE #1 is solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ October 2022 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in December 2022. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue 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!
