ICv2 caught up with horror author and comic writer Nancy A. Collins, who Dynamite Entertainment recently announced as the writer on a new Vampirella series beginning in June (see "Nancy Collins on New 'Vampi' Series"), and asked her to elaborate on her plans for the series. 
 
You said on your blog (and elsewhere) that you "want to recapture some of those old-school thrills and chills that made those stories so distinctive" from the Warren Publications era.  Can you elaborate on that?  What did you find about the early stories that you liked?
The old Warrens were genuinely subversive for their time.  When I was a kid, your parents finding you with one of those mags was the equivalent of getting caught with a copy of Playboy or some other men's magazine.  And it wasn't just the nudity or "adult content"--it was the gore and violence, some of which is still quite shocking, even by today's standards.
 
I want to introduce some genuine chills--the kind that'll make readers say: 'Whoa, I did not think the story would go there,' but I'm not interested in shock-for-shock's sake that comes at the expense of the storytelling or characterization.  Vampirella #3 in particular is a perfect example of what I hope to achieve. 

What will you do differently?
Basically, I want to focus on Vampirella's roots in the horror genre.  Because of her costume, and the fact she is now being published in color--as opposed to the original black & white anthology magazine--there has been a tendency over the years to portray her as more of a superheroine with fangs than an actual vampire.  I want to try and move away from that and play up her occult detective/monster hunter background, as well as her own peculiar relationship to the different vampire races, and her place amongst them.
 
Since it is a return to the Warren Publications era, will you be revising Vamperella's origin story at all, or will that not play into this story?
I will be elaborating on Vampirella's origin, but have no plans on revising it beyond what has been done to it already.
 
For fans of yours from your literary works, the 'Pretenders' or Sonja Blue, what will they find in your Vampirella stories that they’ll like?
Most Sonja Blue fans enjoy tales of bad-ass vampires, kick-ass vampire hunters, and strong women, so I suspect they'll have no problem becoming fans of Vampirella, assuming they aren't already!
 
You also teased that the "Dynamite's editorial team and I have some very interesting birthday surprises lined up for her and her fans," can you elaborate on that?
I can't really get into it right now, as its still in the early stages, but I'm working with Nick [Barrucci], Joe [Rybandt], and Molly [Mahan] on throwing Vampi a wing-ding of a 45th birthday bash, with plenty of surprise guests.