Meet Carmilla: The First Vampire the Story of the First Vampire Like Never Before

Dark Horse Comics and Berger Books have announced a new graphic novel titled Carmilla: The First Vampire. Inspired by the genre-launching gothic novella

While the most well-known vampire may be Dracula, Carmilla predated the horror icon and her story is being retold. Dark Horse Comics has announced Carmilla: The First Vampire, which modernizes the original novella that came out before Bram Stoker’s classic novel. This LGBTQ+ retelling will provide a modernized version of the titular character.

Carmilla was written by Sheridan Le Fanu and published in 1872. Twenty-six years later, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published. The story has long been interpreted as having LGBTQIA tones, though the novella was left ambiguous. This ambiguity will no longer be the case with the latest retelling of the classic story from Berger Books, an imprint of Dark Horse Comics.

Set in 1996, the Year of the Rat and the peak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, an idealistic Chinese American social worker turns detective when she discovers young, homeless LGBTQ+ women are being murdered and no one, especially the police, seems to care.

A series of clues points her to Carmilla’s, a new mysterious nightclub in the heart of Manhattan Chinatown. There she falls for Violet, the next likely target, landing her at the center of a real-life horror story – and face-to-face with questions about her own identity and murky past.

 

Amy Chu says, “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!”

Soo Lee, artist of Vampirella Fairy Tales, adds, “Goth, horror, and vampires make up the classic backdrop to 90’s New York. Using the colorful ambiance of the city and cultural references, Amy and I bring back to life an old NYC that I know and love in this retelling of Carmilla.”

Carmilla: The First Vampire releases on January 11, 2023.