Dracula’s Guest follows a curious Englishman on a visit to Munich before leaving for Transylvania. It is Walpurgis Night, and in spite of the hotelier’s warnings, the young man later wanders toward the direction of an abandoned unholy village, where a series of inexplicable happenings will give the Englishman a taste of what soon awaits him.

Included in a collection of Stoker’s short stories posthumously collected by his widow, Dracula’s Guest has puzzled readers and scholars for generations. Is it an early, excised chapter of Dracula? Or the basis of a much larger short story related to the novel? While its nature still remains unclear, the story remains an important part of the Dracula mythos -and, of course, a ripping good yarn!

Antczak, Basset and Sanders take on the challenge of presenting Dracula’s Guest to modern audiences by creating a faithful comic book adaptation of the short story. Currently available for iPhone and iPod touch, the adaptation will be soon be published for Android mobiles, Kindle and various other digital platforms.

Gallery

About Robot Comics

Robot Comics is one of first and few mobile comic publishers who offer titles specifically designed and formatted to be read on mobile devices. It currently publishes comics for iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Kindle and Nintendo DSi, with more platforms and consoles coming soon. For more information email: contact@robotcomics.net

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Robot Comics is proud to bring Bram Stoker’s Dracula’s Guest to mobiles, adapted by Stephen L. Antczak and James C. Bassett, illustrated by Steven Sanders (Thunder Road) and lettered by Sean Taylor. Available both as an illustrated short story and as an original comic book, this free version of Dracula’s Guest will thrill new and old readers alike.

Two years after Bram Stoker’s death in 1912, his widow published a collection of his short stories, entitled Dracula’s Guest. In her preface to this collection, Florence Stoker wrote of the title story:

“A few months before the lamented death of my husband -I might say even as the shadow of death was over him- he planned three series of short stories for publication, and the present volume is one of them. To his original list of stories in this book, I have added a hitherto unpublished episode from ‘Dracula.’ It was originally excised owning to the length of the book, and may prove of interest to the many readers of what is considered my husband’s most remarkable work.”

The origin of “Dracula’s Guest” as an early, excised chapter of Dracula was universally accepted for seventy years. But with the release of Stoker’s notes for the novel, scholars began to question Florence Stoker’s account. The discovery in 1984 of a manuscript copy of Dracula further argued against “Dracula’s Guest” being a missing first chapter.

Today, hardly anyone believes that “Dracula’s Guest” was ever a part of the original Dracula manuscript. The true nature of the story, however, remains in dispute-opinions range from a missing second (rather than first) chapter to a much later short story only peripherally related to the novel through the characters of Jonathan Harker and Count Dracula.

While it is clear that the style and tone of “Dracula’s Guest” do not fit the book, the story remains an important part of the Dracula mythos -and, of course, a ripping good yarn!

• Title: Dracula’s Guest of 1
• Credits: Stephen L. Antczak and James C. Bassett (adaptated script) / Steven Sanders (illustrator) / Sean Taylor (letterer)
• Publisher: Robot Comics
• Price: Free

Preview

Download

Dracula’s Guest is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Click on the button below to open Dracula’s Guest on the iTunes App Store. Requires iTunes.

Android

Coming soon!

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It all comes to Princess Jillian and Charlie’s Archons against an army of Gobwin Knob’s croaked warlords. No easy feat considering that Jillian is secretly controlled by Wanda’s suggestion spell, and Wanda is dead certain that Jillian won’t betray her. What’s up with these two? By Rob Balder and Jamie Noguchi.

• Title: Erfworld #6 of 11
• Credits: Rob Balder (writer) / Jamie Noguchi (illustrator) / Carolina Folle (adaptation)
• Publisher: Robot Comics
• Price: $0.99 US
• License: Creative Commons
• Screens: 130

Preview

Download

Erfworld #6 is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Click on the button below to open Erfworld #6 on the iTunes App Store. Requires iTunes.

Android

Erfworld #6 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code below with your Android to receive its url.

Alternatively, search “Erfworld” on the Market.

