Graphic novel fans were delighted today after the sequel to Children’s Vampire Hunting Brigade was announced.
David Blake Lucarelli and artist Henry Ponciano pushed the first volume of the series – Children’s Vampire Hunting Brigade Vol.1: The Guardians of the Southern Necropolis – in 2013 following a successful kickstarter campaign.
The coming of age Gothic adventure comic was inspired by the real life Gorbals vampire incident where hundreds of school children descended upon a Scottish cemetery looking for a vampire. Critics called it, ‘Buffy meets S.E. Hinton’s the Outsiders.’
The duo have now launched their second campaign to publish The Children’s Vampire Hunting Brigade Vol 2: Age of the Wicked and will run until May 4.
Age of the Wicked finds the Scottish juvenile delinquents Doug and Gavin who fell into becoming the newest members of the Brigade in the first graphic novel, diving in full force to join the fight. As the vampire threat escalates, the Brigade goes to America to seek out a new recruit with a mysterious past, unaware that they are being manipulated by the vampires themselves.
Author David said: ‘Henry and I have been working together with these characters for two years now and as the creative bond between us has grown, so too has our ability to tell a fast paced exciting adventure that thrills and surprises.
‘The art and the story are more integrated and sophisticated now. I can’t wait to unleash it upon the world.’
‘We thought long and hard about what would make some really special Kickstarter exclusives. You can own a miniature replica of the Brigade’s weapon of choice, “the Woodknife,” in the form of a pendant that is also sized to be an action figure accessory. Henry designed it himself based on how it appears in the comic, and it’s going to be 3-D printed and hand painted. The t-shirts will take advantage of the latest all over full color printing technology to make a striking impression.’
They also went all out when it came to making the promo video.
‘We worked hard to really capture the spirit of the book, without giving away too much. We treated it like a movie preview including motion animation and actor’s voices playing the characters,’ David added.
‘The book is self-contained. It starts with a summary of all you need to know about what’s come before. You can also read the first 39 pages of the first graphic novel online for free at cvhb.net and then choose to add on Volume 1 at any rewards level for the Brigade’s complete adventures.’