Retro Without Rewind In Paul Cornell's Vampirella

Launching a new and different direction for the world famous shapely vampire, writer Paul Cornell elaborates about his ideas for the upcoming Vampirella #0 (DEC161533) from Dynamite Entertainment. It is not his intention to rest on the laurels of his character’s history or popularity. Paul Cornell intends to step on the gas, drive really fast, and throw caution to the wind for fear of immortality reaching its expiration date.

Vampirella #0 (DEC161533) is in comic shops February 1 for only 25 cents!

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PREVIEWSworld: Paul, you have had experience writing every comic book character from Doctor Who to Lex Luthor to Wolverine. What does it mean to you to begin a new chapter in the career of a character as iconic as Vampirella for Dynamite?

Paul Cornell: It's lovely to take on a character with such a long history and so many portrayals.

PREVIEWSworld: Vampirella has been portrayed as everything from cheesecake to a skilled monster hunter. How do you see this character as a writer?

Paul Cornell: In our run, she's a bit of an everywoman, a relatable character lost in a terrible world. That's not a first for her, really, but I like the chance to put the audience onside with her, inside her head.

PREVIEWSworld: You've said that while you will not ignore the character's past continuity, Vampirella under your pen will be headed for a new world where "the gothic meets science fiction." Tell us more about that.

Paul Cornell: I think some characters have just been rebooted too much, so we're not going to do that. We're going to forge ahead. She's the gothic, and the shape she brings is the snake in the garden, the ancient revenge, and the SF is the dystopian world she wakes up in.

PREVIEWSworld: When Vampirella takes her first nourishing drink of blood in your issue #0, she notices something has changed about humans. Or at least the humans she first encounters. Can you tell us anything about that at this point?

Paul Cornell: They have a new sort of blood, which is to do with the set-up of the world, the way the bargain between life and death has been altered. It's very tasty, mind you.

PREVIEWSworld: What is it like to be reunited with your frequent collaborator, artist Jimmy Broxton? Tell us what his art will bring to this new volume of Vampirella.

Paul Cornell: He's got this classy, European style going now, which so plays to both the origins of the character, in black-and-white magazine art, and to the kind of subtle, sophisticated look we want to give her now. I keep saying Modesty Blaise, and Jimmy seems to enjoy that.

PREVIEWSworld: What can you tell us about any new characters that will play an important role in Vampirella's new life? Did you collaborate with Jimmy on their designs?

Paul Cornell: Well, I make suggestions in the script. Vampirella will have three companions on this journey, two innocents she stumbles across, and a cat she calls Grit. We all like the cat. We want Grit action figures.

PREVIEWSworld: Vampirella has been reinvented and relaunched numerous times, yet has never lost her energy or appeal as a character. With this new iteration, what is the greatest challenge you face with both diehard fans and new readers?

Paul Cornell: To do something radically new and bring in new readers. To push nostalgia away as always, because nostalgia is the waiting room for death.