Related posts:

1. Erfworld #3
2. Erfworld #4
3. Erfworld #5

Yet nothing has been said about iBooks’ availability on the iPhone & iPod Touch. A sign that iBooks won’t be available for these devices, or that Apple is waiting for the right time?  What do you think?

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2. Doctorow’s Craphound for iPhone/iPod touch
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Josh Hechinger, Writer

(Bear Beater Bunyan,

The Grave Doug Freshley)

Jorge F. Muñoz, Artist

(Bear Beater Bunyan)

Last month, Robot Comics published the final part of the four-issue mobile comic, BEAR BEATER BUNYAN by writer Josh Hechinger (The Grave Doug Freshley) and artist Jorge F. Muñoz.

Definitely one of the freshest, most inner-child-wild mobile comics we’ve yet published, Robot Comics decided to celebrate the series’ big wrap-up by interviewing the creators on the making of the series, it’s move to mobile, the sudden shift in title, and more.

ROBOT COMICS: So let’s start with revealing where the inspiration for Bear Beater Bunyan came from.  Was this a collaborative creation in concept between the both of you, or originally just your brainchild alone, Josh?  Did the concept change once Jorge came aboard?

JOSH HECHINGER: Basically, I came up with it, posted the idea on Panel and Pixel, and Jorge was like “hey, tell me more”.  And I did!  And it was great.

The plot, format, and characters are mostly me; the layouts, the idea of Kenbruin, basically all the cool art stuff is Jorge.

Inspiration wise…I just wanted to do something that flew.  Speed comics.  Three-chord garage rock as words + pictures.  I was getting into yonkoma comics as well (see below).  So, somehow, that all translated into “what if I wrote a four-issue greatest hits/summary of a nonexistent shonen comic?”

I’ll be the first to admit my creative process makes little-to-no sense whatsoever.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: I was looking for projects to work on, and Bear Beater Bunyan (then Yon Kuma) really grabbed my attention among all the available scripts, it sounded like a lot of fun.

ROBOT COMICS: Now in its webcomic incarnation (and first early mobile release, for that matter) the series was called “Yon Kuma“.  Care to explain that title for our readers, pretty please?  And maybe touch upon why the change to “Bear Beater Bunyan“?

JOSH HECHINGER: Bear Beater Bunyan was one of those “I grew up reading Dragon Ball and now I think almost exclusively in bad puns” things.  It’s a serious medical condition.

Basically: “yonkoma” are four-panel strips; think Japanese comic strips, as opposed to pages.  YK was originally going to be like that, rigid strips, but I threw the idea out early on when I realized I needed characters to really fight in the thing.  “Kuma”  means bear.  So a four-panel-per-page series about fighting bears became Yon Kuma.

In the end, I pushed to change it because it’s just a hassle to explain. It’s a cute joke, kinda, but not worth the hassle.  And too, Bear Beater Bunyan is really catchy and kind of sounds like…like, it sounds like what an American company would call Yon Kuma if Yon Kuma was an actual Japanese series they brought over here.  If that makes any sense.

I’m pretentious.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: We even checked with Tim Young, japan resident, from the Deconstructing Comics Podcast and he told us that Yon Kuma was the best translation for 4 bears. I really liked the shortness of Yon Kuma as a title, but I believe Bear Beater Bunyan will work better.

ROBOT COMICS: What would you say the greatest challenge of creating and completing Bear Beater Bunyan was for each of you?

JOSH HECHINGER: Producing the mobile phone edition.  Slicing it up, re-lettering it, coming up with a design aesthetic for the credits and backmatter…it was a lot of fun, and valuable experience, but it was some work.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: Drawing, toning and lettering the whole thing, I’ve never done anything that big in page count and scope.

ROBOT COMICS: And what was your absolute favorite part about doing BEear Beater Bunyan?

JOSH HECHINGER: Jorge’s art.  This all could’ve gone horribly wrong if I didn’t have an artist who totally nailed it, like this guy.  He’s the Johnny Ramone of junky-punky kid v. bear comics.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: Working with Josh, and seeing the improvement in my artwork page after page.

ROBOT COMICS: If Bear Beater Bunyan didn’t exist, what would be your favorite comic?

