Even though Im Jewish I know a lot about Christmas mostly because comic books have been cramming it down my throat ever since I was a little kid. Nearly every single character from Lobo to Batman to Spider-Man has met Santa Claus at one point or another and I would venture to say that most of those stories were written by Jews.
Vampire's Christmas is a without a doubt the best dark Christmas tale I have ever read.
Joseph Michael Linsner, who is best known for his comic book Cry for Dawn, has created the fantastic tale of how a dirty and ugly vampire, named Esque, would actually feel at Christmastime. Esque wants his wish granted and what he wants is lots of blood. But, will he have to kill this Christmas?
Buy Vampire's Christmas
Daniel Robert Epstein: I love the Vampire's Christmas. Its a really cool book but I saw you at the Big Apple Con and you arent very gothy yourself.
Joseph Michael Linsner: [laughs] No, Im not.
DRE: Where does all the darkness come from?
JML: Golly, I suppose it comes from the same place everything else comes from, the world around me. In this present political climate its tough to not be obsessed with doom and gloom.
DRE: But at the same time in Vampire's Christmas, Esque saves some lives.
JML: Thats very true. Not a lot of people pick up on that. There have been a couple of reviews where all they focus on is death. They thought it was a departure from the standard Christmas stories in that the main character doesnt have any sort of redemption, but he does. Esque does do a good deed and like all good Christmas stories he gets rewarded for his good deed.
DRE: The ending is very funny.
The story doesnt feel very tongue in cheek; did you do your best to avoid straight up humor?
JML: I was trying to be funny in certain parts.
DRE: He takes his blood drinking very seriously.
JML: Yes I was trying to play that part straight. I was trying to avoid a schmaltzy feel good ending but still be true to the sardonic tone of the story.
DRE: What keeps bringing you back to the character of Esque?
JML: He just wont let go of me. Ive been doing his stories since 1991 and hes fun. Hes the complete opposite of Dawn, who is the goddess of birth and rebirth. Esque is this dark horrible ugly guy. To my knowledge no one had ever written about a genuinely ugly vampire and try to show a little bit of what a vampire is really like. A vampire is a walking mosquito and most fiction dealing with vampires is steeped in romance and they are always the coolest people. I grew up with all these Hammer movies from the 70s where people were desperately trying not to become vampires. The thing is I never bought the downside in vampirism. So what if you dont get to see the sun? You get to live forever. With Esque I wanted to see how being a vampire might actually be.
DRE: How personal is this story?
JML: I would definitely say that his general self loathing comes from whatever dark moments Ive had. I think everyone has had dark and suicidal thoughts. I just tried to juxtapose my own feelings onto a more fantastical framework using the faade of a vampire story.
Esque started out in a series of short stories and for a long time I wanted to do something longer with him. But I couldnt figure out the right vehicle because hes such a stylish character and all you need is the right situation to plop him into. Thats pretty much what happened. Esque on a Christmas Eve just occurred to me and everything else came to me in a flash.
DRE: Youve also done books like Angry Christ Comix. Has anyone tried to get your books removed from the shelves?
JML: That used to happen with Cry for Dawn. There was something that was more volatile about Cry for Dawn than the stuff Ive been doing lately. I used to have people come up to me at conventions and ask me if I knew that I was going to hell.
DRE: What would you say?
JML: I would say Really? How do you know? That would always spark interesting conversations.
DRE: Did you ever convince anyone that you werent going to hell and that its just a comic?
JML: No, something that Ive learned is that most of those people dont like to have their opinions changed and their world opened up. I would always ask them if they read the book and invariably they would say No I dont need to read it. That tells you everything. Years ago Bob Dole was criticizing Trainspotting as a negative influence on America and he would always say that he didnt need to see it. Get a grip.
DRE: I opened up Vampire's Christmas and the very first page before the logo kind of reminded me of Barry Windsor Smiths work.
JML: He is absolutely one of my heroes. No one else has picked up on that.
DRE: It kind of reminded me of his vampire like character, Rune [from Malibu Comics]. Was there anyone you looked at specifically when doing this book?
