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Vamps #1-6
Vamps
Meet Howler, Screech, Whipsnake, Skeeter and Mink -- five dangerously alluring female vampires thundering down America's highways on Harleys (what else?), drunk on freedom and high octane. After killing their male master, the Vamps set out on the open road in search of a new life. If you're a fan of blood, chrome and vampires -- and, well, who wouldn't be -- check out this comic book road trip from Vegas to NYC.
Collects 1-6 of the original VAMPS miniseries.
Collects 1-6 of the original VAMPS miniseries.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 10, 2019
Five female, biker vampires raise hell throughout America after killing their male master. There's not much of a plot here other than watching the vamps seduce men before murdering them. Their is a half-baked plot with a private eye who is sort on their trail and a long lost child but it's not developed very well. It constantly feels like you may have skipped a page with these B-plots. Will Simpson's art is very 90's Vertigo.
January 3, 2018
2nd book read in 2018.
Number 549 out of 662 on my all time book list.
Reads like an 80s B movie script.
Number 549 out of 662 on my all time book list.
Reads like an 80s B movie script.
January 15, 2021
En el texto que cierra su versión recopilada, la escritora Elaine Lee desliza razones de género para explicar el feedback que recibió tras publicarse esta miniserie: Odiada o cuestionada por hombres; unánimemente amada por las mujeres.
No obstante, la gran tara de su moderna propuesta vampírica yace en ser predecible, con un guion falto de sorpresas que página a página avanza a un clímax bastante tibio y una resolución que no sorprende. Pocos bonos para una premisa que, dentro de sus propios clichés (guapas vampiras motociclistas que cruzan las carreteras bajo sus propios términos), pudo rendir frutos si se abordaba con menos prejuicios obviando de paso la innecesaria justificación para su protagonista, sin por eso descuidar la intención. Pudo ser... y no fue.
No obstante, la gran tara de su moderna propuesta vampírica yace en ser predecible, con un guion falto de sorpresas que página a página avanza a un clímax bastante tibio y una resolución que no sorprende. Pocos bonos para una premisa que, dentro de sus propios clichés (guapas vampiras motociclistas que cruzan las carreteras bajo sus propios términos), pudo rendir frutos si se abordaba con menos prejuicios obviando de paso la innecesaria justificación para su protagonista, sin por eso descuidar la intención. Pudo ser... y no fue.
August 28, 2022
More poetic than I would have anticipated, also more poignant. Nearly 30 years on I am surprised to see bikers who aren't upper middle class retirees.
It's a funny old world to be discovering writing that is of my time through my son's commentary on her son's work. So much more to read.
Library copy
It's a funny old world to be discovering writing that is of my time through my son's commentary on her son's work. So much more to read.
Library copy
July 2, 2020
Non è certo un capolavoro, come tanti altri fumetti; non è neppure quell'abisso di ignominia che dicono tanti.
E' una bella storia con bei protagonisti, ha le sue pecche, ma nulla di criminale.
L'ho riletto volentieri: dopo quasi venti anni non ha perso freschezza.
E' una bella storia con bei protagonisti, ha le sue pecche, ma nulla di criminale.
L'ho riletto volentieri: dopo quasi venti anni non ha perso freschezza.
May 17, 2020
The five characters in this vampire road trip through the USA are pretty indistinguishable from each other, and Elaine Lee admits they are facets of her own personality as much as they are inspired by her fiercly independent-spirited female friends. The vamps are maneaters quite literally, happy to seduce barflys and bozos to their deaths, and there is some fun to be had in their camaraderie and their fierce desire to escape the clutches of the dominating male vampire who created them.
That revenge of the Brides of Dracula premise is mixed in with a second plot involving one of the characters losing custody of her baby because she was a sex-worker, and trying to get revenge on the judge, lawyer and surrogate family. This had the potential to push the comic in quite interesting dark and morally ambiguous territory, but there's not enough space to really flesh this out. Instead it's resolved rapidly and unsatisfyingly in the final issue.