JOSH HECHINGER: Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece, hands down.  It’s everything that can possibly be good in a long-running Japanese adventure comic.  In terms of continually busting out new concepts and just completely making them work, Oda’s got no equal.

For a 2nd, probably Casanova by Fraction, Ba, and Moon; the story and art and all are great, but I really love it because it’s clearly three interesting-as-hell dudes synthesizing stuff they dig into the kinds of comics they want to read, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s exactly what American comics need more of.

Third: Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson.  I don’t have a rambly write up on this.  It’s Calvin and Hobbes.  It’s a classic.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: Mmm, lists are hard!  Something by Frank Miller, probably Dark Knight Returns or his Daredevil run, The Incal by Jodorowsky and Moebius, mostly because of Moebius,  Lone Wolf And Cub might be my favorite manga ever and not exactly as fourth, but I think everybody should check out The Last American by John Wagner, Alan Grant and the criminally underrated and extremely awesome Mick McMahon.

ROBOT COMICS: If you could do Bear Beater Bunyan again, what would you do differently?

JOSH HECHINGER: I’d maybe have bumped it up to 96 pages, just to make it more OGN-able.  Also, I’d have made Cheyenne, the first bear, wear a hat or a  vest or some kind of “Rarr! I’m an evil cowboy bear!” visual cue.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: Chapter 1, I would like to redo at least half of it, but on the other hand, the thing is done so it’s better to move on to the next project.

ROBOT COMICS: Who would you cast as Bunyan in the movie?  Who would direct?

JOSH HECHINGER: Man, I don’t know from kid actors at all.  Would it be a cartoon?  If it’s a cartoon, Barbara Goodson turned in a pretty convincing kid performance in FLCL, so she’d be my pick for Bunyan. And Joaquim Dos Santos is the king of the animated fight scene, which would be real solid, since BBB is pretty much all fight scenes.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: I think an animated film would work better, but for me the perfect translation to another medium would be an action RPG for Nintendo DS, with 2d graphics.

ROBOT COMICS: Wow.  Way to dodge the question, guys.    So what next for the two of you, then?  Something in the same style?  Something totally different?

JOSH HECHINGER: I never know what’s next.  I don’t really have a career plan.

Serious answer: Lea Hernandez is working on a script of mine called The Moon is Mine; if you liked this comic, that one is going to be way up your alley.

I’ve also got a script with mpMann called Okita the Cat, which is a character study of Soji Okita as he dies from tuberculosis.  Just a bit tonally different from BBB.  Just a bit.

(mpMann’s also the artist on The Grave Doug Freshley, my first proper OGN, but I’ve no idea when that’s out.)

Jorge and I are talking about doing more stuff; R+M is looking like our next project, at some point.  R+M’s sort of a two-guy anthology of stories about a robot hero and a monster anti-hero.

JORGE F. MUNOZ: The Swordsmith, with Ryan Burton and Felipe Sobreiro, a fantasy comic filled with blood and violence.  Some personal stuff and R+M that Josh just mentioned.  No Bear Beater Bunyan Vol. 2 in the immediate future.

ROBOT COMICS: Awesome, thanks for taking the time to pour your dirty little hearts out for us, fellas!

Download BEAR BEATER BUNYAN Now

Bear Beater Bunyan is a comic written by Josh Hechinger and drawn by Jorge F. Muñoz, published for mobiles by Robot Comics.

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After last chapter’s library apparition, Jonathan will need some convincing before helping Tristan to solve the mystery of the ghost girl. Enter the creepy Miranda, who proposes the duo to have a seance at Tristan’s caravan. By Jason James.

• Title: ghostboy #3 of 4
• Credits: Jason James (writer and illustrator)
• Publisher: Robot Comics
• Price: $0.99 US
• Screens: 156

Preview

Download

ghostboy #3 is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Click on the button below to open ghostboy #3 on the iTunes App Store. Requires iTunes.

Android

ghostboy #3 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code below with your Android to receive its url.

Alternatively, search “ghostboy” on the Market.

