Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones’ Dracula series continues with a second volume dedicated to an exploration of the Brides of Dracula.
Dracula: Book II-The Brides delves into the strange origins of the seductive paramours of the devil, in a lush, over-sized hardcover format (currently available to back on Kickstarter) guaranteed to satisfy all those seeking a triumphant follow-up to the compelling first volume.
We spoke to Wagner and Jones all about the origins of their Dracula graphic novel series and the secrets of the Brides in this exclusive interview.
Where did the idea to collaborate on a series of graphic novels detailing the secret history of Dracula originate?
Matt Wagner: Kelley and I have been friends for years, ever since we met during publicity events for The Sandman: Season of Mists storyline, on which we were both contributing artists—with Kelley, by far, handling the lion’s share. We hit it off immediately due to our shared sense of humor and our mutual love for all sorts of classic horror narratives. I’ve long been a big Dracula fan, everything from the original novel to the many, many screen adaptations and further adventures to the bevy of comic book versions as well.
In his early non-fiction dissection of the subject—Dance Macabre—fright-master Stephen King breaks down the archetypes of horror literature into three categories—Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf-Man; that is—the pestilence that consumes, the unstoppable thing with no name and the raging beast within. He also includes a subset to that grouping, the Ghost, which can sometimes also overlap with any of those Big Three.
Like I said, I always gravitated towards Dracula. Part of that was the cool sense of style and aristocratic charm, the overlying bat design motifs and I’m sure an even bigger part was the sexual subtext that underlies so many vampire tales. And vampires have made many appearances in my work over the years, especially in the pages of Grendel. And I’d always had a hankering to try my hand at the OG vampire lord himself…Dracula. But I knew that I needed an all-new approach to that well-trodden narrative and, as a result, I brewed and stewed for many years over what my take on the big D would be.
So, over the years, Kelley and I had always hit each other up with the continually detoured vow of, “We’ve really gotta work on something big together some day.” Finally, several years ago, after Kelley had responded to something I’d posted online with that same echoed promise, I contacted him and said, “Are you really serious about that, dude? Because now I think I actually have something in mind that would be absolutely perfect for both of our skill sets and interests. And…it’s fucking epic!” So we hooked up via phone and I outlined what I had in mind…a way to tell the deeper tale of Dracula’s history without just repeating things via yet another adaptation of the original novel. I couldn’t have been more delighted and thrilled when Kelley gave me his answer—“I’m in, man. I am SO in!”
Kelley Jones: I went to a show back in 92 in Detroit solely to meet Matt. I didn’t know him at all other than through his comics which I loved, thus the reason to be there. I wasn’t thinking that we could work together, it was just a fan thing. The great perk of being professional is you can meet other comic creators and he was top of that list. When I arrived the Con folks had everyone gather to load us on a bus and take us to the hotel. It was at this gathering I locked eyes on him and walked up to introduce myself as a BIG fan of his. Matt said he liked what I was doing and we hit off from that moment on. He introduced me to a bunch of other creators that were more indie and such—the kind I felt more a kinship to (notably Tim Sale whom I became friends with as well). From that time forward, we would meet up at shows and talk and through those talks we found we had a lot in common. At one time I was at a show near where he lived and he had me go to his house and showed me his studio and to this day it was the coolest best space to draw, ever. I still try to replicate its tremendous atmosphere. It was at this meeting I worked up my courage and said one day I’d love to work with him in some capacity. It took thirty damn years!
So about four years ago I read a post he’d written saying he was criticized for some explicit thing he drew which I loved and I responded saying I would still work with him in a second and that’s when he got ahold of me and the rest is Dracula!
The new volume focuses on the brides of Dracula. What was your approach to this famous, yet under developed concept in terms of the narrative and the art?
