Rachele Aragno possesses the uncommon means of capturing darkness and inserting it inside character designs which may appear harmless at first look. It’s a high quality that artists akin to Edward Gorey and Emily Carroll additionally possess. Characters come off as calm and approachable solely to immediately give an odd over-the-shoulder look or a chilly glare that exhibits one thing hiding beneath, one thing not so good. This is clear in Aragno’s collaboration with Mike Mignola on Leonide the Vampyr: A Christmas for Crows, a vacation particular one-shot that additionally serves as a second half to the earlier Leonide comedian “Miracle at Crow’s Head.”
The story follows the titular lady vampire as meets a gaggle of folks that have stopped close to a wrecked carriage and an odd coffin. A holy man from the first Leonide comedian makes an look and warns of the darkish penalties that observe the vampire, particularly because it pertains to the granting of needs.
Aragno excels at making a world the place issues each animate and inanimate really feel storied. Everything carries a way of narrative that provides the time period worldbuilding an entire new which means, particularly on the subject of key objects that characters produce a robust response to. Aragno likes to imbue the visuals with expertise. Personal histories lead the approach and develop the world, making for wealthy storytelling. It’s a powerful feat that solely sure comics ever handle to attain in the long term reasonably than so near the begin of a sequence.
The Beat corresponded with Aragno to speak Leonide and the analysis course of that led to the creation of the folks horror Christmas story we received simply in time for the vacation season.
RICARDO SERRANO: There’s a darkish fantasy factor to Leonide that appears to interrupt new floor. It’s deliberately bizarre and weird, requiring readers to place much more on their half to have interaction with the story. What went into giving this guide such a novel method? Certain influences, maybe?
RACHELE ARAGNO: I at all times thought that Leonide can be a easy horror comedian with the basic tropes which have at all times represented the style. Instead, Mike Mignola managed to create one thing extra: a darkish and creepy comedian that pulls from the historical folklore and legends. It was as if Leonide was referring to historical artifacts discovered in the darkness of caves.
SERRANO: What do you get pleasure from the most about illustrating these varieties of horror tales? There’s a lot folklore and classical creature designs concerned in it, and but every part on the web page is given the time to shine as distinctive and natural to the world.
ARAGNO: I like drawing this type of stuff! You can invent worlds and creatures but in addition draw on tales instructed by grandmothers or from parables that may solely be discovered in historical books. Leonide has a universe round her that may be very huge and will cover many new conditions, and I discover all this very stimulating.
SERRANO: You’ve had the likelihood to create an entire world with this guide. What do you hope to seize everytime you create your individual worlds? Do you intend issues out particularly or do you go for a extra versatile method?
ARAGNO: I often do rather a lot of analysis earlier than beginning work on a guide. I did the similar factor with Leonide, and Mike helped me rather a lot by describing what he wish to see. At that time I began with the character design and it was loopy: you might have in your palms the chance of growing the issues in your head and your creativity by combining it with horror archetypes. In this case we don’t simply discover unusual monsters, however we additionally create the ambiance with the countryside, the darkish ocean, and the coffin, which helps you focus on the temper of the story.
SERRANO: Your newest Leonide comedian is a Christmas particular. What do you discover that’s attention-grabbing about this sort of one-shot story?
ARAGNO: I like Christmas tales which have that sprint of gothic in them. Leonide is the basic story that may be learn in the glow of the hearth when it’s snowing exterior with an natural tea in your palms and really feel that shiver down your backbone. Mike is a grasp at writing this type of factor, and drawing it was an honor.
Published by Dark Horse Comics, Leonide The Vampyr: A Christmas of Crows #1 is offered in shops and digitally now.
Discussion about this post