Origin
Rosella was the daughter of Goodman Carson, an old friend of Solomon Kane. When she came of age, Rosella left England to travel through Europe. Her father lost contact with her however when she reached Transylvania. It turns out that she had met the infamous Dracula and been turned into a vampire, a curse which she soon came to embrace.
Creation
Rosella Carson was created by writer Roy Thomas, penciled by Alan Weiss, and inked by Crusty Bunkers. She appeared in 1973’s Dracula Lives #3.
Major Story Arcs
Castle of the Undead
Rosella’s father eventually contacted Solomon Kane some months later and begged him to find his daughter, giving Kane a locket with Rosella’s picture to help identify her. Kane eventually reached Transylvania, but was beset by bandits and thereafter overwhelmed by werewolves. Kane wound up being saved by Dracula, who welcomed Kane into his castle. Dracula had meanwhile instructed Rosella to stay out of sight, as Kane was to be his prey.
Wary, but unaware of of Dracula’s true nature, Kane went to sleep that night. Some hours before dawn however, Rosella defied Dracula’s order and crept into Kane’s chambers while he slept. Her intrusion awoke him however and when Rosella attempted to embrace him, Kane cast her aside, proving too strong even for her beauty to seduce him. At first mistaking her for some lustful harlot, Kane soon realized she was in fact Rosella. Despite this realization, Kane wasted no time in trying to end the vampire’s existence. Rosella was stronger than she looked and flung Kane across the room and into a wall. She then broke his staff in two after he tried to fend her off with it. Kane had planned on this however and used the broken staff to stake her through the heart, ending Rosella’s life as a vampire.
Seeking vengeance for Rosella’s death, Kane challenged Dracula to a duel. Kane emerged victorious and intended to finish Dracula for good, until Dracula begged Kane to spare his life in exchange for Dracula having saved Kane from the werewolves. After brief indecision, Kane relented and repaid his life debt to Dracula by letting him live.
Powers & Abilities
Rosella Carson had the strengths and weaknesses typical to vampires. She was considerably stronger, faster, and hardier than a standard human, and also possessed a haunting beauty that could mesmerize most lesser men. Presumably she possessed other vampire abilities that she was unable to display in her brief story.
Like most vampires, she could be killed by a wooden stake through the heart and most likely could be severely harmed by silver and sunlight.