The time is nearly here! Mark your calendars: 9-10-09 is the Second Coming of Vampirella, the epic miniseries that will change the way you view Vampirella forever.

We spoke with Vampirella editor, Bon Alimagno about the comic.

The Big Bad Wolf: Can you tell us what the second coming of Vampirella will bring in terms of changes to the character?

Bon Alimagno: Maybe the best way to answer this question is describe how Vampirella is viewed by the rest of the world in The Second Coming: she's not real. She's a viral video, an internet meme, a fad that people tattoo on themselves and graffiti all over the place. That's obviously a tremendous change from her being a flesh and blood person. But... something's going on in this world where this concept seems to be taking on a life of its own. And people start discovering that maybe there really is a Vampirella out there and they go and try to find her. So the more things change the more they, in a way, stay the same. In the process readers explore what makes Vampirella such an enduring comic book character.

The Big Bad Wolf: How did these changes come about, did writer, Phil Hester come up with the idea, or was it you that had this idea?

Bon Alimagno: Phil's an idea factory... I knew going to him that if I planted some seeds it'd grow into something much bigger than I could've hoped and that's what he delivered. He sent me a pitch where one of the first lines was "Vampirella is not real" and it both terrified me and thrilled me. I knew we'd be going someplace the character had never been. It's smart, it's thought provoking, it's horrific and it's sexy-- it's everything I think Vampirella should be and has been at the comic's best.

The Big Bad Wolf: What old foes will we see battle Vampirella in this mini-series?

Bon Alimagno: Anyone who could be termed the villain of the piece is new and fans will see why by the first issue: we needed new characters to present frighteningly new threats to the world. The lead villain is named Gore and he's a demon left behind from the attack of Chaos from the last Vampirella storyarc that ran in Vampirella Quarterly. Gore's brought a virus with him that causes men's inhibitions to evaporate and their darkest desires to come to the surface leading to total anarchy.

The Big Bad Wolf: Will the future of Vampirella have more blood and gore?

Bon Alimagno: It's funny when I first took over the editorship three or four years ago I'd noticed that for a vampire book there wasn't a lot of biting going on. I'd since mandated that someone or something should be bit at least once a story-arc, preferrably once an issue if possible. Let's just say there's a whole lot more biting, blood, gore in this book than Vampirella fans have seen in a while. My vision of Vampi is that of a horror book, not a superhero book, not a "bad girl" book. I don't want to say the streets run red in The Second Coming, but no one can really come away from this not thinking it's a horror comic.

The Big Bad Wolf: How many issues is the mini-series, Vampirella: Second Coming?

Bon Alimagno: Four issues beginning in September with three "countdown" specials beginning in June.

The Big Bad Wolf: Who’s the rest of the creative team on the book?

Bon Alimagno: Newcomer Daniel Sampere provides the line art with Romulo Fajardo on colors and Ed Dukeshire lettering.

The Big Bad Wolf: After this mini series wraps up, is there any chance of a Vampirella ongoing series?

Bon Alimagno: I've written about this on other sites before, but I don't think monthly comic books are feasible economic models for any company not numbered among the Big Four: Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Image. With every issue a series loses, let's say, 10% of it's readership. If a series goes on long enough it'll be at an unsustainable sales level. Marvel and DC, etc can get around this by essentially rebooting a series with a new superstar creative team or radical new direction or involving it in a crossover every twelve months. We can't really do that, especially when it comes to creative talent, since so much of the name talent that drives sales is tied exclusively to either Marvel and DC. I have a vision that a monthly or near monthly Vampirella comic would be possible if it was black and white, since both printing and creative costs are then so much lower, but I don't know if modern day audiences would buy that in enough numbers to make it viable. I see a possible world where the web, comics and trade paperback reprints can work together to add up to supporting a monthly comic but we'll have to see if the economy improves enough next year to make it happen.

The Big Bad Wolf: Where can our readers find out more about Vampirella: Second Coming?

Bon Alimagno: Keep tabs on Vampirella.com. If you sign up for our E-Newsletter, linked off the frontpage of the site where you can download our 40th Anniversary wallpapers, you'll get one or two emails a month from us alerting you to site updates.

The Big Bad Wolf: In closing, what would you like to say to our readers about Vampirella: Second Coming?

Bon Alimagno: I'm both excited and terrified by what fans are going to say about this project. I'm totally prepared to be burned in effigy, to be honest. But what we're doing with the character -- and with the concept -- of Vampirella is all meant to lead to bigger and better things and make her vital reading for anyone who wants good horror.

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