For the three two Octobers, horror in comics has been dominated by two legendary comic creators who never fail to slay their stories.
Matt Wagner (creator of Grendel) and Kelley Jones (Sandman: Season of Mists; Batman & Dracula: Red Rain) tackled the nooks and crannies of the world’s most famous vampire’s history in their comics Dracula: Book I – The Impaler, Dracula: Book II – The Brides, and Dracula: Book III – The Count, which each had overwhelming success crowdfunding on Kickstarters through Orlok Press. Impaler examines the Count’s time under Satan’s thumb and rise to his status of the dark lord; The Brides examined the connection between Dracula and his titular trio; and The Count shone a light on the vampire’s inner world and what he thinks of himself.
And just today, just in time for spooky season, Jones and Wagner launched a new Kickstarter through Orlok Press to continue the story of the scourge of the night in Dracula: Book IV – The Undead. In The Undead, the duo look beyond the ending of author Bram Stoker’s original ending, one that Wagner calls “unresolved.” Since the methods outlined in the novel as to how to kill Dracula don’t coincide with how he’s dispatched in the book’s climax, Wagner and Jones use this as an opportunity to continue The Count’s tale with him surviving. While he lives, he’s still injured and has to reflect on how to move forward from an attack that nearly was his undoing.
I recently spoke with Kelley Jones and Matt Wagner about the conceit of Dracula: Book IV– The Undead, the narrative opportunities this new book affords them, their favorite part of working on the series, and what keeps Dracula’s world fresh for them.
The first three volumes of Wagner and Jones’ Dracula books are dizzying and take the Count and the readers places that have never felt so new. This new, concluding volume is sure to take The Count to new heights.
FreakSugar: You have already written and illustrated three volumes from the world of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. What keeps the vampire and his universe so fresh for you?
Matt Wagner: For me, it’s the character’s sophistication, his brilliance (which isn’t flawless) and his utter lack of remorse. As we’ve said many times, our version of Dracula is a monster…a very human and recognizable monster, but not the romantic sort of character that is so often how he’s portrayed in various movie adaptations. Bram Stoker’s original novel is written in epistolary style, meaning there is no omniscient narrator and all the events are presented in the form of letters, private journals, news articles and such. The only voice missing from these various accounts is Dracula himself and making that narrative decision early on in the creative process really opened a wide tableau for me as a writer. This guy’s brutal and blood-thirsty yet intelligent and eloquent. Like his non-supernatural literary successor, Hannibal Lecter, that makes for a fascinating and terrifying portrayal.
Kelley Jones: I know for me, it’s that this Dracula, though totally familiar, is utterly brand new. Nothing likable about him to be sure, but you can’t stop following his exploits.
FS: For folks wanting to learn about the book, what is the conceit of The Undead?
MW: Our previous volumes have explored Dracula’s past and his “present” by following his actions that occur mainly off-stage during the course of the original novel. BOOK IV–THE UNDEAD reaches beyond the events of the original novel because in that book’s exciting climax, the vampire lord’s ultimate fate seems…unresolved. Throughout Stoker’s text, Professor Van Helsing describes in some detail exactly how to destroy a vampire. And when the British heroes finally catch up with their nemesis and he seeks to flee to the safe and rejuvenating confines of Castle Dracula…they don’t exactly attack him in those prescribed actions. And so, in our version of these events…Dracula survives!
We always stay in Dracula’s head and always see things from his POV. As I mentioned above, Dracula does survive the attack of Stoker’s heroes…but he doesn’t escape completely unscathed. These ordinary mortals…these “peasants” as he calls them…are the first true enemies he’d faced in over four centuries. And they came dangerously close to destroying him. How then would this brutal and blood-thirsty warlord react to such an infraction? That’s the story we’re telling in this fourth and final volume of our saga.
KJ: The firm belief that something this evil must be removed from the earth. That no one believes in vampires makes it all the more imperative to serve God in their minds.
FS: What was your “a-ha!” moment that gave you an in for this volume?
MW: Well, as I said earlier…they didn’t destroy him. Dracula survives to fight and scheme and feed another night! But my real “a-ha” moment in regards to Stoker’s heroes was how such a horrific encounter would affect all of them. Aside from the loss of their friend and comrade Quincy Morris in the final battle, the book basically wraps up in a happily-ever-after scenario. Seven years on from the events of the book, Jonathan and Mina now have a son (named Quincy after their fallen friend) and both Dr. Jack Seward and Lord Arthur Holmwood have moved on and gotten married. Surely, it can’t all have been that easy and carefree, I thought. In the book, seven years after their battles with the vampire lord, that foursome make another trip to Transylvania…to check on the wardings Professor Van Helsing had made at Castle Dracula’s entrance and just to reassure themselves that the horror had passed. And that led me to wonder how their rational Victorian minds could’ve dealt with the unbelievable realities that they’d encountered. What sort of PTSD would they all suffer from in the novel’s aftermath?
KJ: I loved how Dracula’s perspective was in his coffin. I loved how the heroes thought they’d won.
FS: You call this volume the most evil of the four in the press release for the Kickstarter. Why is that?