JML: No other artists specifically. I did take a mountain of photos around New York around Christmas time. I went and hung out in Rockefeller Plaza and even went into Macys. I wouldnt wish fighting those crowds on anyone.
DRE: When you were taking those photos did elements of you walking around make it into the book?
JML: Oh yeah. There is this weird mixture of happiness and tension on Christmas Eve in New York. Half the people are happy and the other half is frustrated because theyre up against the clock.
DRE: Besides Dawn and Vampire's Christmas, what else have you released through Image Comics?
JML: They released a big 200 page retrospective coffee table art book. It pretty much charts my entire career up until last year. Im very happy with Image.
DRE: Was there any special reason you wanted to release Vampire's Christmas oversized?
JML: Yeah I wanted it to be more of a storybook and not just be another comic book. Something you could look at every year and it would stand out on your shelf a little bit.
DRE: Your work is very popular. When did you realize that?
JML: A 200 page retrospective book certainly helped [laughs]. But popularity is a sliding scale because on the one hand something wonderful will happen like the art book and on the other hand Ill try out for a cover assignment and they will have no idea who I am then ask me to submit a portfolio.
DRE: Is that when youve done commercial work?
JML: Yeah like when I try to get a book cover but one of my childhood dreams is to get to draw Batman. DC Comics knows that but maybe I havent taken the right editors out to lunch or something. I cant complain because Im very happy. All Ive wanted since I got started in this business is to have people interested in my work and I have a pretty strong following which I wouldnt trade for anything.
DRE: So its Dawn that keeps you solvent.
JML: Yeah Dawn is a regular cottage industry. Weve had all sorts of Dawn stuff, everything from action figures to statues to coffee mugs. Getting all that stuff out into the world is a full time job in itself.
DRE: It must be very rewarding.
JML: Definitely. I started off as a self publisher because I really could never be a full time employee of say Marvel or DC. Im too addicted to having my hands on everything. At the end of the day I own all of Dawn.
DRE: But if they offered you a year on Batman would you jump all over it?
JML: Not a year. That would drive me out of my mind. I would love to do one really nice Batman book kind of like Vampire's Christmas or at this point even a cover. Im sure that will happen someday.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Vampire's Christmas is a without a doubt the best dark Christmas tale I have ever read.
Joseph Michael Linsner, who is best known for his comic book Cry for Dawn, has created the fantastic tale of how a dirty and ugly vampire, named Esque, would actually feel at Christmastime. Esque wants his wish granted and what he wants is lots of blood. But, will he have to kill this Christmas?
Buy Vampire's Christmas
Daniel Robert Epstein: I love the Vampire's Christmas. Its a really cool book but I saw you at the Big Apple Con and you arent very gothy yourself.
Joseph Michael Linsner: [laughs] No, Im not.
DRE: Where does all the darkness come from?
JML: Golly, I suppose it comes from the same place everything else comes from, the world around me. In this present political climate its tough to not be obsessed with doom and gloom.
DRE: But at the same time in Vampire's Christmas, Esque saves some lives.
JML: Thats very true. Not a lot of people pick up on that. There have been a couple of reviews where all they focus on is death. They thought it was a departure from the standard Christmas stories in that the main character doesnt have any sort of redemption, but he does. Esque does do a good deed and like all good Christmas stories he gets rewarded for his good deed.
DRE: The ending is very funny.
The story doesnt feel very tongue in cheek; did you do your best to avoid straight up humor?
JML: I was trying to be funny in certain parts.
DRE: He takes his blood drinking very seriously.
JML: Yes I was trying to play that part straight. I was trying to avoid a schmaltzy feel good ending but still be true to the sardonic tone of the story.
DRE: What keeps bringing you back to the character of Esque?
JML: He just wont let go of me. Ive been doing his stories since 1991 and hes fun. Hes the complete opposite of Dawn, who is the goddess of birth and rebirth. Esque is this dark horrible ugly guy. To my knowledge no one had ever written about a genuinely ugly vampire and try to show a little bit of what a vampire is really like. A vampire is a walking mosquito and most fiction dealing with vampires is steeped in romance and they are always the coolest people. I grew up with all these Hammer movies from the 70s where people were desperately trying not to become vampires. The thing is I never bought the downside in vampirism. So what if you dont get to see the sun? You get to live forever. With Esque I wanted to see how being a vampire might actually be.
