2026/10/02 16:00:08 +00:00 | Derek Anderson
Throughout the perilous pages of Orlok Press’ Dracula—Book I: The Impaler, Dracula—Book II: The Brides, and Dracula: Book III—The Count(flying onto shelves October 20th from Dark Horse), Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones have fleshed out Bram Stoker’s classic novel like never before, daring to shine a light on the uncharted corners of Stoker’s literary world to see what horrors may have been lurking in the shadows just off the page.
Matt and Kelley invite readers to join them on the final chapter of this heart-hammering journey in Dracula: Book IV—The Undead, and with the fourth and final graphic novel in this hair-raising series now available on Kickstarter, we caught up with Matt and Kelley in a new Q&A feature to discuss their “most evil” volume yet.
You can check out our full Q&A and chilling cover art below, and to learn more about Dracula: Book IV—The Undead, be sure to visit:
Matt and Kelley, thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, and congratulations on Dracula: Book IV—The Undead, the fourth and final chapter in your graphic novel series based on Bram Stoker’s classic novel. While the first three graphic novels further fleshed out the story of the iconic bloodsucker, this fourth installment in your series goes beyond the events of Stoker’s book and imagines what happened after Dracula was seemingly defeated by the determined group led by Professor Van Helsing. When you first began working on this graphic novel series, did you always intend to continue following these beloved characters in the aftermath of Stoker’s novel?
Matt Wagner: Yes… this final part of our epic saga was planned from the beginning. And that stems from the fact that many fans find the ending of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel a bit unconvincing in its finality. Throughout the course of the novel, Professor Van Helsing describes in some detail exactly how to destroy a vampire. And then, in the exciting chase-driven finale, as Dracula is fleeing to the safety and rejuvenating soil of his castle… the British heroes really don’t attack him with these prescribed methods. There’s no wooden stake through the heart, his head is not severed from his body… and all of these seemingly ineffectual actions take place just as the sun is setting and he regains the full scope of his vampiric powers. So I’ve alwaystaken the viewpoint that Dracula, in fact, survives the novel’s conclusion. Which, of course, provided me and Kelley with a whole new dark and bloody tapestry to continue his captivating story.
Kelley Jones: It was Matt saying I have an ending and it’s not the finish of the novel, and I swooned when he revealed it. I thought, “What can we do?” Matt simply said, “Everything.” And was he right… whoa. True evil.
Was it especially exciting or daunting (or both) to take readers beyond the last page of Stoker’s classic novel and imagine what happened the morning after the chilling climax of the book?
Matt Wagner:Well, we’ve already greatly expanded on the mythos of the vampire lord while still staying rigorously true to Stoker’s canon… so this portion didn’t seem especially intimidating. But, holy shit… the excitement level was through the roof! This volume lets us provide a whole new ending to Dracula’s history, so to speak. And Kelley and I both agree that this volume is the most evil one of all. We really cut loose and let Dracula live up to his full horrifying potential here.
Kelley Jones:Matt’s story concentrating on the character of Vlad Tepes himself, who emerged through the supernatural vampiric curse, was fascinating to me. The vile things he does has nothing to do with his bloodlust…here is that Wallachian warlord that made his reputation 500 years ago.
Nobody who survived the harrowing events of Bram Stoker’s novel would ever be the same again, and in the case of Book IV—The Undead, that includes Dracula himself. Was it interesting to explore (through the writing and the artwork) how these iconic characters are affected psychologically after everything they went through?
Matt Wagner:That was another motivating inspiration in how I approached this part of our tale. In the novel, Stoker’s heroes will certainly never forget the events which have transpired, but they basically settle into a happily-ever-after sort of ending. To my mind, they must have certainly suffered some far more distinctive form of what we now term PTSD. Exploring how this utter break with their established realities would’ve affected the survivors was a deep well for story in every sense. And as to how it affected Dracula… to have been defeated by mere humans, whom he looks at as “peasants,” for the first time in over four hundred years, well, let’s just say his history as a brutal warlord comes to the forefront again.
Kelley Jones:How could actually confronting this ancient evil not affect someone? His acts are as corrupting as an infectious virus and as dangerous as his drinking of a victim’s blood with the aftereffects. That angle is a lot for me to dive into. An enraged but calculating Dracula is terrifying.
