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The Best of Pantha: The Warren Stories
Born in ancient Egypt, the high priestess Sekhmet was cursed by the sun god Ra to walk the Earth forever as the feline heroine Pantha! Dynamite proudly presents her very best tales from Vampirella Magazine, reprinting her every appearance
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 21, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 11, 2021
One of the themed collections of Warren material out there, this one featuring the character Pantha, from the Vampirella series. The earliest chapters have exquisite art, but the character is loathsome: a racist, homophobic, mass murderer. Then she embarked on a multi-issue crossover with Vampirella, although those stories are sadly not included here. Afterwards, she seems to have mellowed, and in the latter two-thirds of the book she is a dramatic heroine fairly indistinguishable from Vampirella herself, aside from a different transformation. This collection from Dynamite would have benefited from the sort of detailed historical introduction essay that the Dark Horse reprints have.
Additional notes: it includes a story inked by Toth which is not in the 'Creepy Presents Alex Toth' book, and it ends on a unresolved story.
Additional notes: it includes a story inked by Toth which is not in the 'Creepy Presents Alex Toth' book, and it ends on a unresolved story.
January 1, 2019
A good introduction to one of the minor characters in the Vampirella universe and an even more interesting look at the black and white comic scene of the 80s. Free of the restraints of the Comics Code Authority by virtue of their magazine format, these stories present the titular character as an abused and violent girl who eventually finds out the truth about herself and, largely through the influence of Adam van Helsing (himself a character introduced as a love interest for Vampirella), becomes a more traditionally 'good' heroine.
While the storytelling is all melodrama and gothic silliness, the art, from a number of Spanish artists before Jose Ortiz becomes the series' regular illustrator, is breathtaking, successfully conveying a gritty, almost noirish, mood, while seldom missing an opportunity to display Pantha's feminine charms. For all its faults, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The early stories are dark and unsettling; the later ones are good, campy fun. Recommended to anyone who is interested in that era of horror anthology comics.
While the storytelling is all melodrama and gothic silliness, the art, from a number of Spanish artists before Jose Ortiz becomes the series' regular illustrator, is breathtaking, successfully conveying a gritty, almost noirish, mood, while seldom missing an opportunity to display Pantha's feminine charms. For all its faults, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The early stories are dark and unsettling; the later ones are good, campy fun. Recommended to anyone who is interested in that era of horror anthology comics.
August 9, 2016
Ah, sweet nostalgia. Reading this took me back to those geeky middle-school days, when I scoured the rack of over-sized comic books with their black and white artwork that somehow felt a little racy because it was black and white (and certainly the subject matter was intended to be sexy).
I read (or looked through) only a handful of Vampirella books back in the day (the covers were just a little too provocative for me to purchase them and have my parents ask me what I was reading!), but I have absolutely no recollection of the character of Pantha. She looks almost exactly like Vampirella, but with a slightly different looking, revealing outfit. Still, the style of the artwork, the very 1970's look and feel to the characters and the settings just set such a warm nostalgic tone for me. I really enjoyed it!
Pantha is Sekhmet, an Egyptian high priestess to Ra. Ra gave her the power to change in to a panther or half-panther, but Ra later condemned Pantha (for crimes against humanity) to walk the world forever, never knowing a home, or peace. This is the stuff great mythology is built upon! And the fact that she is super sexy doesn't hurt!
This book features the following stories (thank you www.comicvine.com for this listing):
Re-Birth - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #30
Family Ties - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #31
Black On White - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #32
Childhood Haunt - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #33
Straw On the Wind - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #42
Changing - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #44
Eye of Anubis - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #90
Encore For Anubis - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #93
Druids On 54th Street! - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #94
Reflections In Blood - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #95
Night of the Cat Goddess - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #96
A Night Full of Zombies 1 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #96
A Night Full of Zombies 2 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #97
A Night Full of Zombies 3 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #99
A Night Full of Zombies 4 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #101
A Night Full of Zombies 5 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #102
A Night Full of Zombies 6 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #103
Death Snare - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #104
On the Trail of the Cat - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #106
Circus Monstrous - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #108
This collection really gives the reader a taste of who Pantha is, and the dark and supernatural adventures that she is embroiled in. The stories and writing are not super-stellar, but they mostly move along nicely. At times, Pantha seems quite wise, but others she is timid and curiously innocent. Some of the seventies' 'free love' sensibilities here are actually distracting from the story-telling, though make perfect sense within the context of the times. So, too, the look of New York's 42nd Street, with its pimps and pushers, which is a far cry from today's Disney-fied theatre district.
