Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon pay homage to Dracula in Dark Horse Comics Newest Series–Mortal Terror

Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon pay homage to Dracula in Dark Horse Comics Newest Series–Mortal Terror

Break out the windbreakers and don’t forget your silver folks because something is coming this fall, and it’s not your sweet old granny with those brilliant white macadamia white chocolate cookies it—’s Mortal Terror #1. So many tales have been spun surrounding the legend of Dracula since his literary debut, written by Bram Stoker in 1897, like the recent feature film interpretations of Reinfield and The Last Voyage of the Demeter.

I recently got to preview Mortal Terror #1 courtesy of Dark Horse, and let’s just say these movies have nothing on the deep cuts and cringy twists that writers Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon have tapestried in their brilliant homage to Dracula. This past week, I was fortunate enough on behalf of Geek Network to interview Chris and Tim in a Dark Horse Comics exclusive interview to discuss the new series hitting shelves on November 22, 2023. If you’d like to pre-order issue one, you can now, and I found a really cool site that’s got a nice little discount on the Mike Mignola variant cover.

Christopher and Tim, thanks so much for agreeing to this interview with Geek Network. We’re so happy to have you. Your new project, Mortal Terror, is focused on a conflict between vampiric aristocrats and mortals in the setting of London, which happens to be where Abraham Stoker, author of the 1897 Dracula, died in 1912. Was there any inspiration either from the original story or the late author you both decided to pay homage to in Mortal Terror?

CG: The whole project is really an homage to DRACULA. I’ve read the book many times and seen dozens of iterations of the character onscreen. Not just Dracula, but also the entire cast of fascinating characters in the story. MORTAL TERROR started with the simple idea—what if we reversed the story? What if the vampires in the story were human, and what if the humans were vampires? But that idea instantly felt boring to us.

It did, however, ignite the spark for us, and we started to imagine what that world would look like. In this alternate history, how would it work? If mortals are the myth and vampires are the ordinary everyday society, how did that come about? And what roles would our familiar characters play? Those conversations were some of the most exciting, rewarding creative conversations I’ve had in a long time.

TL: Bouncing off Chris’s answer above, even with a quite different take on the Dracula legend, there were a couple of aspects we wanted to focus on. First, we didn’t want the story to be boring, or to just ride along on the back of the concept (which I’m pretty sure is nothing we’ve ever seen before … an original take on the Dracula/vampire legend? I won’t go so far as to say that, but I think it’s pretty unique). And second, we wanted the logic of the world to be solid.

It’s all about world-building. So while we’re weaving the story, introducing the characters, and exploring parts of the world in these first few issues, there’s also a larger world and bigger questions we’ll be answering in future issues. For me, this has been such an exciting project because it’s actually my first comic! Working with Chris is always a joy, and doing so on my first comic has been a brilliant learning experience. 

Christopher or Tim, you’re both talented writers, both extremely well-versed in the genre, among other genres, but how did you two find each other as collaborators, and what lit the fire to tell this story specifically?

CG: I think Tim has a better recollection of this than I do. I know I’d read something of his—I know his novel THE NATURE OF BALANCE was the first of his full-length works I read. I asked him to write a short story for a HELLBOY prose anthology I was editing. What I do remember clearly was the night we met in person for the first time. We were in New York City at the Horror Writers Association annual gathering.

At some kind of publishing party—in the Cary Grant Suite, if I remember correctly—and we hit it off instantly. We’ve now written, I think, nine books together, and screenplays as well, but this is our first comics collaboration.

TL: It’s a story I never tire of telling. Yes, Chris asked me to write him a Hellboy story, and I said no. I didn’t know him, and actually, I didn’t know Hellboy. But Chris can be very persuasive, and I ended up consuming all the Hellboy comics (up to that point) and writing him a story.