MW: Well, we want to avoid spoilers…but suffice it to say that Dracula’s past as the brutal warlord Vlad Tepes comes to the forefront once again.
KJ: Because Matt has no mercy on our readers as Dracula on his victims.
FS: Kelly, in a career that is full of highs, I think this is some of the best work of your career, and that’s saying volumes. How do you approach these stories and has that changed as the series has progressed?
KJ: With the knowledge that my ideas take precedent and that comes from total freedom to create. Matt is my only audience when I’m drawing these books so I don’t worry about editors or publishers censoring or handwringing over the imagery. I want readers to be emotionally hit by this and never forget the thrill of these books.
FS: With this being the final book in the series, looking back, what has been your favorite part of working on the series? What are you most proud of upon reflection?
MW: Without a doubt, my favorite part of this project has been the collaboration with such a brilliant artist…and a dear friend. Producing this series of books has felt like Kelley and I had already been working together for years and years. Our creative talents have been so in sync, it really feels like the epitome of a comic-book dream team. And that goes for the rest of our crew as well. José Villarrubia and Rob Leigh have wielded their incredible color and lettering talents to fully realize the narrative that Kelley and I generated…and beautifully so! And we certainly wouldn’t have seen such success in the Kickstarter realm without the savvy efforts of both David Hyde and Hanna Bahedry from Superfan Promotions as well as our campaign manager James Aquilone. I’m incredibly proud of the contribution we were able to make to the lore and legend of Dracula, who I still maintain is the world’s most famous literary character…but it’s the people who helped us bring all to such fantastic fruition that I cherish the most.
KJ: Having Matt as a collaborator exceeded every expectation. Friends that are geniuses makes drawing comics the greatest experience.
The Kickstarter for Dracula: Book IV – The Undead is now LIVE! Fans of the previous three volumes, Dracula, Matt Wagner, Kelley Jones, or hopefully all three should definitely give this campaign a look here at the link!
From the official press release for the Kickstarter:
Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel of gothic horror created the most famous literary character of all time: the terrifying vampire lord, DRACULA. Now acclaimed comic-book creators Matt Wagner (Grendel, Mage) and Kelley Jones (Batman: Red Rain, The Sandman) are reuniting for the fourth and final chapter in their epic series of original graphic novels about the shadowy history of the world’s most famous literary character with DRACULA: BOOK IV—THE UNDEAD. Sign up here to be notified when the project is live on Kickstarter.
Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 book is one of the most revered icons of the horror genre, and throughout the first three volumes of their smash hit series, Wagner and Jones have stayed true to Stoker’s original canon while also providing an all-new and terrifying look at Dracula’s history and his nefarious actions that take place just off-stage in the novel’s chain of events. But, curiously…the novel’s climax has always left many fans with an unsettled feeling—as if perhaps the infamous vampire lord wasn’t actually destroyed by his enemies…
“In the novel, Professor Van Helsing outlines very clearly how to destroy a vampire,” said author Matt Wagner. “And yet, in the exciting climax of the story, the British heroes don’t really use those prescribed methods to attack their foe. That discrepancy, combined with the fact that the sun is just about to set and thus restore Dracula to the full extent of his vampiric powers has provided us with the perfect opportunity to explore beyond the events of the original novel.”
“As incredibly creepy as the stories were in our first three books, this volume is probably the most evil one of all!” said artist Kelley Jones. “Matt has come up with an amazing continuation of Dracula’s story that doesn’t just repeat the tropes of Stoker’s novel. Collectively, I feel this series is something of a crowning achievement to my career. I’ve never felt more proud of a final product as when each volume of our DRACULA series arrives in my hands from the printer.”
The first three volumes of Wagner and Jones’s DRACULA saga were smash hits—Book 1 broke the Top 20 in Kickstarter’s all-time most successful graphic novel campaigns—and this ultimate chapter promises to be even bigger, with 122 pages of spine-chilling story and art. Wagner and Jones are once again joined for this macabre foray into the shadows of Dracula’s sinister schemes by the stellar talents of José Villarrubia on colors and lettering by Rob Leigh. The Kickstarter campaign will be the only source for these beautiful, European-album sized hardcover editions of this book as well as many exceptional rewards tiers.
“As always, I’m continually blown away by Kelley’s incredible art for these tales” added Wagner. “I’m distinctly writing this saga with his graphic prowess always in mind…and yet he somehow always seems to draw each scene and moment even better than I had imagined. If Dracula did, indeed, survive the events of the original novel, what would be his response to the human enemies who so very nearly managed to end his centuries of evil dominion? Can anyone resist the vampire lord’s unholy vengeance? If their victory over his evil was only imaginary, then Dracula is truly…THE UNDEAD!
DRACULA—BOOK I: THE IMPALER and DRACULA—BOOK II: THE BRIDES are available now from Dark Horse Comics as paperbacks. The third volume, DRACULA—BOOK III: THE COUNT, will be published by Dark Horse in October.
For updates, follow Matt Wagner on Facebook and X and Kelley Jones on Instagram and X.