William Simpson's character designs are great, and he has a lot of fun drawing different outfits and motorbikes for the five characters. The book bears the hallmarks of the mid 90s Vertigo style when it comes to its colours particularly, and it also has that era's overwritten captions. Comics have learned to show not tell since then. Brian Bolland's covers are predictably gorgeous.
That revenge of the Brides of Dracula premise is mixed in with a second plot involving one of the characters losing custody of her baby because she was a sex-worker, and trying to get revenge on the judge, lawyer and surrogate family. This had the potential to push the comic in quite interesting dark and morally ambiguous territory, but there's not enough space to really flesh this out. Instead it's resolved rapidly and unsatisfyingly in the final issue.
William Simpson's character designs are great, and he has a lot of fun drawing different outfits and motorbikes for the five characters. The book bears the hallmarks of the mid 90s Vertigo style when it comes to its colours particularly, and it also has that era's overwritten captions. Comics have learned to show not tell since then. Brian Bolland's covers are predictably gorgeous.
Read
April 30, 2016Five biker vampires kill the cut-price Dracula who made them his brides (seriously, he was called Dave) and go Thelma and Louise with teeth across the USA. This was an early Vertigo miniseries, and it shows ("I was wearing a feminist on my belt, as was the fashion at the time"), but in amongst that slightly formalised feverishness there are some smart ideas, not least the women's hunting tactics. And it's always nice to see Will Simpson art, even if he does seem to completely fluff about one face in twelve. if nothing else, read the dedications - they're the best bit.
September 5, 2018
Please note: I read the original individual newsstand editions, not this trade-paperback collection.
I excavated this mid-nineties six-issue Vertigo miniseries out of the closet recently and decided to see how it held up.
Meh.
I mean, I guess I can see what I liked about it at eighteen years old: It reads like a Robert Rodríguez grindhouse homage, featuring five high-heeled, miniskirted female vampires riding Harleys cross country and stopping every few pages for a graphic, orgiastic bloodletting. (And illustrator William Simpson, bless his heart, doesn't skimp on the grue!) And every so often -- perhaps once per issue? -- the narrative even pauses for some perfunctory (if minimal) plot development.
With its poorly structured story and paper-thin characterizations, it's no wonder that Vamps hasn't had the same staying power as other titles that emerged during the "bad girl art" trend of the 1990s: All five of the titular vamps are indistinguishable from one another, each merely a clichéd biker-chick stereotype. (Note: Different ethnicities do not by themselves make for individual personalities.) Writer Elaine Lee seems to be reaching for the psychological complexity of Vampirella but only attaining the low bar of "nondescript eye candy" set by Santanico Pandemonium (in From Dusk Till Dawn: A Screenplay).
The lack of elegant structure and deep characterization wouldn't even be so bad -- there's certainly a place (and an audience) for this kind of cheeky exploitation genre offering -- if Lee (per her project mission statement in the first issue's lettercol) didn't seem to be taking her girl-power agenda so seriously. To be sure: Vamps is not a nuanced examination of feminism masquerading as pulp horror fiction; it doesn't transcend its B-movie sensibilities, alas. Ultimately, the vamps themselves aren't dimensional, dynamic, or compelling enough to serve as subversive commentaries on the cultural archetypes Lee invokes. Quite rightly, then, Vamps is a forgotten piece of 1990s pop-culture ephemera -- and, save the gorgeous cover art by Brian Bolland, best left that way.
I excavated this mid-nineties six-issue Vertigo miniseries out of the closet recently and decided to see how it held up.
Meh.
I mean, I guess I can see what I liked about it at eighteen years old: It reads like a Robert Rodríguez grindhouse homage, featuring five high-heeled, miniskirted female vampires riding Harleys cross country and stopping every few pages for a graphic, orgiastic bloodletting. (And illustrator William Simpson, bless his heart, doesn't skimp on the grue!) And every so often -- perhaps once per issue? -- the narrative even pauses for some perfunctory (if minimal) plot development.
