Vampirella is one of those offbeat horror heroes. Not really an anti-hero and yet definitely no villain. She has superhuman strength, can fly and turn into a giant bat. Her background is a twist on the old Dracula myth. Apparently, Dracula was from Vampira's homeworld; ready for this? Yep, her homeworld is called Drakulon. Gee, I wonder how they managed to think that up? Her world dies out and she commandeers a spaceship to Earth. There begins her not quite heroic yet anti-villain career of going after evil. Wow, all that with a sexy leotard too. Probably, the reason this character is still around is due to her first cover being a Frazetta, in Vampirella #1. The interior art was black and white done by Neal Adams and Reed Crandall with the script by Forrest Ackerman. Vampirella #1 first appeared in September 1969, and she has been with us ever since. Can this bloodsucker bolster our profit margins, or drain them dry?

Vampirella #1

Vampirella definitely has a bite, this little rag-mag has an FMV of $22,000 in mint (9.8), and in the low-grades (3.5) returns an FMV of $150. Wow, I guess this book has some staying power and longevity. I mean with all the shlocky vampire movies from Tom Cruise in a wig, (dare I mention The Twilight Series.) to Frances Ford Coppola's "oceans of time" vampiric opera over-acting; not one bit of it has bled Vampirella dry of fans or staying power. These numbers are truly impressive and I have to take a second look at possibly buying this for myself. If we list the highest returns by grade for Vampirella #1 the truth becomes "self-evident." The GoCollect data cruncher has the following returns: in grade (9.2) positive +118.6% return, grade (5.0) positive +118.1% profit, grade (4.5) a whopping positive +210.1% ROI, and I could go on. I used data over 18 years at 10,000 copies, and these results were a pleasant surprise. When you see consistent green across the board on the GoCollect analyzer, there is only one answer: buy.

If the old stuff like Vampirella didn't phase you, or you just are not a Frazetta fan, try J. Scott Campbell's version with Vampirella #1 (J. Scott Campbell Red Sketch Variant). This comic book was created in 2010 with writer Jeph Loeb (writing), Tim Sale (art), and J. Scott Campbell as a cover artist.  These are much cheaper and probably will retain value as Campbell is very sought after. The last sale for mint (9.8) was on 8/3/18 for $38.70 eBay. Stick with the (9.6) grade it appears to be paying off. Unfortunately, this is not as pristine an investment as the first Vampirella #1 as some grades have declined in value.

Whether you go old school Vampirella or newfangled Scott Campbell they both have gorgeous covers and the Frazetta cover will always be valuable. My guess is Vampirella #1 (1969) the first appearance is a key that is worth owning. Even if you have to give a little blood to obtain it. If you can buy a raw copy and CGC it; then you might save a small amount of coin. But bottom line this book is a big key and deserves more respect then it has received to date and will continue to make money into the 21st Century.