Some of the best vampire stories around have come from comics. From the vampire hunter Blade to Morbius the Living Vampire, these stories have inspired fans the world over and become the influence for major Hollywood Blockbusters.

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Of course, the most innovative comics do not come from the Big Two (Marvel and DC) but exist in their own universes. Some of these are popular existing franchises that turned into amazing comics stories. Others are completely original series unlike anything else. But all of them are well worth reading.

10 Bleed Them Dry: Where A Human Cop Investigates A Killing Spree By A Vampire

Bleed Them Dry cover

Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future where vampires and humans live side-by-side, Bleed Them Dry follows a human cop named Harper Halloway as she investigates a spree of killings committed by a serial killer (or, as the comic calls the killer, a vampire slayer).

Harper’s partner is the vampire Atticus Black. When it turns out that Black is responsible for relentlessly preying on people, he uses his influence to blame it on Harper, turning her into a fugitive and the only one who can protect her is the slayer.

9 Brothers Dracul: A Blend Of Late Medieval History & Gothic Terror

Brothers Dracul

This comic frames Dracula in his historical context. The real Dracula was the son of a powerful medieval monarch named Vlad II Dracul who ruled over the country of Wallachia (now part of Romania).

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In this series, Vlad and his younger brother Radu struggle to survive as prisoners of the Ottoman Empire. But when they stumble upon a vampire in a cave, everything changes, and their lives go spinning out of control in this series that blends Late Medieval history with gothic terror.

8 Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Where Vampires Exist In Modern Times

Buffy the vampire slayer boom

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has actually had two different comics. The first one was printed by Dark Horse and continued the story of the show, breaking it down into Seasons 8, 9, and 10. The second and more recent series updates the characters from the original show’s high school years by putting it in modern times, where smartphones, LGBTQ+ acceptance, and digital living are the norm.

Both of these comics are excellent, though they are quite different from one another in their style and their narrative. Fans of the original TV show will probably prefer the Dark Horse series, but that does not mean people should overlook the new ones.

7 Tokyo Ghoul: Where Ghouls Live In Modern-Day Tokyo

Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul makes a menacing snarl

While Tokyo Ghoul is a major manga series that has received massive acclaim and a multi-season-long anime adaptation, it is still not one of the “Big Two” of American comics and so is considered an indie series for the purpose of this list.

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This fantastic comic is a dark urban fantasy set in an alternate version of modern-day Tokyo where vampires—known as Ghouls—live in the shadows of the human world, feeding on blood (and coffee) when not preying on one another.

6 Sorcery 101: Where A Magic User Is Bonded To A Vampire

Sorcery 101

This long-running series is actually a webcomic written and drawn by Kel McDonald (who often referred to herself as “Kellhound” while working on the series). The protagonist, Danny Gunn, is a magic user blood bonded to a vampire, Seth—a pact that keeps Danny from aging.

Despite being a prince to the fictional country of Terra, Danny has given up his claim to the throne and works as a teacher at an all-boys school. While Danny is an unpretentious regular guy, the vampire Seth who he is bonded to is a smooth-talking sociopath who terrifies the rest of the bloodsucking community and is rumored to have been banished from Hell after his successful coup.

5 Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth - A Mix Of Urban Fantasy, Feudal Politics, & Classica Horror

vampire the masquarade winter teeth

The old Vampire: The Masquerade roleplaying game has a huge cult following. It has undergone a few different reinventions over the years and was adapted into the popular computer game Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines.

The recent comic Vampire: The Masquerade: Winter’s Teeth is a masterpiece that blends urban fantasy, feudal politics, and classic horror. The main story follows Cecily Bane, a Brujah enforcer in Saint Paul, trying to prevent a war from breaking out with a rival vampire court. A second story “The Anarch Tales” explores a group of vampires living outside the protection of the court.

4 30 Days of Night: Where Vampires Attack An Alaskan Town

30 Days of Night

Vampires only come out at night. But what happens when they attack an Alaskan town in the far north, where the winter months create a month-long winter? That is the premise of 30 Days of Night.

The disease that spreads vampirism is not just contracted through the bite, but even through a simple scrape. But the same winter chill that allows the vampires never to face the sun also weakens their supernatural senses, allowing humans to hide, even as the sheriff of the Alaskan town takes a desperate step to protect his people.

3 Vampirella: Where A Vampire Superhero Teams Up With Dracula

vampirella

The character of Vampirella is essentially a vampire superhero who uses her supernatural abilities in a horror setting. She has undergone numerous incarnations over the years and had some of the greatest writers in the comics industry write her.

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She is the daughter of Adam’s first wife, Lilith, and she has allied herself with Dracula to stop a rabid cult. With blind vampire hunters and ancient sorcerers among its main cast, this series is a great exploration of how ancient occult beings can still impact the modern world.

2 Vampironica: Where Veronica Is A Vampire Cheerleader

Vampironica

Archie Comics have been a major staple of Americana, and over the past decade, they have come back in a big way. The success of the Riverdale TV series—and the Netflix Sabrina series—are proof of this.

In fact, Sabrina is just one of the many amazing horror comics produced by Archie. Among them is Vampironica, a story featuring Veronica as a vampire cheerleader. She received numerous comics of her own and had a tie-in with another horror title, the werewolf series Jughead: The Hunger.

1 Hellsing: Where A Vampire Goes To War With Supernatural Threats

Hellsing. ALucard

No list of great vampire comics would be complete without the inclusion of this manga from write and artist Kohta Hirano. The manga stars Alucard, a vampire who uses his dark magic (and two massive pistols) to war with the supernatural threats that challenge the English government.

A mixture of horror supernatural horror and epic action make this comic stand out. In many ways, it feels a lot like a Japanese version of Hellboy, but Hellsing is still very much its own thing, and there is nothing else quite like it.

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