Creation of the costume

The original Warren costume

The early Harris costume

Skimpier and skimpier

Battle armor

In the words of Barbara Leigh (the first lady to appear on the cover of a Warren magazine as Vampirella in 1978) " .. to me, Vampirella is her costume." (quoted in Femme Fatales, Vol 5 No 5, November 1996).

In fact, Vampi's costume has always created controversy. In 1997 there was a debate on the internet about it (for details see Comics International Nov 1997, page 41) and some letters in Comics International comment on the 'sexist' appearance of many women on comic covers, especially in the late 1990s. In Warren Vampirella #78 (May 1979) readers were asked to redesign a costume for Vampi, and in #82 we are told in the Letters Page it drew a large response and the winners will appear in #83.  Mysteriously, they never did. Similarly, the redesign from classic to battle armour by Louis Small Junior in Vampirella Monthly #12 (November 1998) only lasted 10 months before the original returned in #18.

The costume has been described as a bikini, swimsuit, dental floss and rubber band (not all at the same time). It has changed over the years, basically becoming even smaller and more revealing (if that were possible). In the 'Bad Girl Competition' run on Another Universe's website in 1997 Vampi was disqualified by the judges because her costume was considered non-existent. It is interesting to observe how, as society has become more and more relaxed about how much of the human body is revealed in the media, so Vampirella's costume has become more and more revealing.

Several ladies have modeled the costume to the delight of male fans everywhere at comic conventions, and a number of actresses and models have appeared in the classic costume on the covers of the comics over the years.

Perhaps the greatest compliment to the original design is that the costume remains, instantly recognisable to this day. This page will lead you to the different stages of development of the costume.  Enjoy.

  All images on this site are copyright © 1999, Harris Publications, Inc.  VAMPIRELLA ® and other characters are trademarks of Harris Publications, Inc. Text and concepts ©1999 Mike Grace. All rights reserved.