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Parson Gotti faces Prince Ansom and Vinny Doombats on his own. Units will burn and dwagons will die. The battle of Gobwin Knob is on! By Rob Balder and Jamie Noguchi. 133s.

• Title: Erfworld #5 of 11
• Credits: Rob Balder (writer) / Jamie Noguchi (illustrator) / Carolina Folle (adaptation)
• Publisher: Robot Comics
• Price: $0.99 US
• License: Creative Commons
• Screens: 132

Preview

Download

Erfworld #5 is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Click on the button below to open Erfworld #5 on the iTunes App Store. Requires iTunes.

Android

Erfworld #5 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code below with your Android to receive its url.

Alternatively, search “Erfworld” on the Market.

Related posts:

1. Erfworld #3
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3. Erfworld #6

Another full length review from the wonderful munchkins over at Comics Bulletin.

This one by Karyn Pinter on the glamorous Erfworld #1.

Here’s a snippet:

Parson Gotti is a gamer, but not just any gamer. He’s a mad, crazy gamer who’s bested every strategy game the world seemingly has to offer.  That’s where Erfworld and Lord Stanley come in.  Lord Stanley is in need of a great warlord to lead his armies to victory against Prince Ansom. Using a spell that cost a half million shmuckers, Lord Stanley and his Croackamancer, Wanda, summon Parson to lead their armies and win the final battle for Gobwin Knob.

In many ways Erfworld is brilliant, but too much about it is poorly executed, which was disappointing.  It felt like little sections of the story were left stranded out on a desert island while the rest of the story sailed on by to continue on the next panel.  There were times when there was no wording on a panel, setting up for comedic pause, and that worked out nicely.  But other times the comic just seemed to become scatterbrained and disoriented.  It’s that unfortunate tendency that really cost Erfworld points. Other than that, the comic is a real nerdy joy and it’s cute to boot.  It’s drawn in a very basic, yet fitting style, like a chibi, the sort of tiny, cute anime style. Well, whatever style it may be, it’s adorable.  Even when little demon-things are axing other spider-things in the head it’s cute.  I want to hug the little demon-things, which are called Marbits, with their little pointy ears and beady eyes.  Sorry, my girliness spilled on the page. Some of the sound effect illustrations are hilarious, like the PLOT explosion as the hero is pulled into the game world.  Or the ever-popular PWND as something gets knocked down.  Oh, and I can’t even get started on the secret nerd code woven into the dialog.  There are just moments of silliness, and moments of hilarity, and sheer genius.  The magic word for making something disappear is “Hoffa.”  Come on, how funny is that?!

Read the whole review

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It all comes down to a Triple Threat Match between Bunyan, Scarsbury and the Great Bear of the North! The surprising and extra-sized finale to Bear Beater Bunyan, by Josh Hechinger and Jorge Muñoz.

• Title: Bear Beater Bunyan #4 of 4
• Credits: Josh Hechinger (writer) / Jorge Muñoz (illustrator)
• Publisher: Robot Comics
• Price: $0.99 US
• Screens: 122

Preview

Download

Bear Beater Bunyan #4 is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Click on the button below to open Bear Beater Bunyan #4 on the iTunes App Store. Requires iTunes.

Android

Bear Beater Bunyan #4 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code below with your Android to receive its url.

Alternatively, search “Bear Beater Bunyan” on the Market.

Related posts:

1. Bear Beater Bunyan #2
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Darian’s nightmares come true! What might very well be the final confrontation between Darian and the wizard Metezck will define the future and the land of Formera. An action-packed finale by Andrew Dobson, originally published by Alterna Comics.

• Title: Adventures in Formera #6 of 6
• Credits: Andrew Dobson (writer & illustrator) / Chris Northrop (adaptation)
• Publisher: Alterna Comics
• Price: $0.99 US
• Screens: 78

Preview

Download

Adventures in Formera #6 is available for download on the following platforms:

iPhone/iPod touch

Coming soon!

Android

Adventures in Formera #6 is available in the Android Market. Scan the QR code below with your Android to receive its url.

Alternatively, search “Adventures in Formera” on the Market.

Related posts:

1. Adventures in Formera #5
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