Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: dracula, kelley jones, kickstarter, matt wagner

For Béla Lugosi's Birthday, Matt Wagner & Kelly Jones' Dracula

Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are launching a brand new graphic novel together on Kickstarter with the secret history of Count Dracula.

Published Fri, 20 Oct 2023 13:56:08 -0500

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:36:23 -0500

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Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are launching a brand new graphic novel together on Kickstarter that goes back centuries, with the secret history of Count Dracula. The first in a series of graphic novels, Dracula: Book 1: The Impaler will be published by their very own comic book publisher, Orlok Press. And, since it happens to be Béla Lugosi's 141st birthday today, what better opportunity to reveal Matt Wagner's cover for that first volume…

Dracula: Book 1: The Impaler, the first in a series of 112 page graphic novels, will exploreDracula's bloody history and his tenure at Satan's legendary seminary of the dark arts, the Scholomance.

"The first graphic novel explores what led Dracula to seek out Satan's tutelage and how he became the lord of the undead," explains writer Matt Wagner. "This project is a real labor of love for Kelley and I," says Wagner. "We are enormous fans of Dracula and the many interpretations of his mythic story. Our version of Dracula is bloody, sexy, and monstrous; this is very much a horror story, with deep roots in Stoker's novel. But this isn't yet another retelling of the novel in comics form. We're bringing you the never-before told stories behind the story…the sinister tales hidden in the shadows of the original novel."

"Matt Wagner has been a great friend of mine for over thirty years and I always regretted that we never got to collaborate on something together and told him that many times," says Kelley Jones, who illustrated the seminal SEASON OF MISTS storyline for Neil Gaiman's best-selling SANDMAN series from DC Comics. "I love Dracula from the novel on down and, after our first conversations about this project, I knew that Matt would tell the tale no one had told before and no one would ever forget. Being able to bring this to life has been the most rewarding achievement in my career and I think it shows."

"DRACULA: BOOK I—THE IMPALER achieves what seems impossible: to present the vampire in a fresh way that is at the same time deeply rooted in its true bloody origins," said colorist José Villarrubia. "Wagner and Jones are pulling no punches here, with an aesthetic harking back to the Giallo films of the sixties. Prepare to be amazed!"

"Master storytellers Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones have rendered Dracula as never before experienced," said letterer Rob Leigh. "If you're half as entertained devouring this tale as I was lettering it, you're in for a wonderfully wicked treat."

"I've been at the forefront of the indie comics scene for over forty years. And Kelley has carved a popular mainstream niche with his uniquely individual style," Wagner continues. "So launching this project via Kickstarter seems like the perfect fit for maintaining that mutual spirit of independence. Kelley and I are insanely proud of this project and can't wait for our readers to see and enjoy our take on this infamous antagonist who has transcended all boundaries to become one of the most famous fictional characters the world has ever known…the vampire lord, DRACULA!"