EXCLUSIVE: The ‘Carmilla’ Graphic Novel Sequel Reveals a Darker Side to Vampirism
Hot on the heels of their 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel, the Carmilla: The First Vampire creative team is returning for Carmilla Volume 2: The Last Vampire Hunter.
Carmilla’s second volume goes on sale Tuesday, July 9, and The Mary Sue has a sneak peek at the next installment of the acclaimed graphic novel adaptation of Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 vampire novel, Carmilla.
Written by Amy Chu, illustrated by Soo Lee, and lettered by Sal Cipriano, Carmilla: The First Vampire follows Athena, a lesbian social worker living in Chinatown, New York City in the ’90s whose young, homeless, queer and trans clients are being murdered. Athena traces clues to the neighborhood nightclub Carmilla’s, where she meets the woman herself—who may or may not be responsible for all those untimely deaths. This modern retelling of Le Fanu’s novel is textually queer and focuses significantly on Athena’s life experience as an Asian American lesbian.
In the sequel, The Last Vampire Hunter, Athena travels to Chinatown in San Francisco under a cloud of grief and self-torment after she loses everyone she loves back in New York. She hopes to unravel the mysteries of her family history, but the trip takes a dark turn when she meets a violent gang of Asian American vampires. The more Athena learns, the more she’s haunted by the ghost of Carmilla—and the more the vampires are haunted by her, too. Whose side is Athena on? She must decide before it’s too late.
“I’ve fallen in love with these characters as I bring them to life on paper, and Athena has a very special place in my heart,” said artist Lee in a statement. “Introducing a new cast of Asian vampires creates a twist to the genre that I hope will become a new trend for many years to come. This story has become a part of me and this sequel is one I hope resonates with many people, especially if family is an important part of you.”
“Excited to continue the story of Athena and Carmilla, this time on the West Coast, and to introduce a whole new world of pan-Asian supernatural characters to the readers,” said writer Chu. “I hope with The Last Vampire, Soo Lee and I help define Asian American horror as a genre.”
Check out an exclusive preview from Carmilla Volume 2: The Last Vampire Hunter below.
The original Carmilla novel by Sheridan Le Fanu predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by a quarter-century and gave birth to an entire horror subgenre. For the last century-plus, readers have interpreted the relationship between the enigmatic and enticing vampire Carmilla and the human protagonist, Laura, as deeply sapphic, and recent adaptations of the story have leaned into its queer themes and honed them to sharp points.
Chu, Lee, and Cipriano’s graphic novel adaptation of Carmilla is no exception and its expansion upon the original story indicates the creative team’s prowess for horror. There have been many adaptations of this story, but none have struck a chord quite as well as this one.
Carmilla Volume 2: The Last Vampire Hunter will be available everywhere books are sold on Tuesday, July 9 from Dark Horse.
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