INTERVIEW: Move over Dracula, this graphic novel is about Bela Lugosi
Image courtesy of Humanoids / Provided by Superfan Promotions with permission.
The collaboration between Humanoids and award-winning cartoonist Koren Shadmi continues with the new graphic novel biography Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula. Rather than focusing on the vampire subject from Bram Stoker’s original novel, Shadmi’s book looks at the actor who most famously brought the villainous blood-sucker to life on the big screen.
Lugosi is a fascinating person. He reached great heights as Dracula, but he also dipped to many lows, due to professional setbacks and personal addictions. Many audience members came to know of his struggles thanks to Tim Burton’s Ed Wood movie starring Martin Landau as Lugosi, and now vampire fans can fill in even more blanks thanks to Shadmi’s thoughtful biography.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with the cartoonist. His books include In The Flesh, The Abaddon, Mike’s Place, Rise of The Dungeon Master and most recently The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television, according to press notes. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired you to tell the story of Bela Lugosi?
Lugosi’s life is just as dramatic as Count Dracula, if not more so. He had a very romantic personality, which I think also contributed to his unstable life and substance abuse. When I first heard his life story in a history podcast, I knew he would be a perfect subject for a graphic novel.
Are you a fan of his performance as Dracula?
I think he does a great job in Dracula, but I have to admit, it’s not my favorite Universal monster movie. I think it’s kind of conservative and a bit static, and I’m not the only one in that camp. It’s a movie that comes into being just as sound appears in film for the first time, and it’s unsure on how to incorporate that element in there. As far as Lugosi performances, I prefer his acting in The Raven or The Black Cat; he has a lot more freedom to show his full range there.
What do you think his story, which had its ups and downs, can teach us?
Extremes are not good for you. Some of the things that happened to him were not under his control fully, like the rejection from the studio as well as being prescribed addictive drugs, but I think he also made some choices that were not great, like his lavish spending and always being on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s good to try and live life to its fullest, but maybe not take things all the way to the edge.
How long did it take to create the entire graphic novel?
A year and change. There was not much time to be wasted here! I’m hoping for more time to work on my next book, so it’s less stressful.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula by Koren Shadmi is now available from Humanoids. Click here for more information.