Chris cajoling me into writing that short story was a real ‘sliding doors’ moment for me because it led to one of my life’s great friendships, and as Chris says above we’ve written a lot of stuff in collaboration –– novels, novellas, short stories, a screenplay (for Fox2000, based on our ‘Secret Journeys of Jack London’ novel series), and now MORTAL TERROR.

Our families have holidayed together, and despite that pesky ocean between us, we’re always chatting on Skype about our new individual projects, and always brainstorming new ones. It’s rare that we’re not working on something together.

How do you both feel that Mortal Terror sets itself apart from other vampiric tales or compared to tales written or produced featuring the iconic visage of Dracula himself?

CG: MORTAL TERROR is horror, but it’s also fantasy and mystery and alternate history. I don’t think I’ve seen a version where Dracula is human and Harker and company are vampires, but even if we had, we’re confident that we’ve got an original story. An original world.

There are familiar elements, story beats, and atmosphere woven into MORTAL TERROR that will make certain parts of the series richer and more resonant for readers, but you can also pick it up with no prior exposure to the story of Dracula and enjoy it on its own.

That was vital to us. First, you have to tell a great story, with intriguing characters, and I feel like we’re doing that. Of course, it’ll be up to readers to decide for themselves!

TL: I adore world-building so I’m having a great time with this story, and with the utterly brilliant Peter Bergting illustration, it’s so great seeing our ideas being brought to life. Like Chris said, we’re using the Dracula story and expanded legend as a very bare template, so that some characters and situations will be recognizable to those who know Dracula. But knowing the novel is definitely not a prerequisite!

We’re going our own way, not only with the rules of the world but with how the characters act and interact. So I think we get the best of both worlds. I think it’s a pretty original set-up, and I hope readers get immersed in what we’ve done and have a lot of fun. Because we are definitely having fun! 

This past year, Nicolas Cage and Nicholas Hoult starred in the feature film Reinfield, a satirical horror romance comedy that gave us a unique perspective on the vampire/familiar relationship. I noticed Mortal Terror displays a character named Mr. Reinfield among the pages of issue one. Are these two characters cut from the same cloth, or was there any significant inspiration for this character?

CG: Renfield is almost as famous a character as Dracula himself. In some authors’ vampire mythologies, the servants of the undead are just called “Renfields,” named after the original. Our Renfield has zero in common with the recent film version. While he does have more in common with Stoker’s original invention, our Renfield is an integral part of our story, with his own motivations, and his own character arc. He’s vital. He’s also a lunatic.

TL: Yes, our Renfield is our own version, almost completely. I love him as a character, and he’s been so much fun to write. I think he’ll have some surprises in store for readers. 

After reading issue one, it feels like mortals in the story, everyday blokes like you and me, have been reduced to barbarism through the eyes of the vampires in charge. Could you give us some context into the story that’s taking place between vampires and mortals? 

CG: This is a world where vampires are ordinary society and the existence of mortals is believed to be nothing more than legend or myth. In the real world, we think vampires are a myth, and in MORTAL TERROR it’s the opposite. Most vampires in the world of MORTAL TERROR have no idea that mortals are real. They’ve read scary stories and told their children the mortals will come and get them, just as in the real world parents used to say the bogeyman would get children who misbehave.

In the world of MORTAL TERROR, the legend says that the bite of a mortal will start your heart beating, turning you mortal, and that will be the beginning of your heart beating away the seconds of your life. Mortality is terrifying to these vampires, as it means death. But the king and his closest aides certainly know the truth, and now the mortals are beginning to organize and scheme, and even infiltrate London, and something must be done.

TL: It’s the organization of the mortals under one charismatic leader that’s really the starting point of our story. Previous to that, the scattered bands of mortals who still survive have been brutal, almost savages, unable to really trouble vampire society because they were so disorganized. So in many ways, the mortals haven’t really been much of a threat … until now.   

What’s been the most rewarding thing about working on Mortal Terror? 

