Win a Copy of AMERICAN VAMPIRE Vol. 1!

That’s right, win a copy of the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller AMERICAN VAMPIRE Volume 1 by Scott Snyder, Stephen King and artist Rafael Albuquerque. All you have to do is spot the “Easter Eggs...”

The first volume of AMERICAN VAMPIRE is a dual narrative, one that takes place in the Old West in the 1880’s and one that takes place in Hollywood in the 1920’s, but BOTH stories contain references to the other. Can you spot them? In each chapter (issues 1-5) there is at least one reference (a location, name or object) that is crucial to the other story.

Snyder, King and Albuquerque cleverly hid these little tidbits to enhance the story for keen-eyed fans on multiple readings. In order to win, please name/describe one of the Easter Eggs and post in the comment section of this post.

You have 1 week to post, you may only post once, and 10 winners will be chosen at random from all entries in which an Easter Egg is correctly identified.

Please see Official Rules below.

Good Luck!

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Official Rules:

1. TO ENTER: NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY. One entry per person. To enter, comment on the Vertigo: Graphic Content blog entry entitled WIN A COPY OF AMERICAN VAMPIRE Vol. 1 (Please describe/name 1 of the “Easter Eggs” you find in any of the 5 issues.) no later than 11:59PM on 11/7/2010. Entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Sponsor is not responsible for illegible, inaccurate, or incomplete entries or for any failures, malfunctions, omissions or defects in entry transmission. Use of any device or computer software to automate the entry process is prohibited. By participating in this Sweepstakes, each entrant accepts the conditions stated in these Official Rules, agrees that the Sponsor has the sole right to decide all matters and disputes arising from this Sweepstakes and that Sponsor’s decision is final and binding, warrants that he or she is eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes, and agrees to release Sponsor and its parent companies, subsidiaries, agencies and affiliates, and all of their respective employees, officers, directors and agents from any and all liability, loss or damages arising in connection with participation in this Sweepstakes including, but not limited to, the awarding, receipt and/or use or misuse of any prize. By participating, entrants also agree that Sponsor may contact them from time to time for market research. Participation in Sponsor’s market research will not be required and will not increase odds of winning this Sweepstakes. Use of all personal data submitted by entrants will be subject to DC Comics’ privacy policy available at http://dccomics.com/about/?action=privacy. Subject to DC Comics’ Privacy Policy, Eentrants grant Sponsor the right to use their names and any information provided in their entry forms, in any medium of communication, including print, Internet, radio and/or television and for any purpose, including advertising, promotional or other purposes, by Sponsor or its affiliates, without additional compensation.

2. ELIGIBILTY: Sweepstakes open to legal U.S. residents only who are at least eighteen (18) years of age as of 11/7/2010. Employees of DC Comics, Warner Bros. and Time Warner and their families are not eligible.

3. PRIZES: Ten (10) winners will be selected from a random drawing of all eligible entries in which an Easter Egg is correctly identified to be conducted on or about 11/8/2010. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries with correct answers received. Winners will be notified by blog post, on or before 11:59 p.m. (EST) 11/8/2010. Each winner will receive one copy of Vertigo/DC Comics’ hardcover graphic novel, AMERICAN VAMPIRE (approximate retail value $24.99 for total approximate retail value of $249.99). The prizes are non-transferable, non-negotiable and not redeemable for cash, credit or merchandise. The winners may be required to execute an affidavit of eligibility, release of liability/publicity release (where legal) within ten (10) days of notification attempt. If any prize becomes unavailable for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of comparable value. If any prize is not claimed or if an affidavit is not received within ten (10) days of the date notification of the prize has been given or if a winning entrant is found to be ineligible, alternative winners will be selected on same basis as original winners. If a minor is selected as a winner, Sponsor may award the prize in the name of a parent or legal guardian. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes.

For a list of the prize winners, please check the blog post entitled AMERICAN VAMPIRE Winners on 11/8/2010. If you are a winner please email pamela.mullin@dccomics.com with your full name, age, physical mailing address, email address and phone number. Your prize will be sent out within one week or, if necessary, within one week of the receipt of the signed affidavit. Entrants must use their own names. Only entries with valid phone numbers and email addresses are eligible.

4. SPONSOR: Sweepstakes is sponsored by Vertigo/DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

5. GOVERNING LAW: Sweepstakes rules and conduct shall be governed and enforced pursuant to New York law, excluding choice of law provisions. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Sweepstakes must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction within the United States. Federal and state regulations apply. Void where prohibited and subject to all Federal, State, and local laws.

"...the cure for the plague of feyness among modern vampires."

