My Pretty Vampire

by Katie Skelly

Overview

A vampire has sex-positive adventures in this “pop shojo”-style graphic novel. Now in softcover!

New soft-cover edition! Clover — the “pretty” vampire of the title — is a Bardot-esque blonde who dreams of the (now-dead) girl she once was four years ago before becoming a fanged bloodsucker. She is being kept prisoner by her brother, Marcel, who fears Clover will be hunted by the outside world (and who may have other, more selfish motivations as well). Clover’s curiosity, however, will not be suppressed: impetuous, sensual, strong-willed, and fearless, she plans her escape. The resultant havoc would make Dario Argento proud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683961949
Publisher:	Fantagraphics Books
Publication date:	10/09/2018
Pages:	108
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	16 Years

About the Author

Katie Skelly is a Los Angeles-based cartoonist whose comics include Nurse Nurse (SparkplugBooks, 2012), Operation Margarine (AdHouse Books, 2014), My Pretty Vampire (Fantagraphics,2017), and Maids (Fantagraphics, 2020). She has written and lectured about comics for outlets such as The Comics Journal, Fantagraphics Books, Japan Society, The Center for Cartoon Studies, Fordham University, and The New School.  She also co-hosts the podcast Thick Lines with fellow cartoonist Sally Madden. Skelly holds a B.A. in Art History from Syracuse University, and was awarded the Emerging Artist Prize at Cartoon Crossroads Columbus in 2015.

Editorial Reviews

"[Skelly] uses her paradoxical aesthetic—both heavily cartooned and broadly erotic—to affect her audience precisely how she wants to."

The A.V. Club

07/17/2017
Mod glamour gets gruesome in this cheeky revenge tale. Clover, the eponymous vampire, has spent the last four years of her life in a gilded cage of her brother’s design. But now she’s fled—and she’s out for blood in both the literal and figurative senses. Skelly’s 1960s sensibility in fashion and art pairs wonderfully with the darker elements of the story; she recalls that era’s surge of gory and gorgeous “giallo” cinema to great effect. When the tension between Clover’s beauty and the violence that fuels her actions is the focus, the book is at its best. That said, it often feels like a first draft: certain page and panel transitions are clumsy, angles are often awkward, and the simplicity of Skelly’s visuals sometimes makes it difficult to discern what’s going on. Her previous monochrome work, especially Operation Margarine, was stronger—perhaps Skelly simply needs more time to refine her use of color. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Katie Skelly's My Pretty Vampire is a very fresh take on the iconic bloodsuckers."

Under the Radar

"The story by Katie Skelly is dark, funny, and intuitive. The art by Skelly is incandescent and the way she draws is quite gorgeous."

Graphic Policy

"This is a terrific comic, all puce and meringue and hot blood red, a plush and inky world through which a vampire woman staggers, amoral and starved, the escaped possession of her family bent on finding a vein of consumption that befits her idea of herself."

The Comics Journal

"Skelly’s newest graphic novel My Pretty Vampire is a sensual, colorful rampage."

Portland Mercury

"With a retro vibe that combines elements of traditional vampire lore and the excesses of an era of exploitation cinema, My Pretty Vampire is, aesthetically, a fascinating fusion of cute and appealing visuals with uncompromisingly brutal violence."

Broken Frontier

"A playful riff on vampire tropes, My Pretty Vampire is a colorful collision of Euro-arthouse, pop, and exploitation influences."

SciFiNow

"My Pretty Vampire is the best '60s underground gem that never was, a descent into big hair and paisley politics by acclaimed cartoonist Katie Skelly."

Paste