On sale date: August 24, 2021
In this wordless, full-color collection of satiric short comics stories, an internationally acclaimed cartoonist chronicles the waning days of the most famous vampire of them all.
Alberto Breccia's Dracula is composed of a series of brutally funny satirical misadventures starring the hapless eponymous antihero. Literally defanged (a humiliating trip to the dentist doesn't help), the protagonist's glory days are long behind him and other, more sinister villains (a corrupt government, overtly backed by American imperialism) are sickening and draining the life out of the villagers far more than one creature of the night ever could. This is the first painted, full-color entry in Fantagraphics' artist-focused Alberto Breccia Library, and the atmospheric palette adds mood and dimension. It also includes a sketchbook showing the artist's process.
Dracula has no co-author, and so Breccia's carnivalesque vision is as pure Breccia as it gets. Created during the last of a succession of Argentine military dictatorships (1982–1983), this series of short comics stories ran in Spain's Comix Internacional periodical in 1984. The moral purpose of Breccia's expressionistic art style is made explicit; he shows that every ounce of his grotesque, bloated characters' flesh and blood has been cruelly extracted from the less fortunate.
Alberto Breccia's Dracula is part of the The Alberto Breccia Library series.
Praise
"Breccia brings a stunning, nightmarish, and politically charged vision to Dracula's final days. ... [The artist's] gothic visions skewer the power of myth and make a salient statement about a society that would support fascist rule" — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The psychedelic form, as well as the blatant splashes of color, make this graphic novel a feast for the eyes, while some of its themes will be recognizable to anyone familiar with Latin America's socio-political atmosphere." — New York Journal of Books
"Enjoyable on multiple levels. It's a singular vision from Breccia as both writer and artist. It's a collection of funny horror stories. It's a beautiful demonstration of an artist's growth of style over the years. And it's an encapsulation of unique sociopolitical commentary during a particularly dark time in Argentina's history." — Comics Beat
"When it comes to Breccia, every page is a treasure. ... Almost forty years after its original publication, it remains as powerful as it ever was." — Solrad
"Breccia's expressionistic style borders on gonzo art, feeling very much like a fever dream mashup of Terry Gilliam and Ralph Steadman." — Grimoire of Horror
Specs
- Pages
- 88
- Format
- Hardback
- Color
- Full-color.
- Dimensions
- 8.6" × 12.1"
- ISBN-13
- 9781683964391