BOOKLIST gives a rave review to AMERICAN VAMPIRE Volume 1 by Scott Snyder, Stephen King and artist Rafael Albuquerque.

"It would be entirely understandable if no one wanted to read another vampire book ever again. It would be

a shame, though, to miss this one. The story centers on an Old West outlaw named Skinner Sweet, who, in

death, made the evolutionary leap to a whole new breed of bloodsucker: one who thrives in the sun, is

impervious to the traditional slaying methods, and is a definite threat to the ensconced European vamps

exploiting the American West. Writers Snyder and King (penning his first comic) swap chapters back and

forth to tell a dual narrative of antihero Skinner’s backstory and a flapper-era Hollywood gal he helps out

(and infects, naturally) decades later. Curiously, by reinventing vampires for the umpteenth time, Snyder

and King have transported them right back to the beginning, squarely in the wheelhouse of bloody, scary

horror. Albuquerque’s sinuous, raggedly shaded artwork supplies great period frills—with a distinctive

sheen for each time frame—and piercing, grisly chills. Smart, literary even, this series looks to be

the cure for the plague of feyness among modern vampires."

— Ian Chipman

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AMERICAN VAMPIRE #7 preview

It's 1935, Las Vegas. Skinner Sweet is suspect number one behind the mystery of the bloodless victims – but could he just be a blood-red herring? Meanwhile, young police Chief Cash McCogan has his hands full with two FBI agents who may not be what they seem. Don't miss part two of "Devil in the Sand," and learn the secret history of Las Vegas! Pick it up tomorrow!

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What scares Stephen King?

Co-author of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, Stephen King discussed vampires, sex, religion, and horror in a provocative conversation with the screenwriters of Twilight and Let Me In at the New Yorker Literary Festival this past weekend.

Now I’ve been to a lot of author events, and I must say that the Vampire Revival panel was one of the best I've seen. But you don't have to take my word for it. Watch it here.

If you’ve ever read something written by the master of horror, or watched a movie based on one of King's books, like Salem's Lot, then you’re in for a real treat. And check out that AMERICAN VAMPIRE t-shirt King wore while engaging the audience. As for what scares King? You'll have to watch the video....

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From Left to right: New Yorker writer Joan Acocella, Let Me In filmmaker Matt Reeves, Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, Stephen King and philosopher Noel Carroll.

Books to look for--Summer 2011!

With Summer 2010 having just come to a close, we’re about to look into the future at Summer 2011. See the list of Vertigo highlights below, including books by such great writers as Scott Snyder, Grant Morrison, and Max Allan Collins!

AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOL. 2 HC
Writer: Scotty Snyder
Artists: Rafael Albuquerque and Mateus Santaluoco
Collects: AMERICAN VAMPIRE #6-10
$24.99 US, 160 pages
Scheduled for release in May

WE3 DELUXE EDITION HC
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Collects: WE3 #1-3 plus bonus materials
$24.99 US, 144 pages
Scheduled for release in June

99 DAYS HC
Writer: Matteo Casali
Artist: Kristian Donaldson
A Vertigo Crime original graphic novel
$19.99 US, 176 pages
Scheduled for release in June

COWBOYS HC
Writer: Gary Phillips
Artist: Brian Hurtt
A Vertigo Crime original graphic novel
$19.99 US, 192 pages
Scheduled for release in July

RETURN TO PERDITION HC
Writers: Max Allan Collins
Artist: Terry Beatty
A Vertigo Crime original graphic novel
$19.99 US, 192 pages
Scheduled for release in August

AMERICAN VAMPIRE Volume 1 Extras

Why Rafael Albuquerque is Amazing
(or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hire a Cover Artist)

We weren’t even thinking about him for the covers. We knew we wanted something that said “horror” but could also be literary and elegant too. We wanted a strong design that showcased a cool logo and the creator’s names. A daunting task. I thought about it constantly. We were throwing around a lot of names, some big names, some unknowns. But we certainly weren’t even considering Rafael Albuquerque for the covers—he was too busy kicking ass on the interiors.

Then he sent me an idea and I was blown away.

It happened like this: late Friday afternoon Rafael shot me an email, “…I don’t know what your thinking for covers, but I had an idea, something like this…” with these two sketches attached.

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Pretty hot right? Bold. Iconic. It looked like a book cover. Over the weekend I talked to Scott. He loved them too. Monday I met with Karen, Will, Ken Lopez and Richard Bruning. It was the fastest meeting I’ve ever had. We loved the layout and the concept. We thought maybe, since we were telling a dual narrative we should have a scene from each story, split by that killer logo, for the first five covers. Other than that, we loved it. No notes. Like Steve says in his introduction to the hardcover, referring to Scott’s outline for Avamp, “Why f--- with genius?”

