Via the Vertigo blog, news of a new vampire series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, written by well-regarded horror writer Scott Snyder with art by rising star Rafael Albuquerque, and stories written by one Stephen King.
The new ongoing series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, will introduce readers to a new breed of vampire—a more muscular and vicious species of vampire with distinctly American characteristics. The series’ first story arc, to be told over the course of five issues, will feature two different stories, one written by Snyder, the other by King.
Snyder’s storyline is one of decadence and deception and Jazz Age glamour. Pearl is an ambitious modern woman with starlet dreams. She frequents Hollywood’s speakeasies and dance-halls searching for her first big break, only to find something far more sinister waiting for her.
King’s story provides the origin of the very first American vampire: Skinner Sweet, a bank robbing, murdering cowboy of the 1880s. Skinner is stronger and faster than previous vampires; he has rattlesnake fangs and is powered by…. the sun?
Following the conclusion of the first story arc, Snyder and Albuquerque will trace Skinner’s bloodline through various decades of American history.
The Daily Beast has some more art, some of the origin story of the project:
When American Vampire was in the early stages of being greenlit, the editors at Vertigo asked Snyder if he knew anyone that would be willing to give a blurb to the project. Snyder had maintained a friendship with Stephen King after King had written a blurb for Voodoo Heart, so he sent King what he had so far of the series.
“He came back saying he loved it and he’d actually be willing to do a few issues at some point if we wanted him to,” Snyder says. “I went back to Vertigo and pretty much made sure that they were gonna take it regardless. It was really important to me that they weren’t going to take it because Steve was involved, because I’m the one who has to carry the series beyond Steve.”
Hmmmm. Might this cause some friction between King and Marvel? I suppose when you’re as big as King, you can write for just about any comic book company you want.
Great snippet in the NYTimes about this too. What the industry needs more of. I think USAToday might’ve also had it in there too.
I hear this Stephen King fellow might be pretty good.
Bravo, Vertigo!
That’s certainly good news as far as attracting big names to comics is concerned, but the reference to Skinner Sweet being powered by the sun is a turn-off.
I loved Salem’s Lot when it came out, read a bunch of King’s other novels, horror anthologies, etc., until, after several years and dozens of books, I eventually burned out on horror. People have tried to make vampire stories more interesting by varying their powers and vulnerabilities, but there’s no way to make them real, so their origin has to be supernatural. What reasonable alternative is there to Satan?
SRS
Hmmmm. Might this cause some friction between King and Marvel? I suppose when you’re as big as King, you can write for just about any comic book company you want.
I think you answered your own question there.
What an understated piece of news.
Imagine if King was gonna write one issue for MArvel: you’d have been clobbered to death with teasers, advance interviews with editors, colorists,… by now
This is pretty exciting. Imagine the sales potential of an ALL NEW Story by King, available ONLY in a comic.
The stuff Marvel publishes from King… King owns the trademarks and copyright. Just as other companies have reprinted stories originally published by Marvel (Transformers, GI Joe, Star Wars, Star Trek), so too could King take his football (and stadium) and go to another publisher.
(Did Marvel get any royalties from the “N” motion comic which was included in “Just After Sunset”?)