The character of Vampirella celebrated her 55th anniversary back in 2024, marking over five decades of being a pop culture icon. Her origins have labyrinthine twists and turns, and the character herself reflects much of what we feel about death, life, sex, and female empowerment as it’s reflected in pop culture and in our greater world.

That’s why writer Liam Johnson is the perfect writer to pen a Vampirella yarn. Following up his Vampirella Halloween Horror Special 2025, Johnson penned Dynamite Entertainment’s Vampirella Winter Special earlier this year. With art by Jordan Michael Johnson, the book focuses on Vampirella as she must contend with being apprehended by a mysterious billionaire who plans to use our hero to achieve immortality. I spoke with Liam Johnson back in December about where we find Vampirella at the beginning of the special, his history with the characters, how the billionaire villain of the book has hints of real-world billionaires, and what keeps Johnson coming back to the book.

Editor’s note: Due to technical difficulties, this interview was never published. Those difficulties have been rectified and the interview is being published here now, edited with considerations of the time that has passed between the interview and today.

 

 

FreakSugar: Before we get into the special itself, what is your history with Vampirella?

Liam Johnson: As a reader, Vampirella is one of those characters you almost can’t help but be aware of. If you step into enough comic stores, your eye is eventually going to be caught by the covers or statues or whatever. Her design is so striking and iconic. But with over fifty years of history, it can be daunting sometimes knowing where to start. I tried bits, here and there, but I really got my teeth stuck into the character, and excuse the pun there, with the Master series and then the Dynamite omnibus collections. I should stress, you don’t have to read the older books to understand what is going on in Priest’s current ongoing and fantastic run, or indeed our Winter Special, but I personally like to know what’s come before. I like the vast mythology of these characters and seeing their evolution. And I really think Dynamite has done a phenomenal job of making Vampi both accessible to new readers while never losing sight of the past. 

FS: Where do we find Vampirella at the beginning of the story?

LJ: This story really hits Vampi out of the blue. She’s minding her own business when she’s targeted and captured. Danger comes to her door here, rather than her seeking it out. Though we do fit into the current continuity, I should stress this is new-reader friendly too. Everything you need to know is in these pages.  

FS: What can you tell us about Steven Dallas, Vampi’s antagonist for the comic?

LJ: Dallas is not used to hearing no. When he’s got his eyes set on a goal, he’ll do anything to get it. And as a billionaire, it’s not like he’s got many obstacles that he can’t just pay his way into overcoming. Until he comes for Vampirella that is. Wanting to extract her blood in pursuit of immortality, well, maybe she might have a thing or two to say about that.

 

 

FS: Dallas is after immortality. I can think of more than a few real-world billionaires who share similar pursuits. Does Steven Dallas share any real-world similarities with those folks?

LJ: I’d be lying if I said Dallas didn’t take some inspiration from those people. I’m fascinated that we’ve got these people who could, theoretically make great changes to our life and planet, and yet they’re largely obsessed with either living forever or doomsday prepping.

FS: The premise seems like it would be a lot of fun to tackle. What has been your favorite part of working on the comic so far?

LJ: My goal with this book was to step back and let the brilliant Jordan Michael Johnson have some fun with the action. I come from anthology comics, where you’re a little restricted in your page count (which I must stress is as much a feature as it is a bug!), but here we’ve got room to breathe. And if you look at what Jordan’s capable of, I wanted to get out of his way as much as possible. Our last special, the Halloween Special, was more about emotion and letting go of past traumas, where this is all about moving forward. It’s about action. Besides the creative team, they couldn’t be more different, and I loved that.

FS: What is it about Vampirella and her world that keeps you coming back to writing about her?

LJ: I think Vampirella, like all the very best comic characters, is malleable. You can put her into so many different genres and tones and throw almost anything at her and it works. She’s got an opinion on it, she can react to it. Plus, I owe so much to comics as a medium. And I’m not just talking professionally, comics played a huge part in a particularly difficult period of my life. I want to add to it. I want to put some toys in the box. In both our specials, we’ve introduced new antagonists and ideas, and I’d love to pick up an issue somewhere down the road and see other people playing with them maybe. That would make me happy beyond belief.

FS: What are you reading right now?

LJ: I truly believe we’re in a golden era of comics right now, my pull-list is just bonkers, so I know I’m going to miss some obvious books here. I’m really enjoying both the Energon and Absolute lines, they’re just crammed with so much energy and forward momentum. I think Assorted Crisis Events is a masterclass in comics writing and especially art. I’m currently rereading the entire Criminal series, which is probably my favourite book of all time, and I stop everything I’m doing every time Brubaker and Phillips drop something new. 

FS: If you had a final pitch for the Vampirella Winter Special, what would it be?

LJ: This book is about Vampirella turning the tables and kicking ass. Anyone can pick it up, everything you need is in these pages. It’s fun and high energy. And a bit bloody too. We’d love to give it a shot.

The Vampirella Winter Special 2026 is on sale now from Dynamite Entertainment.

From the official issue description:

THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED!

Vampirella is many things, but she’s never been anyone’s prey — until now!

Ambushed and overpowered, the Daughter of Drakulon finds herself a prisoner of the mysterious billionaire, Steven Dallas — a man famed for his single-minded pursuit of immortality. With the tables turned and her own blood being drained, Vampi is getting a clearer picture of Dallas’s true intentions for her — and one way or another, there’s going to be Hell to pay!

Written by LIAM JOHNSON and illustrated by JORDAN MICHAEL JOHNSON — the same twisted team that brought you last year’s Vampirella Halloween Horror Special — this all-new winter’s tale is topped off with tantalizingly tempting covers from MIKE ROOTH, JOSEPH MICHAEL LINSNER, CELINA, and cosplay by JOANIE BROSAS, as well as a special MYSTERY BLOOD BAG VARIANT!