The crowdfunding hit Dracula Book 1: The Impaler by Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones has found a home at Dark Horse Comics.
On its website, Dark Horse announced that it would be publishing Dracula Book 1: The Impaler this October. The book is the first in a tetralogy of 112-page graphic novels re-imagining the Dracula mythology. It teams writer Wagner and artist Jones with colorist José Villarrubia and letterer Rob Steen. The Impaler was a massive success on Kickstarter, raising a total of $262,498 from 3,349 backers. SuperHeroHype shared an exclusive look inside the comic on Halloween 2023.
Check out the cover art for Dracula Book 1: The Impaler below:
As Dark Horse explains, “DRACULA BOOK 1: THE IMPALER explores the legendary Count before his debut in Bram Stoker’s iconic novel — from his first foray into the dark arts to his rise to lord of the undead! The series of books will fill in these tantalizing gaps to provide a terrifying portrait of Vlad Dracula, with DRACULA – BOOK 1: THE IMPALER exploring Dracula’s bloody history and his tenure at Satan’s legendary seminary of the dark arts, the Scholomance.”
What to expect from Dracula Book 1: The Impaler
“When Kelley Jones and I decided to launch the first volume of our new collaboration, DRACULA: BOOK I – THE IMPALER as a Kickstarter campaign, we always knew we also wanted to offer it via more traditional publishing channels,” Wagner said.
“The overwhelming success of our campaign only solidified the need for that option, with both retailers and readers alike begging us for a mass-market edition in addition to the exclusive, hardcover Kickstarter versions,” the writer continued. “When it came time to partner up with an established publisher for that alternative, there really was no other choice to consider but Dark Horse Comics. Dark Horse and I have enjoyed an incredible collaborative relationship for over 35 years and their reputation for quality material and their support of creators’ rights is a well-deserved hallmark in the comics industry. We’re thrilled to team up with them to bring our DRACULA epic to an even wider audience!”
Wagner concluded, “The first graphic novel explores what led Dracula to seek out Satan’s tutelage and how he became the lord of the undead … Kelley and I are enormous fans of Dracula and the many interpretations of his mythic story. Our version of Dracula is bloody and brooding, sexy and strange. This is very much a horror story, with deep roots in Stoker’s novel, but believe me when I tell you this isn’t yet another retelling of the novel in comics form. This is something haunting and new.”
The comic’s art team offers more gory details
“Having the good fortune of having drawn comics for Dark Horse like Aliens Hive and Zombie World as well as my own creator owned comics The Hammer and 13th Son,” Jones said. ‘I’ve had an even better experience buying comics from Dark Horse like Grendel and Hellboy and so many others. So I’m extremely happy that Dark Horse will publish the trade edition of DRACULA BOOK 1: THE IMPALER. It just seems right!”
“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,” Villarrubia added. “Wagner and Jones are pulling no punches here, with an unsettling story that recalls the Giallo classics of the 1960’s.”
Dracula Book 1: The Impaler goes on sale Tuesday, October 15 from Dark Horse Comics.
