Dracula and Frankenstein, by Georges Bess – LIVE on Backerkit!
The definitive graphic novel adaptations of Bram Stoker’s DRACULA and Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN by artist Georges Bess
Known internationally for his extensive body of work with notorious writer and director Alejandro Jodorowsky, GEORGES BESS established himself as a premiere visionary and stylistic chameleon at the height of the European comics renaissance during the ‘70s and ‘80s. While his illustrative talent and fluidity couldn’t be denied, the direction he would take a project was often unpredictable, an improvisational instinct that set him apart among peers such as Jean “Moebius” Giraud, Philippe Druillet, Milo Minara, and Claire Wendling. And now Georges has brought that immense talent to classic horror, adapting Bram Stoker’s DRACULA and Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN into two bold and powerful graphic novels that retell these seminal tales through lush and unparalleled illustration.
These premium, artist’s edition, gallery-quality 9×12” hardcover volumes feature linen textured covers and metallic foil design elements along with Magnetic’s signature curved corners. Each volume recaptures the gothic romance and horror of the original novels in a way that belies all previous adaptations. Not only does Bess draw faithfully from the source material, but he imbues each with a degree of imagination that supplements the details Stoker and Shelley were themselves inspired by. At over 200 pages each, these books truly stand above the crowd as the ultimate graphic adaptations of these timeless masterpieces.
About the Artist
Born in 1947, Georges Bess first established a name for himself in both Scandinavia and the United States in the ’70s by acting as a luxury substitute for all of the designers in Sweden. He fashioned himself as a self-described “mercenary” hand, capable of matching and surpassing any visual style requested. With this multifaceted technique, he collaborated on the Scandinavian version of Mad Magazine, and illustrated the dynamic adventures of The Phantom, the famous masked hero battling against the forces of Evil, from 1977 to 1987. He returned to Paris in 1987, where he met notorious filmmaker and storyteller Alejandro Jodorowsky, who quickly asked him to illustrate the story The White Lama. Together, they created several other major series including Anibal 5 (1990), an explosive, titillating sci-fi tale about a James Bond-like cyborg, and Juan Solo (1994, released in English as “Son of the Gun“), an action series about a South American killer that won the Alph’art Award for best screenplay at the Angouleme FIBD. In 1998, Georges published his first solo project, a concept he had dreamed of for a long time: Escondida. Other magnificent books followed, including Bobi, Pema Ling, and Lééla and Krishna, a diptych imbued with his love for India. That love manifested itself again with the publication of the series Le Vampire de Bénarès for Glénat and the collection Incredible India for Vents d’Ouest. In 2019, Glénat published his black-and-white adaptation of the epistolary novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, which became an Official Selection at the FIBD in Angoulême the following year. In 2020, he returned to science fiction with the first volume of his original diptych Amen, followed by his prestigious adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He then completed Amen before returning with his definitive edition of Dracula. He currently lives in Paris.
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