The artwork is also nearly all gorgeous. Only one story had a much more stylized art that was distracting and not up to the standards I was enjoying. The art here actually feels like art. You can sense the devotion behind the artist's pen. Too often I've looked at graphic novels lately and you can only tell who a character is by the clothing they are wearing, and not the consistent appearance of the characters. This is not a problem here! Mine was an electronic review copy, but I'd really like to hold a paper book in my hand just to better enjoy the artwork.
I didn't know what to expect before reading this book, I've had some quite varied quality of graphic novels lately, but I truly enjoyed this, as much for the nostalgia as for the art and stories.
Looking for a good book? Modern readers my not enjoy the 70's sensibilities here, but the stories and art are strong and worth giving this book a read.
I read (or looked through) only a handful of Vampirella books back in the day (the covers were just a little too provocative for me to purchase them and have my parents ask me what I was reading!), but I have absolutely no recollection of the character of Pantha. She looks almost exactly like Vampirella, but with a slightly different looking, revealing outfit. Still, the style of the artwork, the very 1970's look and feel to the characters and the settings just set such a warm nostalgic tone for me. I really enjoyed it!
Pantha is Sekhmet, an Egyptian high priestess to Ra. Ra gave her the power to change in to a panther or half-panther, but Ra later condemned Pantha (for crimes against humanity) to walk the world forever, never knowing a home, or peace. This is the stuff great mythology is built upon! And the fact that she is super sexy doesn't hurt!
This book features the following stories (thank you www.comicvine.com for this listing):
Re-Birth - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #30
Family Ties - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #31
Black On White - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #32
Childhood Haunt - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #33
Straw On the Wind - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #42
Changing - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #44
Eye of Anubis - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #90
Encore For Anubis - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #93
Druids On 54th Street! - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #94
Reflections In Blood - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #95
Night of the Cat Goddess - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #96
A Night Full of Zombies 1 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #96
A Night Full of Zombies 2 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #97
A Night Full of Zombies 3 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #99
A Night Full of Zombies 4 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #101
A Night Full of Zombies 5 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #102
A Night Full of Zombies 6 - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #103
Death Snare - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #104
On the Trail of the Cat - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #106
Circus Monstrous - Originally printed in Vampirella Magazine #108
This collection really gives the reader a taste of who Pantha is, and the dark and supernatural adventures that she is embroiled in. The stories and writing are not super-stellar, but they mostly move along nicely. At times, Pantha seems quite wise, but others she is timid and curiously innocent. Some of the seventies' 'free love' sensibilities here are actually distracting from the story-telling, though make perfect sense within the context of the times. So, too, the look of New York's 42nd Street, with its pimps and pushers, which is a far cry from today's Disney-fied theatre district.
The artwork is also nearly all gorgeous. Only one story had a much more stylized art that was distracting and not up to the standards I was enjoying. The art here actually feels like art. You can sense the devotion behind the artist's pen. Too often I've looked at graphic novels lately and you can only tell who a character is by the clothing they are wearing, and not the consistent appearance of the characters. This is not a problem here! Mine was an electronic review copy, but I'd really like to hold a paper book in my hand just to better enjoy the artwork.
I didn't know what to expect before reading this book, I've had some quite varied quality of graphic novels lately, but I truly enjoyed this, as much for the nostalgia as for the art and stories.
Looking for a good book? Modern readers my not enjoy the 70's sensibilities here, but the stories and art are strong and worth giving this book a read.
August 14, 2016
Your Close-Up Is Ready: Pantha,
First, a quick orientation. Warren Publishing presented Vampirella from about 1969 through 1983. Then, Harris Publishing handled the series until about 2007. Dynamite acquired the rights in 2010. This volume, from Dynamite, collects all of the appearances of Pantha from the Warren era.
Pantha is a recurring secondary character in the Vampirella world, but she is more than just a sidekick, and especially early on had a lot of stand alone appearances. She started out with the backstory that she was a fellow shapeshifter from Vampirella's home planet, but later on, (through recovered memories and the like), it was learned that she is really an ancient Egyptian cursed by the gods to live forever and change shape into a Panther when threatened.
All of that is well and good, but is she any fun? To me, the answer is "yes". These early comics are black and white, with very nice line work and some powerfully drawn images. Pantha's transformation scenes are particularly well done, (with overlapping drawings that sort of have the same effect as Lon Chaney's transformations in his old black and white movies). There is a lot of expressiveness and drama in the artwork. Especially in the earliest stories the artists capture night and shadow and despair in an arresting and admirable fashion. You get a sort of "comics noir" kind of vibe. (Pantha doesn't always remember who or what she is after a transformation, so there is an underlying lost girl anguish in the first stories.) It's also interesting that Pantha isn't "nice"; sometimes people get pantherized just because they're in the wrong place when Pantha shapeshifts. Only later in the series does Pantha get control of her feral side and gain understanding of who and what she is.