DRE: How personal is this story?
JML: I would definitely say that his general self loathing comes from whatever dark moments Ive had. I think everyone has had dark and suicidal thoughts. I just tried to juxtapose my own feelings onto a more fantastical framework using the faade of a vampire story.
Esque started out in a series of short stories and for a long time I wanted to do something longer with him. But I couldnt figure out the right vehicle because hes such a stylish character and all you need is the right situation to plop him into. Thats pretty much what happened. Esque on a Christmas Eve just occurred to me and everything else came to me in a flash.
DRE: Youve also done books like Angry Christ Comix. Has anyone tried to get your books removed from the shelves?
JML: That used to happen with Cry for Dawn. There was something that was more volatile about Cry for Dawn than the stuff Ive been doing lately. I used to have people come up to me at conventions and ask me if I knew that I was going to hell.
DRE: What would you say?
JML: I would say Really? How do you know? That would always spark interesting conversations.
DRE: Did you ever convince anyone that you werent going to hell and that its just a comic?
JML: No, something that Ive learned is that most of those people dont like to have their opinions changed and their world opened up. I would always ask them if they read the book and invariably they would say No I dont need to read it. That tells you everything. Years ago Bob Dole was criticizing Trainspotting as a negative influence on America and he would always say that he didnt need to see it. Get a grip.
DRE: I opened up Vampire's Christmas and the very first page before the logo kind of reminded me of Barry Windsor Smiths work.
JML: He is absolutely one of my heroes. No one else has picked up on that.
DRE: It kind of reminded me of his vampire like character, Rune [from Malibu Comics]. Was there anyone you looked at specifically when doing this book?
JML: No other artists specifically. I did take a mountain of photos around New York around Christmas time. I went and hung out in Rockefeller Plaza and even went into Macys. I wouldnt wish fighting those crowds on anyone.
DRE: When you were taking those photos did elements of you walking around make it into the book?
JML: Oh yeah. There is this weird mixture of happiness and tension on Christmas Eve in New York. Half the people are happy and the other half is frustrated because theyre up against the clock.
DRE: Besides Dawn and Vampire's Christmas, what else have you released through Image Comics?
JML: They released a big 200 page retrospective coffee table art book. It pretty much charts my entire career up until last year. Im very happy with Image.
DRE: Was there any special reason you wanted to release Vampire's Christmas oversized?
JML: Yeah I wanted it to be more of a storybook and not just be another comic book. Something you could look at every year and it would stand out on your shelf a little bit.
DRE: Your work is very popular. When did you realize that?
JML: A 200 page retrospective book certainly helped [laughs]. But popularity is a sliding scale because on the one hand something wonderful will happen like the art book and on the other hand Ill try out for a cover assignment and they will have no idea who I am then ask me to submit a portfolio.
DRE: Is that when youve done commercial work?
JML: Yeah like when I try to get a book cover but one of my childhood dreams is to get to draw Batman. DC Comics knows that but maybe I havent taken the right editors out to lunch or something. I cant complain because Im very happy. All Ive wanted since I got started in this business is to have people interested in my work and I have a pretty strong following which I wouldnt trade for anything.
DRE: So its Dawn that keeps you solvent.
JML: Yeah Dawn is a regular cottage industry. Weve had all sorts of Dawn stuff, everything from action figures to statues to coffee mugs. Getting all that stuff out into the world is a full time job in itself.
DRE: It must be very rewarding.
JML: Definitely. I started off as a self publisher because I really could never be a full time employee of say Marvel or DC. Im too addicted to having my hands on everything. At the end of the day I own all of Dawn.
DRE: But if they offered you a year on Batman would you jump all over it?
JML: Not a year. That would drive me out of my mind. I would love to do one really nice Batman book kind of like Vampire's Christmas or at this point even a cover. Im sure that will happen someday.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
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[Edited on Sep 14, 2004 by Dudakoff]