Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire Being Adapted into a Graphic Novel

Steve Barton   |  

Jul 17, 2011

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For some time now Anne Rice has been teasing on her Facebook page that a big announcement was imminent, and today it finally came: Her Interview with the Vampire is being adapted into a graphic novel with the same plot but a new point of view. Read on for the details.

Per Publishers Weekly, Yen Press, the graphic novel and manga imprint at Hachette, will adapt Rice’s Interview with the Vampire with the story being told by Claudia, a child who is transformed into a vampire by Louis, the narrator of the original novel. Newcomer Ashley Marie Witter will illustrate the story, which will be published as a single volume in fall 2012.

Interview with the Vampire is the first book in Rice’s 10-volume series The Vampire Chronicles, and Rice said she is “intrigued” by the idea of retelling her story from a different point of view. “I have gone all through The Vampire Chronicles writing from the point of view of different characters so it is completely legitimate to do that,” Rice said. “Lestat [another vampire] tells you a completely different version of events than Louis. Who do you believe?”

Graphic novels, Rice continued, “have a freedom that is all their own to create an entire universe in detail fairly inexpensively, compared to a film. I am looking at the drawings; they have such wonderful detail in the costumes, and in my work costumes are almost like a character. They are part of the work, and they got that. What I look for in a movie or a book like this is the essence — baroque detail, sensuality, luxurious hair, faces that are intriguing and deep — and they got it here.”

Yen Press senior editor JuYoun Lee added, “On Interview with the Vampire there were lots and lots of brainstorming and conversations at the beginning because we wanted to make sure we were understanding Claudia as much as possible. For the artist, especially if they are new, the core has to be that they understand the characters.”

Rice said that revisiting the novel, which was first published in 1976 and was her first bestseller, was like visiting old friends, and she doesn’t mind seeing someone else tinker with it. “For me the Vampire Chronicles are completely over. I’m writing something new right now so I’m comfortable with other people’s adaptations.”

Interview isn’t the only Rice work undergoing a transformation. As we reported previously, Servant of the Bones is becoming a six-issue comic adaptation via IDW Publishing.

But back to Yen and its plans for Interview with the Vampire. Check out some early artwork from Ms. Witter below, and be sure to hit up the link to the entire article for a few more details.

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