25 years before Dracula, there was Carmilla, by Sheridan Le Fanu (1872).

This is a wicked retelling of the East Asian Queer Female Vampire (or gern see, as some of us Canto speakers may know). "A Vampire emerges from specific deaths by suicide. Vampires multiple when a Vampire visits a living person and turns them. Vampires are neither living or dead".

The comic begins in New York, 1996; Athena is a social worker at Haven House, a support centre for the most vulnerable in the city. Athena learns of the death of Lily, a young person she supported... she decides to retrace some of Lily's known haunts... the Carmilla club in Chinatown. At Carmilla, Athena meets Morgan, a mysterious woman who needs her help. Through this, Athena also learns a out her own destiny...

This is a dark, gothic retelling of a vampire story within a more recognisable time frame. There is commentary about the lack of awareness or support for some of the most vunerable in society, the challenges facing those within the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who have multiple marginalised identities.

I really enjoyed the efforts of Soo Lee (Comic artist) who used a amazingly rich colour palate to illustrate the timelines and character development. There is a second volume of the comic which I hope to source out soon!