HELSING

 

An Interview with Creator Gary Reed on the new title Helsing which is another addition to the ever growing Caliber Core line where certain Caliber titles fit together into a cohesive universe. The series focuses on the legacy left by Abraham Van Helsing, the professor who sought the destruction of Count Dracula in the famous novel by Bram Stoker.

Cal: First off, why Helsing? Why not keep the original name of Van Helsing?

GR: Well, in this storyline in which the events of the Dracula novel really happened, I figured that the burden of the Van Helsing name would be a lot to live up to. And seeing as how they are now settled in the United States, I thought that somewhere along the line, the family would Americanize their name which is the case in this series. And that’s what happened in the series.

Cal: So this is about a family that continues to hunt down vampires?

GR: In simple terms, I guess it is but the structure of the storyline is much more complex than that. Abraham Van Helsing, the character portrayed in Stoker’s novel, was of course the one that helped to wipe Dracula’s existence off the planet. But there was a reason for it, not just because of the evil that Dracula represented. In the comic series, Dracula had taken the life of Van Helsing’s oldest daughter and so the Professor acted mainly out of revenge. And, Dracula was not the only vampire...they to took revenge on Van Helsing and feud began. Some of those matters will be covered in the back up stories of the series.

Cal: The back up stories will concentrate on Van Helsing, the original one?

GR: They can. Basically, the lead story is about Samantha Helsing, the most current representative of the family so to speak. The back up stories will concentrate on other members of the family through out the ages and how they were involved in this crusade. Some were willing participants, some refused to be involved, and some acted solely out of duty and family responsibility. Just like in the real world, everyone has different motivations. Of course, some were very successful and others, well, they weren’t. It’ll cover some of the events that have happened since the first Van Helsing to the current day. Different people will be involved such as one of the Van Helsings that suspects the mad monk of Russia, Rasputin is one of the night creatures. Most of the material on the original Van Helsing will be covered in a series of diary pages that have been uncovered and they’ll be presented in that form. It’s a way of adding a lot more depth and insight into the series.

Cal: Tell us more about the current one, Samantha.

GR: Actually, she is not really a descendant of Van Helsing, she married into the family. But she doesn’t really remember it. Her past has been pretty much wiped out and she essentially remembers very little of her past. This is crucial in understanding her motivations as they are not really hers, but what she is told by her father in law, Professor Van Helsing (the fourth one). Her marriage is but a dream as she really doesn’t remember her husband or her wedding although she is plagued each night by a teasing and tantalizing memory. But there’s something wrong and that’s part of what she is trying to figure out.

Cal: So she carries out the crusade against the vampires without really knowing why?

GR: Yes. But there’s a lot more to it than that. I know that at first glance, it seems to be a traditional tale of the good guys hunting down the evil vampires, but there’s a lot more going on than that. First off, as I said before, the motivations are different for everyone involved. Secondly, just because someone is a hunter of the night creatures, a name I prefer over vampires, doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily the good guys. Consequently, just because someone is a night creature, doesn’t mean that they’re pure evil many are beings who retain quite a bit of their humanity and in a sense are victims, just trying to survive and maintain their existence. That is something I think most of us would try to do.

Cal: This series is part of the Caliber Core universe. How does it tie in?

GR: Like most of the Core titles, I don’t know at this point. We just try to have an established guideline for all these series so that they can tie in. It doesn’t mean necessarily that there will be crossovers or guest appearance, just that if we want to, it can fit in and remain in the proper continuity. The plan was to allow things to happen, not force them. But Helsing ties in early on as Samantha is seeking out information about a group called the Tophet, which is supposedly the secret organization of the night creatures. The Tophet was an important part of the first issue of Raven Chronicles and in fact, two members of Raven Chronicles appear in the first issue of Helsing as they are also investigating information on the Tophet and visit Professor Van Helsing.

Cal: Tell us about the art team on the series.

GR: We were originally approached by the team of Chris Wozniak and John Lowe who wanted to work together. This series was being formulated at the time so it was good timing. However, Chris had to bow out early on because of other commitments so John took on the work load himself. Having worked on X-Men, he understood about deadlines and such and hit every deadline. He’s doing the lead story. The back ups, which start in issue two, will feature different artists. Guy Davis will be doing some and we’ll bring in other artists. This will allow us to show different elements of the whole Van Helsing saga and hopefully, maintain a good schedule which is an important criteria on all of the Caliber Core books.

Cal: Anything special you want to say about Helsing?

GR: I hope that readers will recognize that there’s a lot more going on then their first impression lets on. I suspect that many will be surprised by the direction it goes in. I think in the recent past, the stuff that I’ve written usually avoids the standard directions. It’s like when I watch a film, I enjoy the ones most that take me somewhere that I didn’t expect and that’s what I hope to do here. It’ll be a twisting and turning ride.
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