DF Interview: Sian Mandrake makes their debut as a writer/illustrator among the vampires  in the ‘Blood of the Taken’ OGN

By Byron Brewer

Theo, a 500-year-old vampire, has made a new home in a small town in western Massachusetts, stalking its residents in search of just the right humans to spirit away to replace her lost brood. Tonight she thinks she's found the perfect pair with lifelong best friends, Ed and Liam. As the two companions find themselves suddenly plunged into Theo's rotting nightmare of a world, they quickly come to understand running isn't an option. After all, when you've become one of the undead yourself where can you call home except with the creature who made you? Ed and Liam must learn to navigate Theo's world if they want to survive it.

From Storm King Comics and John Carpenter’s Night Terrors imprint comes Blood of the Taken, a graphic novel which gives a distinctive debut for illustrator / writer Sian Mandrake and their compelling new approach to telling a tale as old as time. Here is what we discussed in our interview.

Byron Brewer: Sian, congratulations on your coming graphic novel, Blood of the Taken. Before we rush in, tell readers about how you first fell in love with art and comic art (assumably nurtured by your parents, artists Tom Mandrake and Jan Duursema).

Sian Mandrake: Thank you, Byron! Yeah, that’s pretty much spot on— Comics have always been a big part of my world. I grew up quite literally in and around my parents’ studio. Telling stories in various forms is something I’ve always loved doing as a way of entertaining my friends and family. It’s really awesome I now get to make them for work—and to get to tell my own stories to more people!

Byron: I believe this graphic novel is your debut? How does it feel to marry the actual words to your powerful panels of art? How did you develop the very inventive visual style you are using for your OGN?

Sian Mandrake: The cool thing about style is that it’s ever-evolving as you’re constantly learning and growing as a person and being influenced by the artists and world around you.

Some of my biggest influences would probably be Universal Monster movies—I’m a huge fan and have been since I was a little kid. I also really loved Edward Gorey’s stories as a kid. This only became concerning to anyone when I started writing poetry and drawing cartoons about deceased pets and family members. But it was all written with love.

Besides that, I’ve always been a big fan of Masashi Tanaka’s Gon series. As a teen, I really enjoyed Jhonen Vasquez’s comics and as a young adult had a real obsession with illustrators like Arthur Rackhum and John R. Neil who worked on many of the Wizard of Oz book illustrations. On top of that, I’ve always drawn a lot of inspiration from German expressionist silent films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

It is my debut graphic novel as a writer! Getting to work on my own script is an interesting process as I have so much creative freedom. I love that I can go back and alter the words when I come up with a better idea in the drawing process. A lot of my thought process is visual so drawing in some ways makes the world more tangible for me.

Byron: In your opinion, what is it that will make Blood of the Taken something new and different from most vampire/horror tales?

Sian Mandrake: Vampires have always been my favorite creature in horror. They’re fun to write and they’re a blast to read and watch. So when it came down to creating my own lore I loved that I could pay homage to many of my favorite iconic vampires and at the same time put my own spin on the genre. Basically I had a lot of fun playing in the vampire lore sandbox!

With that said, I think the dynamic between vampires and day-walkers is the most unique thing about this story.

Also it’s important to note these vampires are long lived but not necessarily immortal. With that comes the idea that Theo is no longer in her prime. She’s slipping a bit. Even forgetful and a bit careless at times when she’s teaching her new brood how to take care of themselves.

Blood of the Taken is just as much about the splatter of entrails and puke as it is about the family dynamic. That’s where the heart is.

Byron: Introduce readers to Theo, any non-spoiler backstory you can hint at, and a peculiar habit the 500-year-old undead has that brings her into contact with characters Ed and Liam.

Sian Mandrake: Without spoilers? Theo’s a real creep!

At the same time, I think it’s fair to say she’s a very charming and charismatic person. Ed says he’s rarely seen her without a joint smoldering between her claws—she’s got a bit of that older aunt or fun grandma flare. Really, when she’s not tearing your throat out, she’s a riot to hang with.

That said, she’s felt a piece is missing from her life since she lost her last brood and has found herself quite lonely as of late. After all, Theo’s a family-oriented sort of girl. So she does what any vampire would do in her predicament and sets out on the difficult task of creating a new brood.

Theo’s focused on what she wants, will do anything to get it, and she’s going to have a fun time getting there. After all, when you’ve been around for as long as her you learn to appreciate the little things in the world.

As far as Ed and Liam go…Theo just adores the boys' magnetic energy. Especially how much they care for each other. Strong bonds are important when you’re trying to keep a family together, you know.

Byron: Can you expound a bit on the relationship of Ed and Liam, as well as spotlight another character or two here from the novel?

Sian Mandrake: In 10th grade Liam showed up at Ed’s with a kitten in a box. He’d found it on the side of the road while he was out walking around. He couldn’t bring it back to his parents though, as he’d left home again. Liam ended up staying the weekend at Ed’s and Ed ended up adopting his first cat, Tater Tot.

As far as other characters go, one of my personal favorites is Bart who is Theo’s familiar and a mole cricket. His diet consists mostly of the flesh of Theo’s victims which is nice because there’s less waste that way. He enjoys the family's company and really just likes hanging out.

Byron: Is Theo the chief source of darkness and violence in the book, or is there something, some darkness in the background about which even Theo is unaware?

Sian Mandrake: That Theo is unaware of? No. But she’s a single parent taking care of a new brood and it’s difficult to keep all your pesky old skeletons buried when your plate is so full.

Byron: Sian, tell us if you can about some of your projects coming up, inside or outside comics and graphic novels.

Sian Mandrake: Ooh, so I’m actually currently working on Volume 2 of Blood of the Taken at the moment. Without spoilers, you can expect Theo will have her hands very full this round.

Besides that, I have a few other projects I’m slowly developing. One of those is a story called Robin’s Nest. Sort of a romantic horror story about a ghoul fresh from the grave looking for a second chance.

Dynamic Forces would like to thank Sian Mandrake for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer our questions. The Blood of the Taken OGN from Storm King Comics goes on-sale online at www.stormkingcomics.com and in comics stores September 18, and with all booksellers October 1.

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