CARMILLA #6

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones

Artist: John Ross

Georges has succeeded in killing Carmilla and burning her to a skeleton. He drags the bones away and goes about his life. Only the moonlight shines on the bones and resurrects Carmilla. We then go to Max coming home to a distraught Patty. Patty has found out that Carmilla is real from a picture and notes she discovered in Georges room. Georges comes on this conversation and tells them he killed Carmilla. The next day as Max finishes the film Carmilla confronts Georges. She tears out his eyes then goes to Patty. Max comes home and finds Patty dead.

After the funeral Carmilla comes to the grave and waits until Patty digs herself out. They both go to Max and have a threeway but Patty manages to kill Carmilla since she is now a vampire. They burn the body and inter the ashes in a silver lined box so she can’t come back. Max and Patty promise to love one another. We jump to 1983 and the grave of Max. His grand nephew Steven Jones is at the grave. He is visited by Patty who gives him the writings of his great uncle. Jones is a writer and will tell the story. Patty gets into her car and we see that Georges is still alive and the chauffeur.

So the final ending to the saga of Carmilla. The first three were an adaptation of the story and the second half was an original sequel. I loved how the writer inserted himself at the end. One of the first lesbian vampire stories this was an enjoyable read. Like most of the comics from this company it had an excellent writer with shoddy black and white art. Yet the writing is what is most important to me and that is why I always loved this company. I found out that the company originally manufactured foam insulation. When that didn’t work someone suggested comic books since they were so lucrative at the time. What a wild change for a company to go through.

So if you enjoy lesbian vampires in a gothic setting then I would recommend this series.

CARMILLA #5

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones

Artist: John Ross

The movie Carmilla continues on. Max and his girlfriend Patty have been having these dreams of Sarah Karnstein visiting them. Max finds out he has other problems as a racist columnist threatens to expose Max’s relationship with a Chinese woman. She demands that this relationship is broken off or he will be exposed. Max refuses and quits. The studio head threatens the columnist with a visit from a Harlem mobster that is a major stockholder. Max goes to Sarah for comfort. The columnist gets a visit from Carmilla’s minion and gets a sword through her heart. At the end Georges an old respected French director that Max hired for the movie visits Carmilla. He knows what she is and when he hears her plans for Max and Patty he shots Carmilla with a shotgun then sets the body on fire.

So this issue was somewhat of a mixed bag. First is the story was all over the place. There was these pages of Patty reading some journal from Georges about Max. The story just bounced around from these random scenes and stuff was hard to follow. Yet I did get the basics of the story. I will say that the ending was a big shock. Carmilla was shot and set on fire which is something that looks hard to get out of. I am interested in seeing how that is resolved in the final next issue.

CARMILLA #4

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones

Artist: John Ross

A young woman named Kimberly meets another young woman named Sarah. Kimberly is embarrassed that she wants another woman but is under the spell of Sarah. They make love and Sarah revels that she is really a vampire named Mircella. Kimberly is completely under her spell and lets Sarah drain her. Then Sarah leaves to have her minion take care of Kimberly. Later a security guard finds the decapitated body of Kimberly.

The story cuts to a board meeting in a studio in the 1930’s. They discuss losing their actress Kim O’Hara on the set of their upcoming horror movie Carmilla. The film is getting a reputation of being cursed. So they hire a German director named Max. Max is meanwhile spending time with his girlfriend Patty who happens to be Chinese. She is also an actress but can’t get much parts because she is Chinese. She is very happy though that Max is getting this part. We also later find out that the actress for the part is Sarah Karnstein.

So we are getting an original story that gives us the continuing saga of Mircella. It takes place in 1930’s Hollywood and Carmilla is now an actress. She still is up to her old tricks of seducing and draining young women. The writer gives a good portrayal of someone who is bored with her existence and the lack of any challenge. It is just too easy to seduce these young woman. She also is still a bit bitter by Sarah betraying her all those years ago. The story introduces all the players and they seem to make for a very interesting story. I also like the idea of setting it in this time period and having Carmilla play herself in a movie. A good start to this second half of the series.