This graphic novel is truly uncharted—and blood-soaked—territory even for the most diehard Dracula fans. What undead horrors can readers expect to find lurking within the pages of Dracula: Book IV—The Undead?
Matt Wagner:We’re certainly not going to reveal any spoilers here… but, again, we consider this volume to be the darkest and most evil one or our entire series. With a few surprises along the way.
Kelley Jones:The sense of dread and the spectacular violence never stops in this book. I’ve never read, much less drawn, anything like this. Matt didn’t repeat himself storywise; he climbed higher, so I had to do the same. A wonderful challenge to any artist is to go to new places… it’s just these places are washed in red.
You once again have José Villarrubia and Rob Leigh on board for colors and lettering, respectively. How important was it to finish this journey with José and Rob and maintain that continuity with the creative team across all four books?
Matt Wagner:This project assembled a Dream Team on all fronts and Kel and I are both incredibly thrilled and honored to have had both José and Rob as part of that team. José brings an old-school comic elegance to every panel and Rob provides not only evocative style but also perfect placement for all the captions and balloons. These guys are both total pros and we are so lucky to have them on board for the entire saga.
Kelley Jones:José and Rob are every bit responsible for the great results of the finished books. I for one cannot imagine this project without them. They are the best at what they do and I’m so honored to work with them.
Like the first three highly successful graphic novels in this series, Dracula: Book IV—The Undead will have its own Kickstarter campaign. What types of ghoulish goodies can supporters look forward to this time around?
Matt Wagner:As with all of our campaigns, we’re offering three <a href="https://comicvibe.com/a-different-world-gets-another-season-from-netflix/” title=”A Different World gets another season from Netflix”>different editions of Book IV—The Undead; one featuring Kelley’s main cover art, one featuring my variant cover art and also a signed & numbered edition… limited to 666 copies, of course. We’re also incredibly thrilled to offer an extra special add-on for this campaign. From the beginning, part of our goal has been to pay homage to the golden age of horror comics that both of us enjoyed in the 70s. So, for this campaign, we’re offering…a Black Light poster! Super psychedelically colored by José, this poster is just incredibly cool on every level. We also have t-shirts and some other merch as well as limited quantities of both the previous volumes as well as the various we’ve offered in those campaigns. Again, quantities of these items are limited…so get ‘em while they last!
Kelley Jones:I want the black light poster. I can’t wait to hang it up!
Do you each have a favorite moment in particular that you had a lot of fun creating for this climactic fourth graphic novel in this series?
Matt Wagner:It’s hard to pick a favorite moment from any of these volumes…mainly because I’m working with such a visual genius; Kelley is such a goddamn Master of the Macabre! This book is full of “Holy shit!” moments so it’s definitely a horrific thrill-fest from beginning to end.
Kelley Jones:Favorite moments change for me a lot, but I loved the Brides and their stories, I loved Dracula in the Scholomance, Dracula in London and what he did there… and of course so much I can’t tell you about yet!
Ultimately, what do you hope readers take away from Dracula: Book IV—The Undeadand this series as a whole?
Matt Wagner:We really wanted this to be an authentic version of Dracula. We wanted to provide an all-new look into his character and history while still staying faithful on every level to the original text. And I feel like we did that. The response has been great, including from die-hard Dracula fans and scholars so the gratification level is enormous. We both feel like this is an apex project for both of our careers… and, Jesus, that’s saying something!
Kelley Jones:This is Dracula. And I’d like to think wherever Vlad Tepes is, he would like this.
With the Halloween season upon us, do each of you have any favorite horror movies, TV series, books, comics, or video game recommendations (vampiric or otherwise) for our readers to enjoy this time of year?
Matt Wagner:On the vampiric front, I can’t rave enough about Mike Flanagan’s amazing Netflix series, Midnight Mass. All truly great horror narratives always have a thematic focus that goes beyond the scares and this eight-episode series explores some of Flanagan’s familiar themes of faith and addiction. It’s bold and engrossing and makes incredible use of the “isolated environment” motif so crucial to a lot of horror narratives. On a more contemporary note, I was on a flight recently and watched Curry Barker’s incredible film Obsession. It’s a small film that also engages themes of isolation and the age-old Monkey’s Paw trope of being cursed by what you wish for.
