Comics
[Comic Preview] “Vampire Hunter D: Message From Mars” #1 From Stranger Comics
Earlier this year, Unified Pictures announced that they would be crowdfunding a comic adaption of an incredibly rare Vampire Hunter D short story titled “Message From Cecile”. Dubbed “Vampire Hunter D: Message From Mars“, the story features writing by Brandon Easton (Bad Moon Rising) and artwork from Michael Broussard (The Darkness, Captain Midnight, The Walking Dead, Castlevania).
The Kickstarter was a resounding success, raising nearly $110,000 to adapt this short story, which, “…was only published for a fan event in Japan and will make it’s English debut in this comic book series published by Stranger Comics.” A week ago, samples of the comic were released and they looked absolutely gorgeous.
I’ve managed to get my hands on a preview copy, which reveals the first five pages of the forthcoming comic, which is supposed to come out on November 16th. Already having seen the cover and one fully illustrated page, I hopped into the the rest of the material, eager to venture back into the world of D, a character I’ve been familiar with since I saw Vampire Hunter D on the Sci Fi Channel back in the early 90’s.
From what I could gather from the few pages I was sent, the story follows D as he travels to Mars for an undisclosed reason. He has received a letter from someone by the name of Cecile, “…a sound technician in the Mars capitol city of Wells.” Upon landing on Mars, he is met by another vampire, who recognizes D and knows of his history of vampire slaying. A battle ensues and D obviously wins (c’mon, it’s the first issue, so this shouldn’t be seen as a spoiler of any kind). After that, D continues forward, saying that he doesn’t, “…want to keep the client waiting.”
Honestly, there’s not too much to go by story-wise because the focus of these few pages is to give the reader the chance to read Cecile’s letter to D as well as witness the battle. The cliff-hanger in this preview is that Cecile states she is able to see the future and that D is going to kill her.
The first thing that struck me was the absolutely gorgeous artwork and coloring done both for the cover and the pages themselves. Everything looks vibrant and bright, even D, in all his dark clothing, cuts through the pages like a shadow.
The lettering is crisp but not bland, the font easy to read while being pleasant. Additionally, D’s parasitic left hand has a different font, making him stand out and, from what I’m guessing, making it easy to differentiate between the two when they converse.
Not too much is revealed here, which is perfect. I got a great taste of what’s to come and it left me wanting more. Any chance to have more D in my life is something I’ll happily accept!
Bonus: Unified Pictures’ Scott McLean also sent us photos of a test proof of the Badali Jewelry D pendant, which was a limited offering on one of the Kickstarter tiers. Only 100 were made, so these are very precious and it looks quite beautiful! Check it out below!
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
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