Stephen King's First Comic Book

Stephen King is finally taking the plunge into comics with American Vampire. Its creator, Scott Snyder, speaks with The Daily Beast about the high-profile guest writer.

After more than three decades spent writing across a variety of mediums, it’s hard to believe Stephen King has never written a comic book. His vivid, visceral prose seems primed for graphic rendering, and he’s shown an affinity for the format with works like the 1982 film Creepshow, which paid homage to E.C. Comics series like Tales from the Crypt. But while some of his works, like The Stand and The Dark Tower, have been adapted into graphic form by other writers, King himself has never penned a comic.

Until now.

In March, Vertigo, an imprint of DC Comics, will begin publishing a new series, American Vampire—and today it was announced that Stephen King will be co-writing the first five issues. This may well be the final nail—or stake—in the coffin against those who think comics haven’t become a pop-culture mainstay.

Click the Image Below to View Character Sketches from American Vampire

So what lured the master of horror to comics after all this time? He certainly hasn’t been lacking for work, with a new novel, Under the Dome, due out November 10. He also released a novella, Ur, exclusively for the Amazon Kindle in February. But apparently, the promise of a fresh take on vampires was enough to entice King to make the jump.

American Vampire is the brainchild of Scott Snyder, whose 2006 short-story collection, Voodoo Heart, was well-received in bookish circles. (Disclosure: This reporter took a writing class Snyder taught at Columbia.) He first made the leap to the comics genre with The 13th Egg, a short story for the superhero-inspired collection Who Can Save Us Now? A gig with Marvel, penning a Human Torch one-shot and an upcoming X-Men arc, soon followed.

When Mark Doyle, an editor from DC Comics, attended a reading of selections from Who Can Save Us Now?, Snyder got his opportunity to pitch an idea he’d had for a uniquely American take on vampires. Doyle loved the idea and took it to his bosses at Vertigo, who agreed. Says Vertigo’s Executive Editor Karen Berger, “If we’re gonna do a vampire when everyone else is, we’d only jump on something if it was really fresh, and different, and edgier than vampires usually are.”

The series twists the well-trod vampire legend by allowing the creatures to evolve into a distinctly American creature and will follow the adventures of Skinner Sweet, a sociopathic outlaw in the Wild West who becomes the first American vampire. Unlike European vamps, Skinner is powered by the sun and, true to his native environment, has rattlesnake fangs. Each cycle, consisting of five individual comic issues, will take place in a different period of time in American history, tracing Skinner’s descendants, with Skinner himself as a recurring character.

“I love vampire stories, and the idea of following the dark exploits of a uniquely American vampire really lit up my imagination.”

When American Vampire was in the early stages of being greenlit, the editors at Vertigo asked Snyder if he knew anyone that would be willing to give a blurb to the project. Snyder had maintained a friendship with Stephen King after King had written a blurb for Voodoo Heart, so he sent King what he had so far of the series.

“He came back saying he loved it and he’d actually be willing to do a few issues at some point if we wanted him to,” Snyder says. “I went back to Vertigo and pretty much made sure that they were gonna take it regardless. It was really important to me that they weren’t going to take it because Steve was involved, because I’m the one who has to carry the series beyond Steve.”