Media Release -- With the 50th anniversary of Vampirella fast approaching next year, Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce the first plans leading into their year-long celebration of a comic book icon: the Vampirella: Roses for the Dead miniseries, plus the Vampirella 50th Anniversary 2019 Wall Calendar. Roses for the Dead, by the husband-and-wife team of writer Kristina Deak-Linsner and artist Joseph Michael Linsner (of Dawn fame) will be a four-issue series slated for June release, and brings the beloved heroine back to basics, in attitude and with the classic look! In addition, the calendar, highlighting the superstar artists that have defined her look over five decades, will ship in September and deliver twelve months of alluring imagery for Vampirella's legion of fans.

Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #1, by Linsner and Linsner, reintroduces a cunning and captivating from the past: Evily, Vampirella's cousin and a practitioner of magic. First introduced in Vampirella Magazine #2 way back in 1969 and making rare but impactful appearances in the years since, Evily's reappearance in Roses for the Dead -- interrupting her cousin's hunt for a sexual predator through a Philadelphia nightclub -- is the first in a shocking chain of events destined to blow the minds of longtime fans and curious newcomers alike!

"Vampirella is an iconic classic," says Kristina Deak-Linsner. "I have loved her since I was five and first saw her on the 'life-size' six-foot Warren poster. She's been through a lot since September of 1969, though! Forrest J. Ackerman launched her just fresh off the face of great social changes and massive upheaval within the era. There's the remnants of the summer of love too, and the explosion of the sexual revolution. So, much due to that climate, she's definitely a product of her time... and yet she's still timeless. It's been an honor to take her on in a feature-length story."

Joseph Michael Linsner, whose previous work at Dynamite teamed the vampire heroine with his best-known creation in Dawn / Vampirella, says, "Vampirella is one of the coolest looking comic characters of all time. Designed by Frank Frazetta and Trina Robbins, you just can't beat her classic look. I'm going to be giving the art my best shot on this series. The last time I got to draw Vampi was in the crossover, which I wrote as well as drew. This time, I am only the artist, so I can focus on that. My fans know me for rendering beautiful ladies, and this series is full of them!"

Dynamite Executive Editor Joseph Rybandt says, "I'm beyond thrilled that Joe and Kristina are collaborating on this special Vampi miniseries. We've done a lot of experimenting with Vampirella over the last year or so, and while the tone and subject here get quite heavy, I think long-time fans will appreciate the return to form here."

Regarding that return to form, Deak-Linsner adds, "Vampi's proven again and again to be intelligent, witty, emotional, passionate, sarcastic, and primal. I have taken a mix of the classic elements of Vampirella, and put them together with a more recent focus on important events happening within the media right now. It's something that I have long wanted to explore, and while it might seem like the story is inspired by today's headlines, the seed ideas were actually in place and written back in September. I also wanted to portray her as sexy but strong, and comfortable within her own sexual identity. To me, a huge part of feminism is owning your own sexuality. Vampirella walks freely within that world. I know a lot of women, men, and transgender people who find the character very sexually empowering. I certainly think that the fans will enjoy that she's back in her classic outfit. Without her classic red one-piece, it's like heavy metal music without guitars! It is what it is, and the people who really love it embrace it for that reason. That said, she needs a story with some substance and I would like to think that we have seriously attempted to do that. I certainly hope the fans embrace it."

Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #1 will be available with two variant covers: Cover A by series artist Joseph Michael Linsner, and Cover B by industry legend Billy Tucci (Shi, Heroes for Hire, Sgt. Rock).

Vampirella is a raven-haired heroine who remains, even after five decades of publication, one of the comic industry's most well-known characters. Since the character's very healthy resurgence in 2010, Dynamite has published four volumes of a monthly series, several miniseries and one-shot specials, and crossovers with multimedia brands and comic book peers (Army of Darkness, KISS, Aliens, and more). The Vampirella franchise is a haven for writers and artists with a penchant for the macabre. An icon of horror, Vampirella has an appeal that transcends the printed page, becoming a favorite facet of merchandising including apparel, barware, statues, jewelry, tarot cards, and more.

Vampirella: Roses for the Dead #1 and the Vampirella 50th Anniversary 2019 Wall Calendar will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors' June 2018 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies with their local comic book retailers.

About Dynamite Entertainment:

Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, Neil Gaiman, Andy Diggle, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, Gail Simone, Steve Niles, James Robinson, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.











