Carmilla: The First Vampire

By Amy Chu & Soo Lee. Published by Dark Horse

Softcover, 112 pages, Colour, 2023. 

Before Dracula, before Nosferatu, there was…CARMILLA.

Inspired by the gothic novel that started the vampire genre and layered with dark Chinese folklore, this queer, feminist murder mystery graphic novel is a tale of identity, obsession and fateful family secrets.

At the height of the Lunar New Year in 1990s New York City, an idealistic social worker turns detective when she discovers young, homeless LGBTQ+ women are being murdered and no one, especially the police, seems to care.

A series of clues points her to Carmilla’s, a mysterious nightclub in the heart of her neighborhood, Chinatown. There she falls for the next likely target, landing her at the center of a real-life horror story—and face-to-face with illusions about herself, her life, and her hidden past.

“A sophisticated and modern reimagination of one of the great classics of the horror genre, Chu and Lee have crafted a Vampire story you do not want to miss.”—James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing The Children, The Department of Truth)

“Part of the challenge when writing about the Asian-American experience is attempting to define something that feels so amorphous. Chu and Lee ingeniously meld one of Western horror’s oldest icons with the touchstones of the East.”—Pornsak Pichetshote (The Good Asian, Infidel)

“Amy Chu and Soo Lee have cut a perfect gem of a story from the collective unconscious, with an archetypal monster that’s at once both deeply mysterious and itchingly familiar—like anything that truly haunts us.” —Lilah Sturges (House of Mystery, The Science of Ghosts)

“A refreshing take on vampire lore. Athena is the kind of heroine everyone craves; empathetic and grounded, but also flawed. [Carmilla is] subtle in its storytelling, yet evocative in its world-building.”—Ethan Young (Nanjing: The Burning City, Life Between Panels)

“Carmilla is an itch in the back of your head, the horror of knowing something’s right behind you, whether it be a creature, a nightmare, or a terrible love. Amy Chu and Soo Lee weave a beautiful tale full of mystery in an unsettling New York. I highly recommend it.”—Chip Zdarsky (Batman, Sex Criminals)

“Amy and Soo are the perfect new blood to revive this gothic classic. Dripping with style, this seductive story is sure to leave a mark.”—Casey Gilly (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer, Ravenloft: Orphan of Agony Isle)