Wagner: Stoker’s original 1897 novel presents a captivating portrait of its vampiric phantasms…and a large part of that enchantment stems from the fact that the details are deliciously shadowy. The brides’ appearance in the book only lasts for several pages and yet it’s such a memorable narrative moment that they’re often featured with equally enthralling presence in almost every screen adaptation of the book. But, as I said, the details about the specific brides are deliberately vague, which only makes them all that more mysterious and thus, more sinister. One of them does appear to be a bit aristocratic or of a higher social class than the others, who both defer to her the privilege of first feeding on their victim.
This, of course, left me with a wonderfully blank slate in regards to the portrayal of these women as actual characters. I knew I needed to portray three entirely different women whom Dracula chooses as his brides for three entirely different reasons. And I really feel like we achieved that…each of them has a unique origin as one of Dracula’s consorts. I’ll also say that this isn’t a contemporary retooling of their roles…they’re definitely not on an even footing with their vampiric lord. Our Dracula is an imperious monster and, as with every aspect in his life, he expects to be the master of all he surveys. We’re trying to stay completely true to the novel’s parameters and that’s how Stoker portrays both him and the brides. But, despite his authoritarian nature, Dracula’s relationship with his three brides is complex and, I hope, compelling on many levels. And…here’s an intriguing hint…it turns out there may have even been a fourth bride!
Jones: I knew that I wanted to establish the Brides as the women they were before Dracula took them. I worked backwards from the supernatural aspect we all know of them in general. Not wanting as much to show them to be evil or dark already but as wanting to be free or loved or whatever those normal dreams might be. Dracula seeing them this way attracts him and perhaps not understanding the gravity of his curse and the effect that would pass on to them. I thought that would make the Brides more tragic and evil and erotic and certainly more bloody which would be powerful on the page. I think I did that.
Dracula: Book II-The Brides will once again be available on Kickstarter and in the European format? Thoughts on the success of the first campaign and the advantages of the European, album-style format?
Wagner: We both knew that the European album format was the way we wanted to go from the very beginning. Since Dracula is such a distinctly European narrative, it just felt like the proper presentation for our additions to this timeless legend. And the expanded size just really gives Kelley’s magnificent art the room and the chance to breathe. After seeing what he’s able to do with this canvas, it makes seeing his art published in what the comics industry calls Standard American size seem somewhat constrained. I’m not exaggerating at all when I say that I feel like this project will ultimately be recognized as Kelley’s Magnum Opus…the stories he was absolutely born to draw! As a result of all that, I’d love to see Kelley really stick to this format for anything else he does past our epic collaboration (which…don’t worry…still has quite a ways to go yet).
So far as the success of the first campaign goes, sure, it’s great when the work of which you’re so very proud (and we are!) turns out to also be a huge commercial success…but the story is always the most important part of any project like this. If we don’t have a great tale to tell and don’t deliver in terms of narrative power and stunning visuals, then the financial success just won’t be a factor anyway. In the long run, it’s all about the story. The rest is just what happens when everything really works.
Jones: My only problem was technical. Matt suggested the format change and I thought I could give it a try. But damn I had to buy a paper cutter and get all the new size dimensions correct and find the right Bristol that would fit those dimensions—it was a bitch! But as per usual, Matt was right. And the results were how much more freedom I had to exploit in the art with the added room. I think it was an inspired idea Matt had to do this, but then he’s a great designer.
Is the Dracula in the Brides the same vicious character that we see in the first volume and how did you both define your approach to one of the most famous characters ever created?