Rafael took the note about the two scenes, chose Skinner’s gang waiting for the train, re-worked the Pearl image and we had our cover.

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I showed it to Scott and Steve, they loved it and that was it. Cut. Print.

So we included these two sketches (along with TONS of other bonus features like early character designs, variant covers, script pages and more!) so you could get a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of “American Vampire.” Enjoy!

GRAPHIC CONNECTION

Lot’s of great comics and lots of great press coverage this week!

Let’s kick it off with CUBA: MY REVOLUTION. Features and positive reviews ran in THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, LATINA MAGAZINE, AM NEW YORK, EL NUEVO HERALD,WIRED, CBR, IGN, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY and LARGE HEARTED BOY.

Author Inverna Lockpez and, in case you missed him earlier this week at Midtown Comics, artist Dean Haspiel will be appearing together in NYC next month (details below).

Saturday, October 2
4:00-7:00pm
at the Kentler International Drawing Space
353 Van Brunt Street, (RED HOOK) Brooklyn, New York
There will be an opening reception and talk moderated by Calvin Reid
Cuba drawings by Inverna Lockpez and drawings from the book by Dean Haspiel will be on display through December 12th.

Wednesday, October 6
7:00 pm
BookCourt 163 Court Street Brooklyn, NY
Reading with art, Q&A, and book signing

THE UNWRITTEN Volume 2 and the amazing Many Lives of Lizzie Hexam issue #17 have received fantastic reviews from AOL’s COMICS ALLIANCE, TIME OUT CHICAGO, and IGN while issue #17 is io9 and IFANBOY’s Pick of the Week!

In fact, Blair Butler raved that Volume 2 is "Brilliant. . . . All leads to a final gorgeously illustrated chapter that takes a tragic look at children's literature. . . it's a showstopper. . . . May be the smartest thing on store shelves right now," on G4 TV ATTACK OF THE SHOW's FRESH INK segment.

AIN’T IT COOL NEWS featured an interview with AMERICAN VAMPIRE series creator and writer Scott Snyder in which he discusses both his Vertigo project and his upcoming run on the DCU’s DETECTIVE COMICS.

And JOE THE BARBARIAN #7 made TIME/TECHLAND’s Pull List and io9’s Pick of the Week!

Happy reading and have a wonderful weekend!

Glitz, glamour and gambling. AMERICAN VAMPIRE heads to Vegas!

AMERICAN VAMPIRE issue #6 written by Scott Snyder with art by Rafael Albuquerque is on sale now!

Previews can be seen at TIME/Techland and WIRED/Underwire.

NEWSARAMA features pieces on the characters of AMERICAN VAMPIRE.
Check them out:

Skinner
Pearl
Henry Preston
Euro Vamps
Hattie Hargrove and Mr. Bunting

Additional coverage can be found at io9 and CBR.

Happy Reading!

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AMERICAN VAMPIRE #6 variant cover by Rafael Grampa!

Sketches:
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Here is the final cover:

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I tried to make a "horror film" poster, but very pop! It is based on some dirty and rough grindhouse movies posters + punk rock cover albums. I loved to do it! We, comic book artists, need to hold the same style for a whole project, so it was an incredible chance to experiment something different. Thanks everybody and hope you like it.

--Grampa

Scott Snyder talks AMERICAN VAMPIRE continues, with a look towards issue #6

When designing the cover for AMERICAN VAMPIRE #6, we wanted something really bold, to announce the new cycle, but we also wanted to be consistent with the feel of the covers that came before. It was a tough job - but as always, Rafa was an incredible trooper, and produced a number of great sketches and ideas. The first two he did were more abstract, more graphic. The first I loved (but was a little too noir-ish), and the 2nd I loved even more.

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But ultimately, we decided that it didn't have enough in common with the covers of 1-5. So Rafa went back to the table and came up with #3, which stunned all of us with how perfect it was.

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It has so much of what cycle 2 is about embedded in it. Because cycle 2 is a murder mystery that takes place in the Las Vegas of the 1930's, a city growing too fast for itself while the rest of the country is suffering through the Depression. It'll introduce new characters, both human and vampire, and also feature the return of all the big players from cycle 1 - Pearl, Skinner, Henry, Felicia (Book's daughter). It'll expose dark secrets about vampire evolution and vampire history, and reveal even more about the mythology behind the world of American Vampire. Can't wait to hear what you think! S.

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