Some finales whisper. Others roar. DRACULA: BOOK IV — THE UNDEAD does both! A gothic crescendo that brings Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones’ epic Kickstarter-fueled saga to its final, blood-dark chapter. After The Impaler, The Brides, and The Count, this fourth volume closes the coffin on one of the most ambitious, atmospheric reinterpretations of Bram Stoker’s legend in modern comics. Wagner’s narrative precision and Jones’ unmistakably macabre visual language fuse into a finale that feels operatic, intimate, and utterly unrestrained.
As The Undead prepared to rise on Kickstarter, we visited once again with Wagner and Jones to explore the creative alchemy behind this final chapter, the evolution of their collaboration, and why this series stands as one of the most striking creator-driven horror epics of the last decade. So, let’s welcome back Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones to GVN Talking Comics.
Moving Past the Novel
GVN: Thanks once again for dropping in, guys. So, let’s jump into this 4th and final chapter of Dracula. The first three books have explored a wide range of the character’s mythos. After The Impaler, The Brides, and The Count, how does The Undead expand or transform the mythology you’ve been building across the series?
MATT: Well, we’ve expanded upon author Bram Stoker’s original canon for Dracula with all three of our previous volumes…but this is the first one that extends its narrative past the events of the novel. Throughout the book itself, Professor Van Helsing explains at some length about the proper way to destroy a vampire and, in fact, we see the entire process enacted on poor Lucy Westenra. But, in the novel’s exciting chase conclusion, our heroes finally have Dracula at their mercy…immobile in his coffin with the sun just setting so he doesn’t have the full range of his vampiric powers. And then…they don’t really “kill” him in the manner that Van Helsing has prescribed. This procedural discrepancy gave us the perfect opportunity to continue Dracula’s sinister tale. In our version, he survives although he is grievously wounded…and he’s pissed! So, what actions would the infamous vampire lord take in the wake of such a loss? What vengeance would he seek upon those who had bested him? That’s the impetus and the core of our story in BOOK IV–THE UNDEAD.
KELLEY: This is the most evil and malicious of the books, and in a wonderful horrible way the most human as well.
Collaboration in Sync
GVN: After the three previous books together exploring the iconic character, has your collaborative rhythm evolved for The Undead, or has your work process been set in stone as you readied readers for this conclusion?
MATT: Our collaboration on this project has been an absolute creative dream team! From the very get-go, we have been in such incredible sync on literally every front. When I first phoned up Kelley, with whom I’d been wanting to work together for decades, to describe my ideas for this ambitious project, I knew right away that it was all going to work out like this. His response to my brief oral outlines of all four books was immediately enthusiastic… “I’m in,” he declared as soon as I’d finished. And from that point forward, it’s felt like we’d been working together for years.
Everything I’ve written throughout the entire project was geared towards Kelley’s artistic wheelhouse and strengths; there were so many scenes where I thought to myself, “Ohhh, man…Kel is gonna absolutely slay this shit!” And then, almost impossible to imagine, his pencils would come in and they were always even better than I’d dreamed. Kelley claims he’s never felt as proud or as comfortable with his own work as he has on DRACULA…and I think it shows. Over the several years we’ve worked on this project, our collaborative harmony might’ve improved a bit here and there…but the core “HELL, YES!” of it all was already there from the first words and images.
KELLEY: When you hear the best ideas for a book on a character you love and then read the finest script I’d ever had the pleasure to illustrate, the years working on this have literally flown by. The power of Matt’s creative genius is intoxicating. I’m really proud of these graphic (and boy are they!) novels.
“Less Imperial, More Malicious”
GVN: Kelley, what visual priorities or stylistic shifts guided your approach to Book IV, or did you stick to the tried-and-true artistic vision you laid out in books I-III? Also, if pressed, what imagery or sequences in The Undead stand out as signature moments for this book?
KELLEY: I decided to draw him less imperial and far more malicious. Dracula’s motives in the Undead are personal and more to his Vlad Tepes origins than his King of Vampires title. It’s a seriously relentless book Matt wrote as the finale.
“Enhance and Expand Dracula’s Story”
GVN: Matt, as you approached this final chapter, how did you architect the narrative to feel like both a continuation and a culmination?
