The series will follow the teenage years of not just Vlad Dracul — the man who would inspire the incarnation of Dracula — but also of his brother, Radu. Captured by the Ottoman Empire, the princes receive the royal treatment of imprisonment: art and history lectures, riding and archery lessons, and, of course, tutoring on how to kill vampires. Vlad’s namesake has been attached to vampirism for over a hundred years, but this series looks to position Dracula as the slayer of vampires rather than the bloodsucking lord himself as other stories have done.
The post-imprisonment journey of Vlad and Radu will be a “tale of brothers and blood,” according to AfterShock. Bunn told Heat Vision that this is the “story of the events that turned Vlad Dracul into Vlad Tepes” and will chronicle the “terrifying adventures of the Brothers Dracul” that will shape their future.
Furthering the horror aspect of the series, the vampires will be monstrous, bloodthirsty ghouls rather than the more human-like figures suavely dressed in ruffles and dark capes seen in other old world vampire tales. The medieval southeastern European landscape will be the backdrop for the brothers’ struggle against the vampires. Colak is from Serbia and was raised close to the location where their story takes place, and he grew up hearing the Dracula legend, so creating this particular environment feels close to home for him.
“Brothers Dracul” #1 launches April 11, 2018. We’ve attached the press release with a variant cover and unlettered artwork below:
THE BROTHERS DRACUL #1 / $3.99 / 32 pages / Color / on sale 4.11.18
writer: Cullen Bunn
artist: Mirko Colak
color: Maria Santaolalla
letterer: Simon Bowland
cover A: Mirko Colak w/ Maria Santaolalla
cover B: Francesco FrancavillaNEW SERIES!
The legend of Vlad the Impaler is the stuff of nightmares. The inspiration for the most iconic of monsters—Dracula—Vlad tortured and murdered thousands of victims. But what turned him into such a depraved killer? The truth lies in his teenage years, when Vlad and his brother Radu were held hostage by the Ottoman Empire. During this time, the brothers learned many things—archery, riding, the art of combat, matters of court…and how to stalk and slay vampires.
From writer Cullen Bunn (DARK ARK, UNHOLY GRAIL, “X-Men Blue,” “Deadpool,” “Venom”) and artist Mirko Colak (UNHOLY GRAIL, “The Punisher”) comes a tale of brothers and blood that HAD to be told at AfterShock Comics.
On what the book is about, and working with the same creative team as AfterShock’s UNHOLY GRAIL.
CULLEN BUNN –
“I’m thrilled to be working on BROTHERS DRACUL, a 15th century horror tale that explores the “true” history of the infamous Vlad the Impaler. With this book, we’ve brought the entire creative team of UNHOLY GRAIL along. I’m working with artist Mirko Colak, colorist Maria Santaolalla, and letterer Simon Bowland once again. We had so much fun telling a horror story with King Arthur as its central figure, we had to get the gang back together for this story, featuring one of the most shocking icons of horrific history!”
AfterShock Comics have also released the rest of their April 2018 solicitations.
