Dark Horse And Berger Books Resurrect The Original Vampire In New CARMILLA: THE FIRST VAMPIRE Graphic Novel

Long before Twilight, Nosferatu, and even Dracula, there was Carmilla, a vampire woman who fell in love with her female victims before making a meal of them. Dark Horse and Berger Books are helping shine a light on the character who helped inspire Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula. Written by Amy Chu and drawn by Soo Lee, Carmilla: The First Vampire will bring the character into 1996 at the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When LGBTQ+ women are being murdered it’s up to an idealistic Chinese American social worker to turn detective to help. Her search will lead her to Carmilla’s, a mysterious new nightclub in the heart of Manhattan Chinatown. When she falls for the likely next target, Violet, she will find herself at the center of a real life horror story and will have to confront questions about her own identity and murky past. 

This sounds like an incredible story. I had never heard of Carmilla before this, but she sounds like an incredible antagonist to focus on. Chu has said, “Everyone is familiar with Dracula, but few know it was inspired by the vampire Carmilla who fell in love with the many young women who became her victims… …Bringing the story to '90s New York let me explore themes of cultural identity, gentrification, homophobia and racism. It's definitely the darkest, most mature storyline I've ever written!" With Lee adding, “Goth, horror, and vampires make up the classic backdrop to 90's New York… …Using the colorful ambience of the city and cultural references, Amy and I bring back to life to an old NYC that I know and love in this retelling of Carmilla.” It sounds like the two worked really well together and it’s hard to not get drawn into a project when it’s obvious how much the creators loved working on it. I’ll definitely be checking this one out when it releases in comic shops January 11, 2023 and bookstores on January 24, 2023. It’s available for preorder now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, your local comic shop, and your local bookstore.