Vampirella, Pantha & The Rook Team-Up

It was always a treat when Warren characters appeared in each others series, and didn't happen often enough for me. So here's Vampirella & Pantha teaming up with The Rook to take on a million year old energy sucking monster that's about to destroy the Earth.
To be honest, this story is a little bit of a missed opportunity. As it takes place in Restin Dane's series, it's he and his supporting cast that take centre stage, relegating the girls to basically standing around looking pretty. What a way to treat your guests, at least Spidey was more gracious to his Team-Up partners.
The final anticipated epic battle also doesn't really take place, but you kind of expect that sort of randomness from a Bill Dubay script, don't you?

Pantha

Pantha was a back up strip in Vampirella, and was about a stripper who can turn into a panther.
I'll just let that sink in. A Stripper. Who can turn into a panther.
God, I miss Warren magazines.
Actually, this strip is much grittier than it's set-up suggests. What with her abusive parents, sleazy boss, soul-destroying job and all round hard luck, Pantha doesn't exactly lead the charmed life of a Supergirl or a Wonder Woman.
For a while, Pantha is a real New York street level strip, with Auraleon's scratchy, moody art a perfect accompaniment. Then it all goes a bit mad, involving reincarnation, ancient Egypt and Vampirella's home planet of Drakulon, Pantha then becoming Vampi's sidekick for a good long time.
Which is all fun, but it's the earlier, grungier stuff that sticks in the memory.