VAMPIRE VIXENS OF THE WEHRMACHT
Story by Emperor and Lex (Alex Ronald)
Art by Lex (Alex Ronald)
Letters by Jim Campbell
One look at the cover art of Vampire Vixens of the Wehrmacht and you instantly know you’re gonna enjoy it. With a scantily clad, busty lass in uniform entwined with a Union Jack flag, it’s certainly a hit with the guys. Not alienating the female species, this comic empowers women with the Vampire Vixens in question being powerful, strong women. When the comic landed in my lap I squealed with utter delight. I am a huge fan of Ilsa She Wolf of the SS and this comic seemed to capture the same black humour that was so successful in the Ilsa film franchise.
Described as Carry On Screaming meets Where Eagles Dare in comic form, this tongue-in-cheek action/horror comic strip is set in WWII and follows a sexy Nazi Vampire Vixen who defects from her evil siblings and joins the British in taking down the Nazi regime. Her chaperone in the battle against the supernatural forces of the Third Reich is uptight army chaplain, William Morris, who’s hesitant and slightly intimidated by her forceful and commanding, yet sultry presence.
The comic strip is colourful and humorous from the get go. An appearance from the wickedest man in the world, Aleister Crowley, was a pleasure to behold as the story, as told by Sir Winston Churchill, unfolds. The humour is subtle, sexy and funny with the amazing, detailed artwork giving an added dimension to this. I found myself immersed in this world and the powerful graphics almost tricked me into thinking I was watching a movie rather than reading a comic. It took me to the heart of the action and let me enjoy it all first hand.
The characters are incredibly detailed and their appearance says a lot about their personality. The Vampire Vixen is confident and incredibly sexy and uses this to her advantage, whereas William Morris appears straight-laced and uptight and likes to play by the rules, being a man of God and all.
Reading the comic was a blast, a naughty flashback to the camp Carry On films and exploitation era of the 70s, full of innuendo and black humour which we seem to be lacking these days. It’s Uncle Rotter-esque mischief mixed with dark humour, mythology and non-politically correct attitude is just the sort of thing many people in today’s society long for. With it’s inspiring, enjoyable story and bold, vibrant artwork, it’s not surprising that the strip won an award for Best Art at the Scottish Independent Comic Book Awards in June earlier this year. To date, only two episodes of Vampires Vixens of the Wehrmacht have been published with the first selling out. They were featured in an anthology magazine called Wasted which has since closed down, but there are talks to unleash the Vixens in a dedicated mag of their own. I for one would be quite excited to see such a publication with this comic being the freshest and down right coolest thing I have seen in a long time.
Keep updated with the Vixens at their Official Facebook Group
Excellent review, thanks. I’m really glad to see some of the subtext is showing through while not distracting from the adventure or comedy aspects. We have the first storyarc roughly planned out and we’ll, hopefully, being fleshing out all these aspects as we go along and dip into the characters’ backstories.
Your most welcome, Emperor. Congrats on the amazing comic. As a female myself, it was so refreshing to see such a powerful, strong yet sensual female character taking the lead. And being a fan of Ilsa, a similar sort of character, I was in my element. I will definitely be following your work and can’t wait to see what the Vixens get up to next. 🙂