CARMILLA #3

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones adapted from story by Sheridan Le Fanu

Artist: John Ross

Sarah has found the picture that looks just like Carmilla and insists on hanging it in her room. Later that night she comes to Carmilla’s room and seduces her. After they make love and Sarah falls asleep, Carmilla starts to feed on her. Later Sarah is examined by a doctor because her father worries about her weakening condition. So he proposes a picnic to the old Karnstein castle. They head out with a message for Carmilla to join them later. Along the way they meet General Spielsdorf. He tells the story of how his niece came under the influence of a beautiful young girl named Mircella. She eventually died and it is revealed that she suffered the same symptoms as Sarah.

They arrive at the castle and talk to the local woodcutter about the history of the place. He tells of the vampires that plagued the village until a Moravian came and slew the main vampire. Just then Carmilla arrives and the General recognizes her as Mircella. He attacks and she flees. Later they research the location of Mircella’s tomb and find it. Inside is a vampire that they drive a wooden stake in, then decapitate and burn.

So ends the story of Carmilla and the lost love of young Sarah. Now there are still three more issues so I don’t think that the vampire killed was Carmilla. Very obvious that Carmilla was a predator after the young girls. Fanu wrote a fascinating story and someday I might have to check out his writing. They gave a good little biography inside the front cover. He is considered an excellent gothic horror writer. If you want to see a movie adaptation of this I would recommend the Hammer film The Vampire Lovers. You can check out the trailer.

CARMILLA #2

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones adapted from story by Sheridan Le Fanu

Artist: John Ross

Sarah and Carmilla are visited by a roving hunchback dwarf that performs songs and poetry. He makes the jest of being a dentist that could take off the point to Carmilla’s tooth. This just gets Carmilla real angry and she goes to take a nap. Later the two are out for a walk and Carmilla convinces Sarah to join her in skinny dipping in the lake. This they do and they lay around naked in the sun. Sarah has a dream where Carmilla turns into a man and professes his love. She wakes and finds Carmilla who professes her love and they make out.

We then switch to Vienna where a General Spielsdorf is visiting a Countess Dolingen. He finds a young man guarding her suite and a swordfight ensues. The General wins and finds Countess Dolingen draining some young women. The General is there to avenge his niece and shoots the countess. Only the Countess doesn’t die and instead kills the General. Back at the mansion young Sarah has a dream of a black cat and Carmilla being killed. This gets her screaming and everyone has to come including Carmilla and ensure her that she is fine. The next morning the two girls look over some old pictures that came in from Sarah’s mother’s estate. One is of the Countess Marcia Karnstein from 1698 and she looks exactly like Carmilla.

Ah yes another entry in the gothic lesbian horror romance of Carmilla. In this we get plenty of lesbian romance between the two main protagonists. Plus we throw in a swordfight. Another mysterious lesbian vampire who I am not sure is another vampire or Carmilla at a different time. To be honest the art has everyone look the same. Some traveling hunchback dwarf/amateur dentist. At the end Sarah starts to get a clue that Carmilla might be a centuries old lesbian vampire. A lot of stuff was happening in 19th century Austria.

CARMILLA #1

“Untitled”

Writer: Steven Jones adapted from story by Sheridan Le Fanu

Artist: John Ross

In an Austrian estate a young woman named Sarah is visited during the night by a mysterious woman. Later this beautiful woman is making out with another woman at night. She is a vampire and drains the woman. Thirteen years later and young Sarah is now a grown woman. A coach traveling in front of the castle has an accident. Sarah’s father agrees to take care of the young woman who was injured. Soon the beautiful Carmilla and Sarah strike up a friendship. They remember each other as a dream from the mysterious visit 13 years ago. Later at night Carmilla goes out and seduces another woman in a cottage and drains her.

This is a classic gothic story written by a Frenchman from the 19th century. It is considered the basic template for what are my favorite vampire stories–lesbian vampire stories. Basically a beautiful aristocratic vampire seduces young women and has to avoid men trying to kill her. As the cover proclaims this is definitely not for kids. Now I never read the original story but I hear it was a bit ambiguous about the lesbianism given the times it was written. Not so this adaptation. Not a usual topic for comics but this is a guilty pleasure of mine.