Kelley Jones:The ’79 Salem’s Lot and Night Gallery from TV, Bava’s Black Sunday and Night of the Demon by Tournier for films. I’m reading DC horror comics from the ’70s now (so good).
With your Dracula series coming to a blood-splattered close in Book IV—The Undead, what other projects do you each have coming up (from Orlok Press or otherwise) that you can tease for our readers?
Matt Wagner:I’m writing and drawing an on-going new GRENDEL epic from Dark Horse Comics. It’s a lengthy tale—four series of four issues each—with the collective title of Devil’s Crucible. The second arc of that overall storyline is title Devil’s Crucible-Sedition and it’s on stands now, with the third part coming in 2027 and concluding with the fourth part in 2028. And I’m currently working on the outline for what I hope will be Kelley and my next project for Orlok Press. I can’t really say too much at this point because Kelley hasn’t even seen it yet. But it’ll definitely continue the Orlok Press vibe of intense gothic horror. I think he’s gonna dig it!
Kelley Jones:More Matt Wagner for me.
From the Press Release: Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 novel of gothic horror created the most famous literary character of all time: the terrifying vampire lord, DRACULA. Now acclaimed comic-book creators Matt Wagner (Grendel, Mage) and Kelley Jones (Batman: Red Rain, The Sandman) are reuniting for the fourth and final chapter in their epic series of original graphic novels about the shadowy history of the world’s most famous literary character with DRACULA: BOOK IV—THE UNDEAD. The project is now live on Kickstarter.
Bram Stoker’s classic 1897 book is one of the most revered icons of the horror genre, and throughout the first three volumes of their smash hit series, Wagner and Jones have stayed true to Stoker’s original canon while also providing an all-new and terrifying look at Dracula’s history and his nefarious actions that take place just off-stage in the novel’s chain of events. But, curiously…the novel’s climax has always left many fans with an unsettled feeling—as if perhaps the infamous vampire lord wasn’t actually destroyed by his enemies…
“In the novel, Professor Van Helsing outlines very clearly how to destroy a vampire,” said author Matt Wagner. “And yet, in the exciting climax of the story, the British heroes don’t really use those prescribed methods to attack their foe. That discrepancy, combined with the fact that the sun is just about to set and thus restore Dracula to the full extent of his vampiric powers has provided us with the perfect opportunity to explore beyond the events of the original novel.”
“As incredibly creepy as the stories were in our first three books, this volume is probably the most evil one of all!” said artist Kelley Jones. “Matt has come up with an amazing continuation of Dracula’s story that doesn’t just repeat the tropes of Stoker’s novel. Collectively, I feel this series is something of a crowning achievement to my career. I’ve never felt more proud of a final product as when each volume of our DRACULA series arrives in my hands from the printer.”
The first three volumes of Wagner and Jones’s DRACULA saga were smash hits—Book 1 broke the Top 20 in Kickstarter’s all-time most successful graphic novel campaigns—and this ultimate chapter promises to be even bigger, with 122 pages of spine-chilling story and art. Wagner and Jones are once again joined for this macabre foray into the shadows of Dracula’s sinister schemes by the stellar talents of José Villarrubia on colors and lettering by Rob Leigh. The Kickstarter campaign will be the only source for these beautiful, European-album sized hardcover editions of this book as well as many exceptional rewards tiers.
“As always, I’m continually blown away by Kelley’s incredible art for these tales” added Wagner. “I’m distinctly writing this saga with his graphic prowess always in mind…and yet he somehow always seems to draw each scene and moment even better than I had imagined. If Dracula did, indeed, survive the events of the original novel, what would be his response to the human enemies who so very nearly managed to end his centuries of evil dominion? Can anyone resist the vampire lord’s unholy vengeance? If their victory over his evil was only imaginary, then Dracula is truly…THE UNDEAD!”
For updates, follow Matt Wagner on Facebook and X and Kelley Jones on Instagram and X.