Wagner: Oh, you bet he is! One of our goals from the very beginning is to make sure that we portray Dracula as the absolute monster he’s depicted as in the novel. Back when 1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula came out, I remember seeing famed director Francis Ford Coppola doing PR for the film and he claimed that “The original novel isn’t a horror story…it’s a love story.” And I remember thinking, “Oh, no it certainly fucking is not!” Stoker’s Dracula isn’t a romantic figure in the contemporary sense of the word. He isn’t in love with any of his victims…he’s a predator, first and foremost. Dracula’s a monster but we also wanted to show his humanity as well.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Stoker’s novel is that it’s epistolary, meaning it’s told exclusively through the form of journals, letters and news reports—there is no third-person narration. But…the one voice that is glaringly missing from those accounts is Dracula himself. So by making Dracula the narrator of his own history, we’re able to see his motivations and internal thoughts…which are definitely the mentality of an imperious, megalomaniacal villain, whose only concerns are for his own gratification and empowerment. But villains can be such captivating entities. Back when I was in college I was lucky enough to attend a guest lecture given by celebrated horror actor Vincent Price titled “The History of Villainy!” And his general point was…let’s face it, everyone loves to hear about the bad guy. Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter, The Joker—and, yes—Grendel…these are complex transgressors who, for the most part, are even more popular than ostensible heroes of their various narratives. And our Dracula absolutely fits that mold.
Jones: I think, as Matt says, Dracula is even more brutal and unpredictably savage, but what I did was see him as a married man. His wives present him with the same befuddled reactions I have in my marriage and I thought that’s kind of funny. What do you do with not just one undead wife but three!? He’s the great Vampire Lord, yet he’s still got to deal with his girls with the same constraints of matrimony however strange it is. I draw Dracula with that conundrum as part of his curse!
Matt: As a writer and artist, when you are writing the scripts, do you tailor some of the scenes specifically for Kelley’s art style and is there an image that you can recall from the first or second volume that really impressed you?
Wagner: One of the things that I’ve always felt enhances my skills as a writer and my ability to collaborate with others visually is the fact that I’m also an artist. I’ve really felt that my own artistic abilities have helped me to see what a particular artist’s strengths are and gear the story to best tap into those energies. In the case of working with Kelley on Dracula, I constantly find myself writing a certain scene of sequence and thinking, “Oh, man…Kelley is gonna draw the fucking HELL outta this!” And, much to my utter delight and fascination, his pages come back to me and they’re always even waaaay better than I was imagining…and that’s saying something! That’s one of the utter joys of working on this project…it just feels like this was a pairing that was always meant to be. I mentioned those many years wherein we’d both promised to but always seemed to put off working together on a major project. You could look at that as years of wasted opportunity…but I prefer to think that we were, in fact, just waiting for the stars to perfectly align so that we could bring the world our version of DRACULA!
Kelley: Is it easier working off Matt’s scripts because he is a writer and artist, or does it bring more pressure knowing that Matt is also an artist?
Jones: I am not too concerned with the rules of how to draw comics. I also work with the emotional impact as the goal and I’ll break every rule or find new ways to get to that. I work for that one panel in a sequence to make the point of the scene as written and Matt knew that when he wanted to work with me so I figure I’d just be that artist he saw. There are times he will say “Yeah…no” in regards to something I’ve drawn and I trust him implicitly so it gets changed to fit the needs of the story. I work from his scripts with the greatest freedom because I trust Matt and the results prove that trust is well founded.
Will we see more tales of Dracula in the future?
Wagner: Definitely. Our current plan is to offer (at least) four volumes in our epic history of Dracula…again, all without ever retelling the events of the novel itself. We’ll be bringing these succeeding volumes to the public as Kickstarter campaigns, one per year…each centered around Halloween!
Upcoming projects?
Wagner: I’m also currently working on a lengthy storyline for my long-running creator-owned title from Dark Horse Comics—Grendel. The overall storyline is titled Devil’s Crucible and the first 4-issue section of that epic is subtitled Defiance and it’s in stores now. There will be a new 4-issue series every summer for the next three years that will complete the saga.
And I also recently drew a one-off story written by Marcus Parks from Last Podcast on the Left. It’s about the mysterious death of Nancy Spungen, notorious girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious. This should be published early next year in the fourth issue of Last Comic Book on the Left from Z2 Comics. Both of those projects are colored by my son, Brennan Wagner.
And…I’ve got a few other surprises in store that are still too early to talk about just yet.
Jones: Dracula is my world right now, and I’m so happy.
Dracula: Book II-The Brides is available to back on Kickstarter until November 1.