With its poorly structured story and paper-thin characterizations, it's no wonder that Vamps hasn't had the same staying power as other titles that emerged during the "bad girl art" trend of the 1990s: All five of the titular vamps are indistinguishable from one another, each merely a clichéd biker-chick stereotype. (Note: Different ethnicities do not by themselves make for individual personalities.) Writer Elaine Lee seems to be reaching for the psychological complexity of Vampirella but only attaining the low bar of "nondescript eye candy" set by Santanico Pandemonium (in From Dusk Till Dawn: A Screenplay).
The lack of elegant structure and deep characterization wouldn't even be so bad -- there's certainly a place (and an audience) for this kind of cheeky exploitation genre offering -- if Lee (per her project mission statement in the first issue's lettercol) didn't seem to be taking her girl-power agenda so seriously. To be sure: Vamps is not a nuanced examination of feminism masquerading as pulp horror fiction; it doesn't transcend its B-movie sensibilities, alas. Ultimately, the vamps themselves aren't dimensional, dynamic, or compelling enough to serve as subversive commentaries on the cultural archetypes Lee invokes. Quite rightly, then, Vamps is a forgotten piece of 1990s pop-culture ephemera -- and, save the gorgeous cover art by Brian Bolland, best left that way.
April 11, 2023
If I could choose one vampire story to adapt to the silver screen, this would be it. I’m shocked it hasn’t been touched already!
I found out about this while flipping through some old 90s Wizard magazines. The tiny blurb of a premise about a pack of female vampire bikers on a bloody cross-country roadtrip was enough to set my camp detector blaring. I had to read it! I went to eBay and ordered a copy right away.
I was not disappointed. From the noirish narration to the cheesy dialogue to the so-bad-they’re-transcendent one-liners before a highly sexually charged kill, this was everything I was looking for and more. It was an absolute campy pleasure to indulge in, and a world that deserves to be recreated and projected thirty feet high.
I do have to subtract a star for a couple of issues: Number one, it can get very repetitive, and there were times I wished the author could have the patience to find some different sexually charged ways to describe vampiric kills and bloodlust, but we get a lot of “salt and hot,” “throbbing,” “pounding,” “aching” etc., which is hot until it’s repeated ad nauseum. It’s not too distracting though, and the story is ultimately quite engaging. My other issue though is the art. While the artist’s “realistic” style allowed me to see how this could be translated to film, it was really inconsistent, to the point characters didn’t look like themselves between issues. Action was also not his strong suit. That said, he manages to crank out a few iconic images.
So, overall, the experience was high-tier fun and I recommend it if you’re not a misogynist asshole or an uptight bitch. I’m grateful that Elaine Lee had the ovaries to put this sexy feminist fantasy out into the world. The B-movie rating is just what it’s aiming for, and it hits its mark!
I found out about this while flipping through some old 90s Wizard magazines. The tiny blurb of a premise about a pack of female vampire bikers on a bloody cross-country roadtrip was enough to set my camp detector blaring. I had to read it! I went to eBay and ordered a copy right away.
I was not disappointed. From the noirish narration to the cheesy dialogue to the so-bad-they’re-transcendent one-liners before a highly sexually charged kill, this was everything I was looking for and more. It was an absolute campy pleasure to indulge in, and a world that deserves to be recreated and projected thirty feet high.
I do have to subtract a star for a couple of issues: Number one, it can get very repetitive, and there were times I wished the author could have the patience to find some different sexually charged ways to describe vampiric kills and bloodlust, but we get a lot of “salt and hot,” “throbbing,” “pounding,” “aching” etc., which is hot until it’s repeated ad nauseum. It’s not too distracting though, and the story is ultimately quite engaging. My other issue though is the art. While the artist’s “realistic” style allowed me to see how this could be translated to film, it was really inconsistent, to the point characters didn’t look like themselves between issues. Action was also not his strong suit. That said, he manages to crank out a few iconic images.
