Vampirella Comics Magazine #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeVampirella Comics Magazine #2 (November 2003) is a notable artifact of Harris Publications' deliberate effort to blend comics storytelling with a music-and-pop-culture lifestyle format — a relatively rare hybrid in the direct market of the early 2000s. The issue leaned hard into the Vampirella brand's rock-and-roll adjacency by centering its editorial content around KISS, featuring an exclusive Paul Stanley interview and a cover photo pairing Vampirella model Kitana Baker with Gene Simmons, cementing one of the earliest high-profile crossover tie-ins between Vampirella and the KISS brand that would eventually grow into a full standalone miniseries a decade later. Within its comics pages, the issue continued the multi-part 'Vampirella Must Die: The Definitive Infinity Virus' serial by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray — the writing team who defined Vampirella's narrative voice during the final, ambitious years of the Harris era.
In "Vampirella Must Die," the heroes of the Dynamic Force return from a space mission carrying a mysterious disease that drives them into violent madness. With time running out, Vampirella and Tina race to deliver the antidote before the entire team descends into chaos—just as the Dung Beetle returns home, only to be shot by his own aunt, unaware he’s a costumed hero. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Gabriel Rearte, colors by Raymond Lee, and letters by Michael Conley, this 2003 Harris Comics issue delivers high-stakes tension and emotional weight in a story that redefines heroism under pressure. Cover by Gabriel Rearte.
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The Vampirella Comics Magazine series launched in October 2003 under editor-in-chief Maureen McTigue, representing Harris Publications' attempt to merge its comics properties with a true consumer magazine format — mixing serialized comic strips with industry interviews, reviews, and model photo features. Issue #2 shipped in November 2003 and was produced in at least five distinct editions per the series' standard practice: a regular painted cover (by David Michael Beck), a newsstand edition, a limited alternate photo cover featuring Kitana Baker, a limited virgin cover, and a special limited KISS photo variant pairing Baker with Gene Simmons. The series ran for ten numbered issues plus one summer special, spanning 2003 to 2005.
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- Published November 2003 by Harris Publications (Harris Comics); the second issue of the Vampirella Comics Magazine series, which ran from October 2003 through Summer 2005 (10 issues plus one special).
- Contains 'Vampirella Must Die, Part 2 of the Definitive Infinity Virus,' written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, pencilled by Gabriel Rearte, inked by Meth, colored by Raymond Lee, and lettered by Michael Conley (pages 20–29) — the continuation of a serialized story arc begun in issue #1.
- The Infinity Virus story arc features Vampirella and her companion Tina encountering satirical superhero analogues, including characters visually reminiscent of Spider-Man ('Cockroach-Man') and the Punisher ('the Retaliator'), functioning as a darkly comedic parody of mainstream superhero comics.
- Features an exclusive interview with KISS's Paul Stanley (conducted by editor Maureen McTigue), accompanied by Stephen Stickler photography — one of the most prominent rock-music tie-ins in Vampirella's publishing history up to that point.
- The issue's special limited photo cover pairs Vampirella cosplay model Kitana Baker with KISS frontman Gene Simmons, photographed by Stephen Stickler; this variant was printed in a limited run of 1,500 copies, consistent with the series' standard variant print run.
- Regular painted cover art for this issue was provided by artist David Michael Beck; the series overall accumulated 55 covers across its run in five distinct editions per issue (regular, limited painted, limited virgin, limited model photo, and newsstand).
- Also contains an interview with writer Stuart Moore (conducted by Tom LaSusa) covering Moore's work on Giant Robot Writer, as well as a small-press spotlight column and a comics/novels/film review section.
- The series was formatted as a full-size (28 x 21 cm) stapled magazine with 52 pages for most regular issues, distinguishing it physically from standard pamphlet comics of the era.
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