Writer Matt Wagner and artist Kelley Jones have launched the Kickstarter project for the follow-up to theirDraculagraphic novel,The Impaler,as they prepare to unleash more undead fury on the world inDracula: Book II –The Brides.The first book was successfully funded on Kickstarter, and now anticipation is even higher for the sequel.
Screen Rant is thrilled to offer the exclusive premiere ofthe Kickstarter launch forDracula: Book II –The Brides. The second of four books Wagner and Jones have for the series, which is described as being intended to “fill in these tantalizing gaps in the undying centuries of Dracula’s blood-drenched biography.”
Just as the first volume,The Impaler, introduced readers to the character who would, in time, become Dracula,The Brideswill serve as an origin story for his vampire wives, first introduced in Bram Stoker’s novel.
The Creative Team Behind The “Dracula” Saga Hope To Replicate Their Kickstarter Success With Book II
The Brides– Written By Matt Wagner, Art By Kelly Jones; Kickstarter Campaign Live Now
After funding the first volume of theirDraculasaga on Kickstarter,Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones hope to receive another swell of enthusiastic fan support for the sequel,Dracula: Book II – The Brides. Based on the response toBook I, and the creators' reputation among comic readers for their exceptional work, it is not unreasonable to forecast that their funding campaign might even exceed expectations, and surpass the achievement of the first – especially when the project takes everything that excited fans aboutBook Iand amps it up.
The Brideswill be longer, and more intense, and the Kickstarter campaign offers opportunities for exclusive additional content and special editions of the book. As the official announcement forBook IIof Wagner and Jones' saga explains:
The first volume of Wagner and Jones’s DRACULA saga was a runaway hit, breaking the Top 20 in Kickstarter’s all-time most successful graphic novel campaigns. DRACULA: BOOK II—THE BRIDES presents 120 pages of sexy and sinister story and art, almost 30 pages longer than BOOK I. Wagner and Jones are once joined for this creepy foray into the shadows of Castle Dracula by the stellar talents of José Villarrubia on colors and lettering by Rob Leigh. This campaign is the only source for these beautiful, European-album sized hardcover editions of this book as well as the exceptional rewards tiers to be revealed after launch.
With more details to come, the excitement overDracula: Book IIhas only just begun to cast its spell over readers. With the first book in the series soon available to audiences everywhere, the hype surrounding the proposed four-volume project has really only just begun.
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Backers of the first Kickstarter project have already begun to receive their copies ofThe Impaler, and early reviews of the story have been positive. At the time of launch, the Kickstarter forThe Bridesalready has over five-hundred backers, making it clear that many people who funded the prior book have returned to support the follow-up. For those who missed out on supportingThe Impalerearly,The Bridesoffers the perfect opportunity to become part of making the comic happen.
Dracula: Book I – The Impaler; Available October 22 From Orlock Press & Dark Horse
Dracula: Book I–The Impalertells the origin story ofpopular culture’s most infamous vampire, offering a detailed account of how the historical Vlad became the mythical Dracula, as he became known in the iconic 1897 horror novel of the same name. The book introduced the vampire’s trio of monstrous Brides, who have since gone on to carve out their own distinct place in vampire lore; from thecult favorite 1960 Hammer Horror filmThe Brides of Dracula, to their appearance in other vampire propertiessuch asBuffy the Vampire Slayer, the Brides remain a source of fascination for vampire fans.
Based on the timeline for the release ofThe Impaler, fans can expectThe Brideswill be released late fall of next year – but the Kickstarter offers the chance to get it sooner.
This fascination is at the core of Wagner and Jones' next installment in theirDraculaseries, asthe questions that have persisted about the Brides and their relationship with Dracula for over a century will be the centerpiece ofBook II. As writer Matt Wagner elaborated:
“One of the most eerie and memorable parts of the Dracula legend is the presence of his vampiric Brides. In both the novel and the litany of screen adaptations, the appearance of these beautiful and seductive sirens is always an indelible part of the narrative. And, of course, this presents us with yet another dark and beguiling story to be told. Who were these women before they became part of Dracula’s sinister harem? How and why did he come to claim them as his undead paramours? And what role do they ultimately play in his ongoing saga?”
