Comics
Review: ‘Vampirella vs. Fluffy the Vampire Killer’ One-shot
The latest Vampirella one-shot is a hilariously woven tale that magnificently dives into full-blown spoof territory, as Mark Rahner places Vampi into the farcical world of “Fluffy the Vampire Killer”. That’s right, Vampirella bumps heads with a satirical version of Joss Whedon’s beloved popular culture icon, Buffy Summers. And if you’re a fan of either series, it’s a face-off that’s definitely worth checking out!
WRITTEN BY: Mark Rahner
ART BY: Cezar Razek
PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment
PRICE: $4.99
RELEASE: October 31st
Writing a script that pokes fun at the abundance of puns and dated pop-culture references littering the universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, seems to come naturally to Rahner. And he does so sufficiently, by dishing out quip after incessant quip throughout the one-shot; much to Vampi’s frustration.
Vampirella goes undercover as Ms. Normandy, the hot new substitute teacher at Fluffy’s high school, which naturally, sits atop an occult portal to Hell. Her predecessor, as it were, was eaten. Besides the obvious nod to Sunnydale’s Hellmouth, there are many references and inside-jokes taken from the BuffyVerse that only grow from page to page. My favourite happens to be The Brass, Rahner’s take on the nightclub Buffy and co. regularly frequent called, The Bronze. Whether it’s normal for high school kids to go clubbing all the time, or even have a nightclub, for that matter, you better believe he mocks it.
The big bad in this one-shot is a sinister group of demonic Puritans, or as I see them, evil pilgrims, who are brutally mutilating the sexually active students and teachers on campus, but just enough to stop them from succumbing to temptation again. In doing so, they are aiding a much greater demon that feeds on sexual repression. Unfortunately for the FluffyVerse, “Abstinence Education Week” is being pushed by the administration, and the students are suffering with pent up sexual frustration. This whole idea is just one fantastic jab after another at conservative America’s views on sex education, slut-shaming, and victim blaming; and Rahner goes to town with that mentality during the first meeting between Vampirella and Fluffy.
Vampirella is almost always scantily clad in her signature red sling suit and black knee-high boots, and Fluffy knew she couldn’t be a real teacher “outside of a Van Halen [music] video.” The clothing, the bangin’ body, Vampi’s obvious appeal to the male market does make a person question her validity as anything but a voluptuous sex object. But after numerous jeers from Fluffy regarding Vampirella’s revealing attire and camel toe, Rahner helps Vampirella put things in perspective. Regardless of what she’s wearing, she’s a feminist icon in a medium filled to the brim with unrealistic and overly sexualized half-naked women. What she wears holds no merit. And she doesn’t shy away from scrutinizing Fluffy’s girl power routine. “Empowerment means I can wear whatever I want and kill anyone who has a problem with it.”
“Vampirella vs. Fluffy the Vampire Killer’s” comedic aspects are very well balanced by the outrageously gory violence in script, but mostly in Cezar Razek’s art. The gorgeous renderings from Razek are very fun and animated, surprisingly, if taking into account some of the darker scenes in the issue. He shows fantastic detail and his work is visually charismatic in execution. Nick Bradshaw’s cover is also of particular note, but it doesn’t hold a candle to Razek’s panels.
Overall, “Vampirella vs. Fluffy” is a comic book that offers Vampi fans (and Whedonites with a sense of humor), another entertaining adventure to add to their pull list. Though, it’s hard to say if those unfamiliar with Buffy the Vampire Slayer will get much out of it.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – ShadowJayd
Comics
‘You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive’ – IDW Dark’s Next Horror Comic Will Make You Question Reality
Five friends. Four houses. One perfect life. Bloody Disgusting is excited to exclusively announce You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a brand new horror comic from IDW Dark.
From Eisner-Nominated writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and rising horror artist Heather Vaughan, You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is described as a “paranoia-laced, socially-conscious, horror mystery that will leave you questioning reality, and reveal that this crafted world is more of a nightmare than the idealistic dream they were expecting.”
Phoebe Joplin has never questioned the world her parents built: a secluded community where she and her friends were raised to be smarter, stronger, and better than anyone else. No distractions. No dangers. No secrets. Until the night of their graduation.
When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life—and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.
Because this place isn’t a sanctuary. It’s a cage. And no one who discovers the truth ever leaves it alive.
Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing (Batman – One Bad Day: Clayface, Star Trek: The Last Starship) co-write the upcoming IDW Dark horror comic, featuring art by Heather Vaughan.
Jackson Lanzing said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive is in many ways a spiritual successor to our last creator-owned horror, The Principles of Necromancy – a dive into the promise and consequence of playing god with the blood of innocents. But the Hivemind book this reminds me of most is Clayface: One Bad Day. This is a deeply human story with intensely raw emotions – five best friends and their five mysterious parents, tearing one another apart for the promise of some impossible glory that’s waiting just beyond their darkest actions. We’re thrilled to be bringing this story to life with our long-time partner in crime, editor Heather Antos, at IDW Dark – and we’re particularly excited to give our Clayface fans a new, brutal and emotional horror made just for them.”
Adds Collin Kelly, “We’re deconstructing a feeling that seems universal these days; our elders have a death grip on their power, without any intention of giving it up to the generations that come next. YNLTPA is about growing up with the limitless potential of the future… and realizing how much it’s a lie we’ve been fed to keep us under the yoke of the past. Bringing this brutal experience to life is our artist and co-creator, Heather Vaughan, who brings an incredible amount of humanity to our cast. But it’s in our youthful leads that Heather’s art really shines – you are going to fall in love with these young people, even as they go through the worst experience of their lives. What we’ve all crafted together is going to be tragic, painful, but above all else, sincere – with a future so uncertain, there’s only one thing we can trust: you’ll never leave this place alive.”
“Some horror stories are about monsters in the dark. YNLTPA is about realizing the monsters raised you,” previews Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “Working with Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly on this series has been a dream in the darkest possible way. They’ve built a story that’s layered, brutal, and deeply emotional, and every issue gives artist Heather Vaughan opportunities to push the art into places that feel both haunting and deeply personal. Some horror comics will keep you up at night…this is one that will stick with you for years to come.”
The first issue of You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive goes on sale October 14, 2026! Make sure to pre-order at your local comic shop by September to guarantee a copy.
Exclusively check out the various covers for Issue #1 down below.
IDW Publishing’s horror imprint IDW DARK features comics like A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, Smile: For the Camera, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Twilight Zone, Event Horizon: Dark Descent & Event Horizon: Inferno, and more.
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