So, overall, the experience was high-tier fun and I recommend it if you’re not a misogynist asshole or an uptight bitch. I’m grateful that Elaine Lee had the ovaries to put this sexy feminist fantasy out into the world. The B-movie rating is just what it’s aiming for, and it hits its mark!
January 24, 2026
The art is sub-par and writing is overwrought. Tasty Brian Bolland covers to the original comics, unfortunately they aren't presented at the beginning of each chapter (comic) but tucked away and hidden at the end of the book. I ask myself, why did I buy this? I think it's because I had just read a really good Vertigo book from the early 90's and I saw this promoted in that book and was chasing down an empty early 90's dream of Vertigo glory. Sometimes I get into a comic-buying fever and I unfortunately have too much easy money to burn. Unfortunately I also bought the sequel to this book, about the same group of Vamps in Hollywood and must read that next in order to get this particular Vertigo Vamps monkey off my back. I will say this, if the art was there, if the female vamps were drawn well, if anything was drawn well, it would've redeemed the turgid prose. It's a COMIC book, after all.
August 13, 2018
Beautiful cover art and a must read since I was a teenager. Once I found a graphic novel copy, ecstatic.
However. Beyond the exterior glamour is a semi-trite horror blended with Grrl power. The interior art is standard early nineties Vertigo and plot incoherent at times. None of the five Vamps truly stands out as more than just a different mood of the same woman. Nothing truly original and would have enjoyed a deeper dive or maybe this as a cheesy film at the drive-in.
However. Beyond the exterior glamour is a semi-trite horror blended with Grrl power. The interior art is standard early nineties Vertigo and plot incoherent at times. None of the five Vamps truly stands out as more than just a different mood of the same woman. Nothing truly original and would have enjoyed a deeper dive or maybe this as a cheesy film at the drive-in.
May 5, 2023
I don't normally enjoy vampire stories, unless the story itself is good. Vamps is about five female vampires, tired of being tied to a misogynistic asshole who kill him and ride off to enjoy life and freedom. Enjoy a fun romp where women strive to define themselves apart from their relationship to men...except when biting their necks and draining them of blood.
Would actually make a pretty decent movie.
Would actually make a pretty decent movie.
October 13, 2019
I like the premises but the execution and story doesn’t really develop much beyond ‘hot biker vampire chicks I’m skimpy outfits’ which is fair enough but doesn’t merit much more than two stars
I remember liking this a lot more years ago when I first read it but maybe my demands have changed or it hasn’t aged well
I remember liking this a lot more years ago when I first read it but maybe my demands have changed or it hasn’t aged well
September 30, 2023
There really wasn't much point in this. I read this because Lee did such a good job with Starstruck, but this was a disappointment.
March 31, 2010
Meet Howler, Screech, Whipsnake, Skeeter and Mink -- five dangerously alluring female vampires thundering down America's highways on Harleys (what else?), drunk on freedom and high octane.
After having decided to turn kill their male leader, the Vamps set out on the open road in search of a new life. Having dealt with him they appear to not really have a clue where to go next so they just head west, leaving quite a bloody trial which doesn't go unnoticed by certain people. One of the Vamps seems to have sort of an agenda of her own though. She still has some unfinished business back from when she was alive which she'd like to see get settled.
If you're a fan of blood, motorcycles and vampires then check out this comic book road trip which takes you from Vegas to NYC.
Book Details:
Title Vamps
Author Elaine Lee
Reviewed By Purplycookie
After having decided to turn kill their male leader, the Vamps set out on the open road in search of a new life. Having dealt with him they appear to not really have a clue where to go next so they just head west, leaving quite a bloody trial which doesn't go unnoticed by certain people. One of the Vamps seems to have sort of an agenda of her own though. She still has some unfinished business back from when she was alive which she'd like to see get settled.
If you're a fan of blood, motorcycles and vampires then check out this comic book road trip which takes you from Vegas to NYC.
Book Details:
Title Vamps
Author Elaine Lee
Reviewed By Purplycookie
March 19, 2014
In the interests of full disclosure I read this because this was left behind by the apartment's former occupant, and I was about to put in the Half Price Books pile. I thought, well give it a read and see if it is worth keeping.
