American Vampires

Most people today see vampires as entertaining supernatural creatures popularized by the many book, television, and movie series that abound in popular fiction, but where do these stories originate? Many cultures around the world have tales of undead blood-sucking creatures. Exploring these supernatural beings within the context of American historical accounts and legends will enable students to understand the relationship between the time in which such stories were believed and the actual events that inspired them. Accompanied by full-color images and sidebars with fascinating details, this volume will capture the interest of any student intrigued by vampire stories.

Vampires are much more complex creatures than Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Twilight, True Blood, or scores of other movies and television shows would have you believe. Even in America. American vampire lore has its roots in the beliefs and fears of the diverse peoples and nationalities that make up our country, and reflects the rich tapestry of their varied perspectives. The vampires that lurk in the American darkness come in a variety of shapes and sizes and can produce some surprising results. Vampires in North Carolina are vastly different from those in South Carolina, and even more different from those in New York State. Moreover, not all of them are human in form, and they can’t necessarily be warded off by the sight of a crucifix or a bulb of garlic. Dr. Bob Curran visits the Louisiana bayous, the back streets of New York City, the hills of Tennessee, the Sierras of California, the deserts of Arizona, and many more locations in a bid to track down the vampire creatures that lurk there. Join him if you dare! This is not Hollywood’s version of the vampire—these entities are real!

Presents a history of vampire lore in America and focuses on its popular culture impact in print and film.

This book critically situates the figure of the black female vampire in several fields of study including literary studies, cultural studies, gender studies, and critical race studies. Black female vampires continue to appear as important literary devices and revealing indicators of cultural attitudes and trends about African American women’s bodies. This book examines five novels written by four African American women writers to investigate what it means to represent African American womanhood through the lens of vampirism, interrogate how these representations connect to or stem from historical representations of African American women, and explore how representations of black female vampires in African American women’s literature simultaneously negate, reinforce, or dismantle stereotypes of African American women.

Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all. Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard tocome by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation. Even if she has to die first…

Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's award-winning series continues! Welcome to the '60s. It's a turbulent time to be an American-especially an American Vampire. While the rest of the nation uneasily watches the spread of communism across the world stage, the three surviving Abominus Americana-Pearl Jones, Skinner Sweet and Calvin Poole-are fighting a battle much closer to home. An evil right underneath their feet. The Gray Trader, the nearest thing to the devil this world has ever seen, is summoning an ancient beast from the depths of the earth. The original and oldest evil, this abomination would devour the world if freed. To prevent it, the American Vampires will have to fight the Gray Trader on two fronts, with one team targeting a top-secret government stronghold known as Area 51 and the other heading up-way up-into the final frontier! But can such an ambitious plan succeed when one of their own has already been compromised by the Beast? Collects AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SECOND CYCLE #6-11

Paranoia reigns supreme. It’s 1976, and this is the final chapter of the Eisner Award-winning American Vampire! At a seedy motorcycle rally in the desert where Skinner Sweet is closer than ever to his death wish, Pearl Jones and a shocking partner track him down for one last, desperate mission as the series that launched the careers of superstars Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque concludes! Collects American Vampire 1976 #1-10.