V is for Vampire: An Illustrated Alphabet of the Undead by Adam-Troy Castro provides a humorous description of everyone’s favorite blood-sucking creature.  A complete compendium from A to Z, each page offers characteristics and cautionary clues that shed light on our fascination with vampires.  Beautifully illustrated by Johnny Atomic, each white on black (with just a hint of red) page captures an image of the undead with a touch of horror and tongue-in-cheek comic reflection.

Beginning with “A is for Arterial Spray,” Castro points out:

“Some ladies adore the vampire when he’s posing in the moonlight, or going on about the children of the night, or even when he’s inserting those fangs of his into the soft expanse of their throat. But the vampire has the most affection for you when you’re hemorrhaging. That’s why he chooses the throat. There’s a major artery there; punctured, the spray achieves some stellar distance.”

If you’re looking for a gift for the vampire-lover in your life, this book might be just the thing.  Other books by Adam-Troy Castro include Z is for Zombie, as well as numerous award-winning science fiction and horror titles, such as Emissaries from the Dead and The Third Claw of God.  He has also written several novels starring the Marvel Comics favorite, Spider-Man.

Illustrator Johnny Atomic has created and illustrated comic books, including the popular Choose Your Doom interactive story series and the comic book series featuring Simon Vector.