CG: Aside from working with Tim, which is always a pleasure, it’s been seeing the extraordinary artwork of our partner, artist Peter Bergting. I’ve worked with Peter more than any other artist and all you need to do to understand why is to look at the art in MORTAL TERROR #1. He’s incredibly versatile and always a perfect professional. What a pleasure it’s been seeing each page as Peter illustrates it. And the coloring by Chris O’Halloran and lettering by Clem Robins are so damn good. We recruited them specifically for this series.

TL: I love collaboration, and it’s always a delight working with Chris. As I mentioned above, this is my first comic, and I feel totally spoilt having such an amazing team around me. It’s been a terrific learning process with Chris, Peter, Chris O’Halloran and Clem Robins. Seeing our words and visions brought to life by Peter … it’s a unique experience!

I’ve had movies made, and that’s fascinating and enlightening, but seeing page after page of Peter’s glorious artwork has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. He brings so much to the story, too, expanding on detail and giving our characters real character. Just wonderful. 

Do you both have any plans to expand Mortal Terror after these several issues in the first arc or is it too soon to tell? 

CG: Our intention is to tell our story in three arcs—a trilogy, of sorts, though it would be just as accurate to say they’re Act One, Act Two, and Act Three of a larger story.

TL: Absolutely. And honestly, the world we’re creating is wide open for further exploration. 

You both are very well-known writers with a long list of accomplishments that even bridge the gap into licensed properties, which I’m sure has adorned you both quite the fan base. What’s the number one thing you both get asked about when you do conventions or large symposium-style events by aspiring writers, and how do you answer that question? 

CG: Aspiring writers often ask questions about writing habits, self-discipline, that sort of thing. They also ask about agents and personal pathways, but both Tim and I started on our journeys so long ago that I never feel I can properly advise someone who is starting out now.

What I do say, all the time, is that writers should understand contracts, and learn what is and is not acceptable. What they can negotiate, and what they should absolutely not agree to. You have to understand what you are signing and what it could mean down the line. You’ll save a lot of heartache and resentment that way.

TL: Yep, know what you’re signing. I’m also often asked about my tie-in work and how that came about, and it’s almost exclusively that publishers approach you. So when I’m asked about how this happens, I’ll always say that you need to be effective at delivering a good product on time (and to a tight deadline, that’s essential too), and make it known that you’re open to tie-in work.

There’s also the usual ‘where do you get your ideas from’ that everyone gets asked, to which I say, ‘Everywhere’. A writer’s always working. Even asleep. I love sitting back with my feet on my desk staring out of the window … knowing that I’m working!  

I really do appreciate both of you taking the time to answer these questions for us. Congratulations on the success of Mortal Terror publishing through the iconic publisher, Dark Horse Comics. What was the horror film, book, or movie that got either of you hooked into becoming the prolific and talented writers you are today?

CG: It definitely wasn’t any one thing. I was voracious in consuming scary stories as a kid. Monster movies, horror comics, creepy TV. I know the Universal FRANKENSTEIN has a big impact on me. Reading SALEM’S LOT. Watching KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER on television, and THE TWILIGHT ZONE. And the Marvel Comics series TOMB OF DRACULA, of course.

TL: Thank you! For me, it was THE RATS by James Herbert, which my mum gave me to read when I was 9 or 10. That was an eye-opener! Before that, I was reading children’s books, such as The Hardy Boys and the Willard Price Adventure books. After I met The Rats … it was Herbert and King all the way, and a growing desire to start telling my own stories.

Three acts, unique perspectives, and redefining the world of Dracula altogether with the possibility of future just deserts? Kids, I smell an Eisner nominee. It’s so refreshing to hear collaborators speak of one another in such high esteem. It’s easy to see that Mortal Terror wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for that fateful night in New York City.

I hope you, lovely readers, enjoyed this exclusive interview. Don’t forget to support your local comic store or visit your favorite artists and creators at cons. As always, stay geeky, share the network, and don’t forget to catch me on the latest episode of Comics’N’Poptarts.