Sometimes these types of collections can be very confusing if you aren't familiar with the entire story universe. Here, because the stories were stand alones in the Vampirella magazine, they are easy to get into and follow. Even if there is a multi-volume arc, each new chapter starts with a recap. And, like a lot of these early efforts, there is much exposition among the characters to help keep a reader up to speed, (i.e. "Hello Dr. Rictus, you mad Nazi kidnapper who lives in the jungle."). For me, that stuff adds a lot of the charm to the whole affair.
So, this is a sneaky project that really sort of grows on you, and I'm glad that Pantha is getting this very solid spotlight treatment. An interesting choice.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
First, a quick orientation. Warren Publishing presented Vampirella from about 1969 through 1983. Then, Harris Publishing handled the series until about 2007. Dynamite acquired the rights in 2010. This volume, from Dynamite, collects all of the appearances of Pantha from the Warren era.
Pantha is a recurring secondary character in the Vampirella world, but she is more than just a sidekick, and especially early on had a lot of stand alone appearances. She started out with the backstory that she was a fellow shapeshifter from Vampirella's home planet, but later on, (through recovered memories and the like), it was learned that she is really an ancient Egyptian cursed by the gods to live forever and change shape into a Panther when threatened.
All of that is well and good, but is she any fun? To me, the answer is "yes". These early comics are black and white, with very nice line work and some powerfully drawn images. Pantha's transformation scenes are particularly well done, (with overlapping drawings that sort of have the same effect as Lon Chaney's transformations in his old black and white movies). There is a lot of expressiveness and drama in the artwork. Especially in the earliest stories the artists capture night and shadow and despair in an arresting and admirable fashion. You get a sort of "comics noir" kind of vibe. (Pantha doesn't always remember who or what she is after a transformation, so there is an underlying lost girl anguish in the first stories.) It's also interesting that Pantha isn't "nice"; sometimes people get pantherized just because they're in the wrong place when Pantha shapeshifts. Only later in the series does Pantha get control of her feral side and gain understanding of who and what she is.
Sometimes these types of collections can be very confusing if you aren't familiar with the entire story universe. Here, because the stories were stand alones in the Vampirella magazine, they are easy to get into and follow. Even if there is a multi-volume arc, each new chapter starts with a recap. And, like a lot of these early efforts, there is much exposition among the characters to help keep a reader up to speed, (i.e. "Hello Dr. Rictus, you mad Nazi kidnapper who lives in the jungle."). For me, that stuff adds a lot of the charm to the whole affair.
So, this is a sneaky project that really sort of grows on you, and I'm glad that Pantha is getting this very solid spotlight treatment. An interesting choice.
Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
March 11, 2014
Pantha was a backup comic in the Vampirella magazine. This graphic novel reprints 20 of the stories. They are all about 10 pages in length. Most of them are standalone serialized stories, but there are a couple larger story arcs.
When we first meet Pantha, she is an exotic dancer, who finds that she can turn into a large black Panther when she is in danger. At first, this power happens unexpectedly, but, over the stories, she gains more control. She also learns that she has these powers from a group of powerful aliens. She goes from barely getting by to hooking up with the Van Helsing family and living a fairly lavish lifestyle.
It's all rather campy and kitschy and feels even more that way because of the 40+ years that have passed since these stories were first printed. This is a New York of the 1970s, with it's squalid nightlife (remember when Times Square was kind of a dump?). The dialogue is unintentionally hilarious, as are the stories themselves. I had a lot of fun reading these because they were so over the top. Sort of like B-movie fun. So bad, they're good.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
When we first meet Pantha, she is an exotic dancer, who finds that she can turn into a large black Panther when she is in danger. At first, this power happens unexpectedly, but, over the stories, she gains more control. She also learns that she has these powers from a group of powerful aliens. She goes from barely getting by to hooking up with the Van Helsing family and living a fairly lavish lifestyle.
It's all rather campy and kitschy and feels even more that way because of the 40+ years that have passed since these stories were first printed. This is a New York of the 1970s, with it's squalid nightlife (remember when Times Square was kind of a dump?). The dialogue is unintentionally hilarious, as are the stories themselves. I had a lot of fun reading these because they were so over the top. Sort of like B-movie fun. So bad, they're good.
I was given a review copy of this graphic novel by Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
January 8, 2014
Borrowed from NetGalley for an honest review.
These are some of the most depressing and boring stories I have ever read. I didn't finish reading this.
These are some of the most depressing and boring stories I have ever read. I didn't finish reading this.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews