Tim Seeley, Aaron Campbell and Jim Terry will team for a new comic next year “that mashes up Hammer Horror and Sergio Leone,” according to Seeley.
West of Sundown, announced today by Vault Comics, will feature Seeley and Campbell as co-writers. Terry will draw the comic, which will be colored by Triona Farrell, lettered by Crank! and designed by Tim Daniel.
“West of Sundown is about the great mythologies of the old world slamming into the folklore of the new world…the legends of Europe, and the birth of the American beast,” Seeley said in the press release. “And, taking that theme as a skeleton, we’ve draped it with the sewed together skin of Sergio Leone Westerns and Hammer Horror films. Gritty sunsets meets foggy nights. The gothic graveyard meets Boot Hill. What horrors lie in our shared unconsciousness, and how do we stuff them all into a too-tight corset?”
The comic marks Campbell’s first foray into writing; he’s best known as the artist of comics like Hellblazer and Infidel. He also drew a cover for the first issue.
“This is an aspiration I’ve had for a long time,” Campbell said about making his writing debut. “For several years now I’ve been meddling in the scripts that come my way, adding what bits of story I can get away with. And over those years my urge to tell my own stories has only intensified. I couldn’t be happier with this debut. It’s given me the opportunity to combine so many of my passions; the history and culture of the Southwest, the classic archetypes of mid-century western and horror cinema, as well as themes of cosmic horror and weird fiction.”
Here’s the synopsis from Vault:
A beautiful ancient vampire must flee monster slayers in New York City, and reclaim the ancestral soil that restores her undead flesh. But things have changed since she was reborn in the New Mexico desert, and now Constance Der Abend and her loyal ex-Confederate assistant Dooley must adapt to life in the rough frontier town of Sangre De Moro. A Western tale of survival starring a cast of literary horrors.
“West of Sundown is a chance to really dig into the texture, tone and mood of two distinct and (to me) beloved genres while at the same time putting them through a less glorified lens,” Terry said. “Personally, I’m relishing the chance to pay homage and work in the shadow of some of the legendary comic artists who’ve delved into these genres before, and see if it’s possible to come up with something entirely unique while doing so.”
Here’s a preview from the first issue:
West of Sundown will debut in March.