Overall I would call it a fair vampire story. I did like the additions writer Elaine Lee made to vampire mythology, but I feel that she and the artist fell down in differentiating the look and feel of the female vampires (shades of reading CLAMP manga for characters looking and sounding alike). They all ran together for me, well nearly all.
Howler, the lead vamp for the purposes of this tale is given her own voice, and a fair bit of characterization.
So a fair read, not a great one, not one that stood out for me.
Overall I would call it a fair vampire story. I did like the additions writer Elaine Lee made to vampire mythology, but I feel that she and the artist fell down in differentiating the look and feel of the female vampires (shades of reading CLAMP manga for characters looking and sounding alike). They all ran together for me, well nearly all.
Howler, the lead vamp for the purposes of this tale is given her own voice, and a fair bit of characterization.
So a fair read, not a great one, not one that stood out for me.
Read
August 11, 2022Elaine Leen käsikirjoittama ja William Simpsonin piirtämä "Vamps" on Vertigon kustantama minisarja viidestä seksikkäästä naisvampyyrista (onko populaarikulttuurissa edes sijaa muunlaisille?), joita ajavat eteenpäin niin pohjaton jano, kosto kuin halu päästä mahdollisimman kauas heidät aikanaan luoneesta verenimijästä. Sarjakuva on omassa genressään aika keskiverto tapaus, jonka voi kai - näkökulmasta riippuen - lukea joko feministisenä tai seksistisenä kauhutarinana. Simpsonin kädenjälki tuo mieleen Sandman-sarjan alkupään jaksot, mikä ei kyllä ole yksinomaan kehu.
August 12, 2011
I have no idea how I feel about this collection of comics. It is campy in some regards and has traditional vampirisms in other regards. Sometimes the writing is clever, other times it is painfully cliché. While this is no Carmilla, it is actually written by a woman and has some authentic feeling in it – which can perhaps be contributed to the fact that the vamps were inspired by her friends.
So I guess it was entertaining, which is the whole point of writing.
So I guess it was entertaining, which is the whole point of writing.
July 25, 2011
Aivan loistava, monenlaisia tunteita herättävä sarjakuva. Nainen subjektina vampyyritarinoissa on harvinaisuus, mutta Vampseissa heitä riittää viisin kappalein. Muistan, kuinka monet naiskatsojat harmittelivat Thelman ja Louisen loppua - patriarkaatin vallan haastava nainen ei kuitenkaan pääse rangaistuksetta. Tässä sarjakuvassa kosto jyrää status quon kuus-nolla, vaikka äidinvaistoa ei tapa kuolemakaan. Piirrosjälki harmitti suttuisuudellaan, ja häiritsi lukemista.
May 6, 2012
thank god i bought it cheap...waste of time and money.
Vertigo specialises in good off beat stories, so i thought this would be too. But the plot as well as the illustrations are too weak. The characters are not built and u don't feel for them. Should be avoided.
Vertigo specialises in good off beat stories, so i thought this would be too. But the plot as well as the illustrations are too weak. The characters are not built and u don't feel for them. Should be avoided.
August 23, 2011
We are swimming in trite vampire shit lately. This has depth and sex and fun. I hope Elaine has other compelling work out there, because she wrote the hell out of this.
November 21, 2012
I like Vertigo but found this tough going. Premise was ok, but disliked the characters, and the story just drifted...
Want to read
April 28, 2013Lagorda conrulos pajerota me dijo que lo comprara sólo por el título. Igual estaba bastante barato y pinta interesante, así que ya lo juzgaremos oportunamente.
November 9, 2014
Really liked the Vamp series.
December 16, 2019
Edición recopilatoria en inglés.
En castellano se editó esta misma saga en dos tomos dentro de la Colección Vertigo.
En castellano se editó esta misma saga en dos tomos dentro de la Colección Vertigo.
Read
March 16, 2016wish help to learn english
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews