IPI Comics

IPI Comics is very pleased to announce contracts have been signed for a forthcoming comic-book series and graphic novel, They Call Me Midnight, written by Nancy Holder and Alan Philipson, with art by John K. Snyder III.

This is the story of a vampire-who-is-not-a-vampire, plagued with all the memories—and bloodlust—of his progenitor, Count Dracula, yet he has never tasted blood. For many decades he has found cover and employment as a hit man for the Mafia, first in Sicily and then across the U.S. Rejecting his vile heritage, but accepting the burden of its guilt, he has become a monster all his own.

This complex and intriguing character first appeared in a short story by Philipson in 2022’s stellar anthology DRACULA UNFANGED, a story which IFWG Publishing Senior Editor / IPI Comics Editor-In-Chief Christopher Sequeira brought to Publisher Gerry Huntman’s attention as a compelling and fresh concept that really deserved further development. Alan Philipson and Nancy Holder were good enough to agree and they brought esteemed artist John K. Snyder III into the mix.

The comic-book series is scheduled for release in North America in the second half of 2024, and further updates will be issued by IPI Comics as progress is made.

Nancy Holder is a New York Times best-selling author of approximately a hundred book-length projects and hundreds of short stories, essays, and articles. She received the Faust Grand Master Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers in 2020. In 2020, she won the Bram Stoker Award for Graphic Novel for Mary Shelley Presents Tales of the Supernatural, and she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association in 2022. 

Alan Philipson has written 135 novels and other projects under his own and house names. He has been a professional editor and book doctor for thirty years, working on fiction, nonfiction, and memoir. 

Although Nancy and Alan have collaborated informally for many years, they formed a writing partnership in 2015, producing comic books, graphic novels, and short fiction for a variety of publishers. Nancy and Alan both live in the Pacific Northwest. Go to @nancyholder, www.nancyholder.com, and facebook.com/holder.nancy/ for news of both. 

Their most recent project is Johnny Fade, a forthcoming comic book series/graphic novel from Moonstone Books (US). Fade is the debut of their ongoing team-up with the renowned artist, John K. Snyder III, whose work they have long admired. The trio are fans and devotees of the Noir aesthetic, and share a fascination for multi-layered, weird and unsettling stories, which they aim to offer readers—rich in content, delivered in arresting, stunning visuals.  

With the comic series and graphic novel They Call Me Midnight, they are thrilled to continue their association with Snyder for IPI. 

John K. Snyder III is an Eisner-nominated illustrator and writer of comic books and graphic novels. John has worked for DC Comics (SUICIDE SQUAD, DOCTOR MID-NITE), and created poster and illustration work for Marvel Comics. Recent work includes a graphic novel adaptation of Grand Master Mystery writer Lawrence Block’s classic novel EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE, featuring detective Matthew Scudder, published by IDW. John has also been published by numerous independent comic book publishers, beginning with his creator-owned series FASHION IN ACTION, and including work on Matt Wagner’s GRENDEL for Dark Horse Comics. Forthcoming work includes illustrations for Dashiell Hammett’s THE CONTINENTAL OP, published by Clover Press.

He’s thrilled to be working on THEY CALL ME MIDNIGHT with writers Nancy Holder and Alan Philpson, along with Gerry and Chris and the IPI Comics team! John is looking forward to working with everyone to bring readers this exciting and terrifying new series combining the best elements of two of his favorite genres, Noir and Horror!

Sequeira adds: “There have been a million takes on vampire-related characters. It’s a sub-genre I’ve been fond of since I was a teenager, so I’m pretty well-steeped in it. So, when I was in the process of commissioning and editing material for DRACULA UNFANGED and found that Alan’s story was not just a cracking great read—just like the other works in that anthology—but it really sang out to me as the exciting introduction of a new character that could easily compete with those millions of other takes, I was captivated. This project will be its own thing, but it will really stand tall amongst some of the BEST EVER takes on these concepts and themes. THEY CALL ME MIDNIGHT will, I believe, become an instant classic.”