INTERVIEW: Dan Abnett discusses bringing VAMPIRELLA & THE SUPERPOWERS together

Dynamite is gearing up to release a new chapter in the Powers Saga this May, this time with Vampirella taking the lead. Writer Dan Abnett leads the pack on Vampirella vs. The Superpowers, a book that will test Vampi’s ability to be a traditional superhero. Artist Pasquale Qualano (DC vs. Vampires) is on interiors and covers are from Sozomaika, Lesley “Leirix” Li, Junggeun Yoon, Joseph Michael Linsner, and Rebeca Puebla.

The Beat chatted with Abnett about the new book hitting stores on May 24.

Deanna Destito: What inspired the concept of bringing Powers and Vampi together?

Dan Abnett: With the preceding series like Vampirella versus Red Sonja, we’ve well established the idea that Vampi (at this phase of her life) is working as a member of an interdimensional superhero organisation. It was a slightly left-field suggestion at first, but Vampi is an unusually flexible character who can work brilliantly in a number of different genres (fantasy, horror, supernatural, SF etc). Why not superheroes, especially if they are superheroes with an SF-“cosmic” slant? The Project guards the many interdimensional variations of Earth, selecting a hero from each Earth to be its representative. Vampirella is the representative of “her” Earth, though as a supernatural creature, she is very different to the other heroes, and this causes some wariness and tension.

Destito: How does this fit into both comic universes?

Abnett: By the start of this new series, she is very much a valued member of the vast Project roll-call, and has been called on to conduct an undercover mission on a “1940s” noir-ish version of Earth where, a femme fatale, she fits in perfectly. This is a complete, self-contained “film noir” thriller – with superheroes – and you can read it in its own right, or as a continuation of the Vampi-as-superhero stories we’ve done before. We do, of course, make sure that readers who are just joining us understand what’s at stake (no pun intended!) and what’s going on.   

Destito: How has it been working with Pasquale on this one?

Abnett: Great! Pasquale is brilliantly capturing the moody, film noir feel of LA in the late 1940s. This is all about mood and gentle world-building, showing us a world we know from films and gently showing us what’s different about it. It’s espionage and subterfuge and glamor. Pasquale is nailing it.

Destito: If you are only a fan of one of these properties, can you jump into the narrative easily?

Abnett: I would hope so – as I said, we’ve made sure new readers can understand what’s going on and why Vampi is in the situation. And it’s also a hard-boiled mystery that slowly unwraps, so the deeper you’re drawn in, the more you’ll discover. There are no obstacles to just enjoying this as a complete and comprehensive story.  

Destito: Are there any other match-ups you’d like to see happen?

Abnett: Many! But now we’re translating Vampi into a superhero world – and a stylish 1940s thriller setting – it makes me wonder what other genres, and other worlds, she might fit into! The possibilities are endless!