Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones Draw "Actual Evil" in Dracula: The Undead
We chat with Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones about Dracula: The Undead and how their Stoker sequel will be unlike any other.
Yup, it’s Halloween season, and Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are back on the podcast talking Dracula. At three years running, with a practical guarantee that they’ll be back this time next year, we’re turning their guest appearances into a legit Comic Book Couples Counseling tradition. And we’re so incredibly happy at the notion.
After their last three books, we were sure, but with Dracula: The Undead promising to go where no other Bram Stoker sequel has gone before, we’re positively raving - Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones are making the best comics of their lives together. They’re chasing their curiosity, springing off the classic novel, filling in the bits we’ve never seen before, and discovering a blistering, brilliant burst of relevant horror. To put it in the simplest terms, these are some of our favorite comics being made today and absolutely our favorite adaptation of the Bram Stoker book.
Book 1: The Impaler, Book 2: The Brides, Book 3: The Count. These searing works explore human monstrosity through our greatest literary boogeyman, refusing to venerate Dracula and exposing him as the gluttonous, rageful, grotesque figure he worked so damn hard to become. He’s not your idol; he’s your monster. Don’t ever forget it.
It’s a joy to have Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones back on the podcast. We dig into their third book and how it fleshes out Dracula’s character by filling in the blank spaces of Bram Stoker’s novel. We discuss where they’re going with The Undead, picking up the final moments of the original text and moving toward a Dracula who seems even more horrendous than already depicted. Will Kelley Jones draw “actual evil” in this fourth chapter? They seem to think so.
Dracula Book 3: The Count arrives in paperback from Dark Horse Comics on October 20th. Dracula Book 4: The Undead is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter. Visit the page, back the book, and catch up on the other three comics in hardcover if you haven't already. Dracula Books 1-4 are written by Matt Wagner, illustrated by Kelley Jones, colored by Jose Villarrubia, and lettered by Rob Leigh.
You can continue the conversation with Kelley Jones on Instagram. You can follow Matt Wagner on Blue Sky and Instagram.
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