Redneck01_CoverImage Comics has a fun little vampire themed comic coming out titled ‘Redneck’ and creators Donny Cates and Lisandro Estherren are sharing some of the fun that is to come. We’re not going to be seeing vampires in castles or that sparkle here but a take on the undead which haven’t previously been seen all that often. Instead of money and all the finery one can imagine, “these nightwalkers are decked out in custom-made cowboy boots, watch NASCAR, chew tobacco, and smoke ribs for the hell of it.”

In this book, we’ll be following The Bowmans who have been living in Texas since before it became part of the United States. Some of them were even at The Alamo for what little help they ended up being from being “too drunk on blood.” They’ve even found a way to mix blood with paint thinner which they call Bloodweiser and gets them intoxicated.

What was interesting though is how Cates wanted to take the premise and run with it:

“Making the family immortal seemed like an interesting way to go. The idea that we get to jump back in time and actually watch the sins of the past being committed, and then flash to the present and watch as they come back to haunt the people who inflicted them in the first place…that idea was very attractive to me. And yeah, anyone who knows me knows I’m a nut for vampire stories. So that part just fit in nicely with this topic I wanted to explore.”

Cates also goes into detail about the name and from there explains quite a bit of what we can expect from the vampires which we’ll be seeing going forward:

“Well, besides being a nice little pun, the name is such a perfect distillation of what the book is about. The word “redneck” is so evocative of a kind of…simple backwood country folk. And that is exactly what you are going to find here.

It only stands to reason, right? I mean getting bit by a vampire doesn’t turn everyone into a sexy, charming Brad Pitt/Angel type, right? I mean, surely there are a bunch of them who were simple country folks before they got bit and who are now just simple country folks with sharp teeth and more birthdays.

They’re a little different of course, they have a kind of old wisdom to them that’s very charming. They’ve been hunted. They’ve killed. They’ve been through wars and revolutions and any and every other thing you can think of. And now, when the book opens, they just want some peace and quiet on their land and cattle farm. Hell, they don’t even eat people anymore…they live off the blood of the cattle they raise for the BBQ joint their familiars run in town.

In that way, and in many other ways, these are vampires like you have NEVER seen them before. They aren’t pretty or charming or sexy or scheming. They aren’t even particularly smart! These are just some regular folks trying to live out their very long lives in peace.”

When asked what drew them to turning hillbillies into vampires Estherren chimed in saying:

“Well, I guess what I like most is that this isn’t your regular vampire story. It’s a story with substance. Of course, there are lots of great vampire moments and outstanding characters, but what I loved about REDNECK is that it’s also a story about family ties and the strength needed to face the world as an outsider.”

While on the surface this looks as if it could be quite a violent title but the more these two talk, the more it seems that we’ll have a rich and complex thought bubbling up to the surface.

Are you going to check out ‘Redneck’? Share your thoughts below!

Source: Image Comics.

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Stuart Conover is an author, blogger, and all around geek. When not busy being a father and husband he tries to spend as much time as possible immersed in comic books, science fiction, and horror! Would you like to know more? Follow him on Twitter!