As GalaxyCon kicked off its inaugural event in New Orleans, comic writer Christopher Priest sat with The Comic Book Spot’s editor-in-chief to talk about projects and more.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – July 15, 2025 – GalaxyCon concluded its inaugural show in New Orleans at the Morial Convention Center this past weekend. Despite multiple bouts of rain common to the city during the Summer, pop culture fans of all ages descend onto the exhibition hall and panel rooms to discuss topics from anime to comics to 3D printing. Participants were also able to browse a number of vendors and fan groups highlighting items for purchase and memberships, respectively.
Comic book fans were also able to meet some of their favorite creators to ask questions, sign books and prints, and take photos. Comic book legend Christopher Priest was in attendance for this year’s event. In an exclusive interview with The Comic Book Spot’s editor-in-chief, he offered fans a deep dive into his illustrious career as well as some upcoming projects. Below is some highlights from that conversation. You can her the full interview on the next episode of The Comic Bin Comic Book Podcast.
A Crucial Boost for Joe Quesada
Priest shared the lesser-known story of how he provided long-time artist, writer, and editor Joe Quesada with his start in the comic book industry. As an editor at DC Comics, Priest recalled receiving a recommendation from Joe Rubenstein to look at Quesada’s work. “I went through the portfolio, and I thought it was wonderful. Yeah, it was kind of Mike Mignola like at that time,” Priest stated.
While initially having no work for him, an unexpected turn of events opened the door. An artist on one of his books quit due to an unresolved complaint, leaving Priest in a difficult position.
“I’m sitting in my office and I don’t know what we do,” Priest recounted. He then wondered if Quesada was still in the lobby. “I sent somebody out there to see if Joe was still in the lobby.” They brought him back, offering him a chance that ultimately launched Quesada’s influential career.
Black Panther: Unveiling “The World to Come”
The conversation then shifted to Priest’s return to the Wakandan king in Marvel Knights: The World to Come. Priest recounted that a project began around 2017, influenced by the impending 2018 Black Panther movie. After reaching out to Marvel to pitch the idea, the writer was given a 10-page story in the Black Panther Annual that year. Joe Quesada, at the time Marvel’s Chief Content Officer, and learning of Priest’s interest, reached out about a special project for Marvel Knights’ 20th anniversary in 2018 This project would evolve into The World To Come.
Vampirella’s Enduring Journey
Priest also delved into his extensive and unexpected tenure on Vampirella for Dynamite Entertainment. He initially joined for the character’s 50th anniversary, expecting to stay for a year, but it stretched into two. He chose to conclude his run with issue #25.
“I went to the publisher, Nick Barrucci, and said, well, let’s wrap it up with 25. So, I have a complete volume.”
It didn’t end that way. Priest’s Vampirella universe continued with several mini-series and storylines, including one where she married Dracula and another where Vampirella has a child. After all of this, the legendary writer was invited me to start a new volume of Vampirella. In this new volume, Vampirella’s son returns from the future with some not-so-good-news for his mom.
A Bold New Direction for Red Sonja
Christopher Priest’s latest endeavor, Sonja Reborn, launching in August, promises a radically different take on the character. He explained that the series is designed to appeal to both new and seasoned readers, although some hardcore Red Sonja fans might be trouble by it.
“It’s a good book to pick up because you don’t need to know anything about Red Sonja. We’ll take you by the hand and we’ll walk you through.” However, for long-term fans steeped in the mythology, Priest cautioned, “You might hate this book okay, because we’re being. Maybe a little irreverent, to the character.”
The story from Christopher Priest and artist Alessandro Miracolo, due out in August, centers on Maggie, an English woman from 2026. s Christopher Priest explains it, “through a series of events, she gets thrown into the Hyborian Age. She wakes up, and she’s Red Sonja. Except she knows nothing about the Hyborian Age.” The series explores how Maggie, “a single woman, about 125 pounds, in a world of wizards and monsters and really big mean, barbarians who are not very nice to women,” acclimates to this dangerous environment.
“The bigger question,” Priest stated, “is Maggie having some hallucination where she imagines herself being Red Sonja? Or is Red Sonja having some sort of hallucination, where she is this woman of the future named Maggie? Who’s having the hallucination here?”.
You can hear the rest of the interview with Christopher Priest in the next episode of The Comic Bin Comic Book Podcast, out this week on YouTube and all podcast platforms.
