Book Review: The Art of Vampirella

Seems like the page previews I posted earlier were a bit misleading as they were only from the first few pages of the book.

First of all, the hardcover book is actually 232 pages instead of the 216 pages listed by the publisher. Nice little bonus.

The book starts with an interesting history of Vampirella before you're greeted with the gallery of art work, mostly full-page size. Unfortunately, there's a bias in favor of newer artists. The old covers from the Warran era and those drawn by Jose Gonzalez are relegated to sizes where you can print 8 to 16 per page. It's a pity to see some of those beautiful illustrations printed that small.

The rest of the art are pretty much from the 90s onwards, with work contributed by artists such as Adam Hughes, Jae Lee, Mike Mayhew, Mark Texeria and many more. The quality of art featured is a mixed bag, but a good mixed bag. Most of the illustrators are professional so the standard is still high, generally. There are lots of nice sexy illustrations. I like some of Mike Mayhew's pieces which are very beautifully painted. David Finch's ones are in his usual style, very detailed with good use of blacks. Julie Bell's piece is quite scary. At the end, there's even a short comic included.

Occasionally, some artists are picked to be featured with description but the selection is random. Seems like they are only included as an afterthought. The longer commentary and interviews are from Davide Barzi, Joe Jusko, Amanda Conner, Kurt Busiek and Alan Moore.

You won't get to see the full glory of old works but it's a still a good art book, and it's priced nicely. Recommended for Vampirella fans.

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This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook or visit their website.

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This book was borrowed from Basheer Graphic Books for review purposes. You can order the book from them. Check with Basheer on Facebook or visit their website.