Readers can expect the answers to all of these questions, and more, in Wagner and Jones’The Brides. Based on the timeline for the release ofThe Impaler, fans can expectThe Brideswill be released late fall of next year – but the Kickstarter offers the chance to get it sooner.
“The Brides” Will Be A Throwback To Darker Days In Dracula Lore
Artist Kelly Jones Teases A “Distinct Lack Of Modernity”
Beyond just the opportunity to get exclusive bonus content and early access to a project, one of the great things about Kickstarter is that it often puts a spotlight on the creators' enthusiasm for their work. As exciting asThe Bridessounds in its own right, the effusive excitement from both Matt Wagnerand Kelley Jonesis perhaps the greatest selling point for convincing fans to help fund the completion of the book. Jones' description of Wagner’s script for the series makes it clear this is a passion project, while also offering a tantalizing hint at what is to come.
Jones stated:
“I was so freaking excited when Matt first told me that the second volume in our DRACULA epic would be titled THE BRIDES.And, wow… the story he’s written is absolutely chilling! It’s a complex portrait of what, up until now, have only ever been gruesome pin-up versions of these three women. And, make no mistake… this isn’t an attempt to shoehorn a contemporary agenda into the story. One of the things I love about Matt’s scripts is the distinct lack of modernity. These tales all feel completely accurate to the time period in which they’re set.”
According to Jones, it seems as thoughThe Brideswill bring a level of depth to its title characters that they have frequently been denied in previous depictions – yet it won’t shy away from the harsh realities of being a woman, even a vampire woman, in the historical settingof the story. In other words, the “distinct lack of modernity” that the artist hints at sets an ominous thematic tone, which will pair perfectly with the vampiric bloodshed of the series.
“Dracula: Book I” Will Lay The Groundwork To Take Dracula’s Story To More “Dramatic And Terrifying” Places
The Start Of A Bloody Epic
The teasers and previews forDracula: Book I – The Impalerhave emphasized that the series will not pull any punches when it comes to the gore that both the historical Vlad and Dracula are synonymous with.Writer Matt Wagneralso made it clear thatthis is no heroic journey for the character,but rather the “secret history” of one of fiction’s greatest monsters. In other words, readers shouldn’t expect toroot for this version of Dracula– rather, Wagner and Jones' book is an attempt to understand him like never before.
Wagner put it this way:
Again, our Dracula is an absolute monster. His relationships withanyoneare grounded purely in self-interest and conquest.
The dark tone of the plot, then, necessitates a certain gruesome, almost unhinged level of artistry – but one that is, at the same time, diabolically precise. Wagner praised artist Kelley Jones' for bringing this exact energy to the book, noting:
Whenever I’m writing these stories, I’m always picturing how wonderfully Kelley is going to draw these scenes… how he’s going to take my descriptions and transform them into something even more dramatic and terrifying. And every time he delivers visualizations that are even better than I could have imagined. Readers who enjoyed BOOK I—THE IMPALER will be blown away by BOOK II—THE BRIDES. This volume is bigger, badder and bloodier in every way!
WithThe Impalerhitting shelves everywhere soon, a wider audience is about to be exposed to the brutality and intensity of Wagner and Jones' vision for Dracula, and that is only the beginning of what they have in store.
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Now available to contribute to on Kickstarter,Dracula: Book II–The Brideshas already been heralded by its creators as an evolution of their project to the next level; with two more books planned for the series,The Brideswill continue the upward trajectory of the great vampire’s arc. Where Wagner and Jones will take readers next, and what other burning questions aboutDracula’slegend they will answer before it is all said and done, remain to be determined –
but what is known is that they are steadily crafting adefinitive comic bookDraculatale.
Source:Dracula: Book II – The Brides Kickstarter
The Kickstarter campaign forDracula: Book II – The Bridesis live. Donate now!
The Brides of Dracula
Cast
The Brides of Dracula, released in 1960, is a British horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It focuses on schoolteacher Marianne Danielle, who becomes ensnared by the vampire Baron Meinster. Despite the title, Count Dracula does not appear, as the film concentrates on the menace posed by Meinster. Peter Cushing stars as the iconic vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, tasked with ending Meinster’s reign of terror.
