Purgatori

Purgatori is one of the most iconic and visually striking characters to emerge from the bad girl era of 1990s comics, first appearing in Evil Ernie: Revenge #1 in 1994. Born as Sakkara, a slave girl in ancient Alexandria, her story is one of betrayal, dark transformation, and an eternal thirst for power and vengeance. After a series of brutal circumstances involving Cleopatra and a fateful encounter with the demon lord Rath, Sakkara was reborn as Purgatori — a winged, crimson-skinned vampiric demon unlike anything else in comics at the time. Her debut appearance is a highly sought-after key issue, representing the launch point of a character who would quickly earn her own dedicated fanbase and ongoing series.

What sets Purgatori apart from the crowded field of supernatural anti-heroes is the sheer breadth of her abilities. She combines classic vampiric powers — blood control, siphoning lifeforce, hypnosis, and immortality — with demonic gifts like flame breath, fire control, shape-shifting, and teleportation. Her capacity for power mimicry makes her a genuine threat to nearly any opponent, and her ancient origins give writers a rich tapestry of history to draw from. Story arcs have pitted her against heaven, hell, and everything in between, and her complicated relationships with characters like Lady Death and Chaos! Comics' broader supernatural universe made her a cornerstone of that imprint's interconnected storytelling.

Originally published under Chaos! Comics before the property moved to Dynamite Entertainment, Purgatori's publication history is a fascinating chase for collectors. Early Chaos! issues, convention exclusives, and variant covers from her original run are increasingly difficult to find in high grade, making them genuine treasures for fans of the era. Dynamite revitalized the character with modern series that introduced her to a new generation while honoring her legacy, producing fresh key issues and connecting her with other Dynamite supernatural properties.

For collectors, Purgatori represents the best of what the bad girl and horror-fantasy genres had to offer — bold design, mythological depth, and a publishing history full of rare variants and crossover appearances worth hunting down. Whether you are chasing her first appearance, completing a full Chaos! Comics run, or tracking down her Dynamite revivals, Purgatori's books reward dedicated collectors with both aesthetic appeal and genuine investment value. Her enduring popularity across multiple publishers is proof that this scarlet-winged demon has staying power far beyond her era of origin.