Legendary Comic Creators Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones Explore The Secret History of Dracula in DRACULA VOLUME 1: THE IMPALER,

MILWAUKIE, Ore., (October 22, 2024)—  Dark Horse Comics and comic book veterans Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are joining forces for a new take on the world’s most famous vampire: DRACULA—BOOK 1: THE IMPALER, the first of four volumes which explore the veiled stories from Dracula. Bram Stoker’s classic novel Dracula introduced arguably the most famous character in horror literature, but the seminal story leaves much of the Count’s rich history and persona to the imagination. Now legendary GRENDEL creator Matt Wagner and superstar comic book artist Kelley Jones (BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN, SANDMAN: SEASON OF MISTS) are diving into the bloody, horrifying events between the lines of the famed horror novel. DRACULA—BOOK 1: THE IMPALER is the first in a series of four all-new, 100+ page graphic novels that aim to fill in the tantalizing gaps in the legendary Count’s story to provide a terrifying portrait of Vlad Dracula—from his first foray into the dark arts to his rise to lord of the undead! Dark Horse Comics will publish the first of four planned volumes in bookstores on October 22, 2024 and in comic shops on October 23, 2024.

DRACULA—BOOK 1: THE IMPALER explores Dracula’s bloody history and his tenure at Satan’s legendary seminary of the dark arts, the Scholomance. “Stoker’s original novel hasn’t been out of print since its initial publication in 1897, and I’d argue that Dracula is, in fact, the most famous literary character of all time,” said Matt Wagner. “The haunting echoes of that gothic tale continue to this day, with a seemingly unending litany of adaptations and expansions in every narrative medium — books, films, comics, games. Much like the vampire lord himself, Dracula continues to rise from the grave! With this project, Kelley and I are thrilled to present a new and unique perspective on the bloodthirsty Count and his legendary reign of terror!”

“Dracula casts a long shadow, so when designing the lord of vampires and king of his kind, it’s best to keep it simple,” said artist Kelley Jones. “Pure horror. He is everything we fear. His face has to show his pleasure at giving a painful death and a seductive kiss. His eyes, the red pits of hell. A grimace that bears a deathly smile. A figure that blends in the shadow that every nightmare springs from. This all before he becomes the Vampire King. Matt Wagner has made Vlad Dracula all these things and more — and frankly, it draws itself.”

DRACULA: BOOK I—THE IMPALER was originally funded on Kickstarter via Orlok Press in 2023 with the help of over 3.3K backers. Wagner and Jones are currently running a second Kickstarter campaign for DRACULA—BOOK 2: THE BRIDES, which runs until November 1.