MATT: Part of my goal throughout this entire project has been not to reinvent the character of Dracula but, rather, to enhance and expand his story. Thus, everything we’ve imagined and portrayed had to feel true to the canon of the original narrative. This was especially true of BOOK I–THE IMPALER, wherein he doesn’t become a vampire until near the end of that chapter…it was vitally important that readers recognize everything they know and embrace about Dracula throughout that volume. The same is also true for this final chapter. We’re not saying, “Hey, cool…Dracula wasn’t destroyed so now we can do whatever we want!” These events had to feel exactly like how the Dracula we know, love and fear would’ve reacted. Ideally, this should read like the “sequel” that Stoker himself would’ve written. And I feel confident that we’ve achieved that…the creature at the center of this story is Dracula in all his malevolent and gory glory.
Bringing the “Absolute Monster” to life
GVN: With the four books, what thematic ideas do you feel anchor this series — i.e. resurrection, consequence, legacy, corruption, certainly not redemption?
MATT: HA! Well, there’s definitely no redemption here. Part of our goal, again, was to stay true to the character’s portrayal in Stoker’s original novel, wherein he’s portrayed as an absolute monster. There is nothing romantic about the OG Dracula. He has no romantic attachment to either Lucy or Mina and he’s a completely unrepentant predator.
The one thing we hoped to bring forth in this series was the monster’s point of view. Stoker’s novel is written in epistolary style, which means there is no omniscient narrator; the story is relayed through an intricate series of letters, journal entries, newspaper articles and such. We felt like the one voice missing from these very personal accounts…was Dracula himself! So, by providing Dracula’s own narrative of his horrifying actions, we get to the human behind the monster as well. He’s a diabolic fiend…but his internal thoughts are all recognizably human.
What Readers Will Take Away
GVN: What do you hope readers feel when they reach the final pages of The Undead, and would you hope this series might inspire readers who have not read the original to explore Stoker’s iconic tale?
MATT: As I said earlier, Kelley and I had wanted to work together for many years…but we wanted our collaboration to be something significant, both from the standpoint of creative satisfaction but also in the crafting of a tale that has heft and scope and all a lasting resonance. We feel we’ve achieved that…we know we have. And the response from our readers really supports that feeling in both of us. Kel and I both feel like our first responsibility as storytellers is to engage and delight ourselves…if it’s not something that thrills the hell out of us, it won’t translate that feeling to our readers.
I feel pretty certain that the final pages of THE UNDEAD will not only leave our audience with the satisfaction of an epic tale told with both gusto and reverence…but also leave them wanting more! And yeah…I certainly hope that our take on Dracula might inspire those who’ve never read the original novel to check it out. There are several good audio versions, if that’s your reading preference. In some ways, that sort of response would be our best reviews of all!
KELLEY: Every single day I drew this has been joy. Never did it feel like work. Under the complete freedom of a creator-owned project and collaborating with a friend and genius in Matt I was swept up by the excitement of what would happen on the board that day and I knew that would translate to the finished books. I know readers will have seen and read things they never saw before and experience horrors that are hard to tell people they’ve witnessed. That’s how I felt when I drew this. That’s the legacy I want.
Building on Stoker’s Legacy
GVN: Thanks to you both for your time. Looking back at all four volumes of Bram Stoker’s saga, what do you hope this series adds to the rich tradition of Dracula storytelling?
MATT: We both certainly hope that this is considered one of the best and most faithful adaptations and continuations of Stoker’s legacy.
KELLEY: I hope that those who worship the King of Vampires found something new in his unholy coffin.
This book serves as a powerful reminder of why the Dracula series by Wagner and Jones has become one of the most distinctive modern reinterpretations of Stoker’s legend. Wagner’s storytelling gives the Count an intense gravity, a sense of consequence and legacy that lingers long after the final page. Jones, meanwhile, delivers imagery that feels carved from nightmare — expressive, theatrical, and unmistakably his. Together, they craft a finale that doesn’t just satisfy; it elevates the entire four-book cycle into something timeless.
As The Undead rises on Kickstarter, it stands as a testament to what creator-driven horror can achieve. Especially when vision, craft, and ambition align. This is Dracula at his most powerful, most haunted, and most unforgettable! A final chapter worthy of the monster who has ruled gothic fiction for more than a century.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
