Home / Comics / The iconic vampire returns this Halloween in Dark Horse’s  Dracula Book 1: The Impaler

The iconic vampire returns this Halloween in Dark Horse’s  Dracula Book 1: The Impaler

The vampire lord is back, with Dark Horse laying out the secret history of the famed bloodsucker in Dracula Book 1: The Impaler.

Just in time for Halloween

Yeah we might not even be out of February yet, but Dark Horse Comics is already looking towards Halloween. The publisher is planning out what looks to be a big release that’ll be landing just in time for the holiday, with Dracula Book 1: The Impaler.

The new title will open up a secret history for the most famous vampire of all time, and spin out of one heck of a creative team. The legendary Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones will be heading ups squad that includes colorist José Villarrubia and letterer Rob Steen, making a title that horror fans might not want to miss.

Dracula Book 1: The Impaler is, as you probably guessed, is the first in a planned limited series of tomes. In all, Dark Horse is set to deliver four books, exploring the missing pieces of the vampire lord’s unlife, beginning with his time before Bram Stoker’s original novel.

Expect to see everything from Vlad’s “first foray into the dark arts to his rise to lord of the undead”. What’s that entail? Well, apparently it includes his visit to the Scholomance, “Satan’s legendary seminary of the dark arts”.

“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,” said legendary GRENDEL creator Matt Wagner. “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.  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!”

“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,” said Jones, the iconic artist of BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN and SANDMAN: SEASON OF MISTS. “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!”

Dark Horse Comics press release

While there’s no firm date just yet, Dracula Book 1: The Impaler will hitting comics shops and bookstores some time this Halloween season.

About Jason Micciche

Jason's been knee deep in videogames since he was but a lad. Cutting his teeth on the pixely glory that was the Atari 2600, he's been hack'n'slashing and shoot'em'uping ever since. Mainly an FPS and action guy, Jason enjoys the occasional well crafted title from every genre.

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