Vampirella #1: "Goddess from the Sea"

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The Bettie Page of the vampire world, Vampirella was introduced by Warren Publishing in 1969. The Vampirella magazine, like Warren's Creepy and Eerie, was black-and-white, aimed at a somewhat older audience, and sold for fifty cents. A Frank Frazetta color cover introduced Vampi to readers, showing her in her terse crimson costume, posing with one spike-heeled foot resting on a human skull. Sci-fi maven Forrest J. Ackerman, who was editing Famous Monsters for Warren, came up with the name, and in the early issues Vampi was played for laughs. When Tom Sutton became the artist with the eighth issue things got serious. Scripts by Archie Goodwin helped convert Vampirella into a viable vampire. A typical good/bad girl, she sometimes gave in to the urge to sink her teeth into somebody's throat, but she also built a career as a sexy ghostbuster, aided by her mentor Pendragon. Vampi usually appeared in the opening story with the rest of the issue given over to assorted horror tales. The magazine ended in 1983.

Since then the virtuous vampire has been brought back to life several times and is now published by Dynamite Entertainment.



Credits

Cover painting: Frank Frazetta
Script: Don Glut
Pencils: Neal Adams
Inks:Neal Adams

Reprinted:

• in Vampirella Annual (Warren, 1972 series) #1
• in Eerie (Warren, 1966 series) #125
  

Creepy #65: "Star Slaughter"

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Ramon Torrents was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1937. He began his career drawing for the comic Space Ace. He later worked on Fleetway romance comics like Marilyn and True Life Library. He worked with Esteban Maroto on Cinco x Infinito in the late 1960s. Through his connections with Selleciones Illustrada, Torrents began working for Warren Publishing in 1972. Torrents drew 42 stories with Warren and remained with the company until 1979. The majority of his work appeared in Vampirella, with approximately 8 stories done for Creepy and one story done for Eerie. Torrents drew primarily stand-alone stories except for a three part series titled Fleur and a single story where he drew Vampirella herself. Torrents also worked for Warren competitor Skywald for a period of time in the early 1970s. After leaving Warren, Torrents retired from the comic book industry.

Gor-117 is a robot soldier, whose job it is to kill. But even an android can feel, as the all-powerful mechanism decides that murder is wrong.

The story of tormented Gor-117 was written by Richard Margopoulos and the beautiful and flashy art is by Ramon Torrents. Now this is how black and white art should be done!


Credits

Script: Rich Margopoulos
Pencils: Ramon Torrents
Inks: Ramon Torrents

Reprinted:

• in Galactic Wars Comix (Warren, 1978 series) #nn (December 1978).
• from Creepy (March 1973) #51
  

Creepy #65: "The Land of Bone"

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By the Nine Bloody Gods! When I was a kid growing up in small-town rural America, there was this kindly young woman who lived up the block from me who advertised used comic books for a dime. That was unusual for the small city, but being a comic book fanatic I jumped for joy, rode my bike to her house and eagerly knocked on her door. She brought out this large box of comics for me to peruse and, while we were swapping stories about our favorite comic books, she abruptly announced that she was a witch! That really surprised me, but she went on to regale me with tales of her supernatural powers, none of which I privately believed. Still, she was one of the most interesting people I had ever met and very friendly, too. I had nearly forgotten about her, until I decided to upload this particular issue of Creepy.

I purchased Creepy #65 from my friendly neighborhood "sorceress" for only a dime, which I thought was a steal of a deal even back in 1974. I also thought that this was one of the slickest magazines that I had ever read and I was no fan of "mere black and white" back then either. I drooled as I was witness to fantastic and gorgeous art by illustrators I had never heard of before, such as Esteban Maroto, Ramon Torrents, José Luis García-López, Reed Crandall, Auraleon, Felix Mas, Jose Bea, Jorge B. Galvez, and Jamie Brocal. All of this was topped off by that beautiful Ken Kelly cover painting. I was in heaven! While I was downright fanatical about keeping my comic book collection in near mint condition, I literally read and reread this magazine until the cover fell off, it was that good.

The first two stories are "The Land of Bone" by Buddy Saunders & Esteban Moroto and "Star Slaughter" by Richard Margopoulos and they are the two best. I have often debated with myself whether or not "The Land of Bone" is what all sword and sorcery stories should strive to be, or is nostalgia coloring my thoughts? I will say it's my personal favorite from the entire genre, but everyone is different and please share your thoughts by commenting on what your favorite swords and sorcery story is. "The Quaking Horror" by Gardner Fox and Auraleon is also very good, all of which I will upload here in time.

Please enjoy "The Land of Bone."



Credits

Cover painting: Ken Kelly
Script: Buddy Saunders
Pencils: Esteban Maroto
Inks: Esteban Maroto

Reprinted:

• from Creepy (Warren, 1964 series) #47
  

Comix International #3: Dax the Damned in "Chess"

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In a period of time before recorded history, a great hero of that era struggles for survival in a savage world. It's a world filled with hideous monsters, beautiful women, and dark sorcery. Though a great and noble hero, Dax is damned to meet a most unpleasant fate in the end. This fondly remembered and long-running series is the creation of the great Spanish artist Esteban Maroto.

Born in Madrid, Maroto began his career in the 1960s with series like Cinco por infinito, published in English by Continuity Comics as "Zero Patrol, which was heavily retouched by editor Neal Adams.

Maroto joined Warren Publishing in November 1971 when artists from the Spanish agency Selleciones Illustrada started appearing in the their three horror magazines, Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. Maroto's first story, "Wolfhunt", appeared in Vampirella #14. Maroto quickly became one of the most well known and critically acclaimed Spanish artists at Warren. He would eventually draw 101 stories for them, more than any other artist except Jose Ortiz. Maroto won the Warren Award for best artist/writer in 1972, and his story "A Scream in the Forest" won the best art in a story award in 1973. Maroto remained with Warren until its folding in 1983.

Two of Maroto's series were reprinted in Eerie and Vampirella. Manly, renamed Dax the Warrior, was reprinted in issues 39-41, 43-50 and 52 of Eerie. All of issue 59 was dedicated to Dax, which reprinted again the majority of these stories. His series Tomb of the Gods was reprinted in Vampirella issues 17 through 22.

He also contributed black-and-white illustrations for the Roger Zelazny book Changeling and Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away.

Credits

Script: Esteban Maroto
Pencils: Esteban Maroto
Inks: Esteban Maroto

Reprinted:

• from Eerie (Warren, 1966 series) #41 (August 1972).
• in Eerie (Warren, 1966 series) #59 (August 1974).
  

Special surprise bonus download: Xotica, the Art of Esteban Maroto


Download Xotica: The art of Esteban Maroto