I’m always curious as to what Rymer may have meant when he said that Varney moved “with a strange, gliding movement”.  Instead of a catlike grace, I rather believe that there was a bit of a ghostly attribute here….a blending of myths that is common at this time.  Perhaps the vampires of that time were more like hungry ghosts, or that the stories of hungry ghosts and vampires overlapped somewhat.  I can almost see Varney gliding across the room with his toes dragging the floor.  Later on, we’ll see some attributes that are reminiscent of the “Spring-heeled Jack” stories popular in the 1800’s.  There was even such a story in the Louisville, Kentucky area…so it hits a bit near home for me.

I think one of the things I enjoy about exploring this story is that things about the way Varney moves, and acts…the vampire myths that modern movies have told us to expect, aren’t present here.  Or rather, they are curiously mixed with ghost stories and werewolf stories.  It makes Varney more of a mish-mash of a monster…a true grandfather of both legends.

Pretty darned cool.

I’ll most likely have some exciting news for the fans concerning Feast of Blood in the new year…so stay tuned!

Oh, this panel was devilishly hard to do…I think because I really wanted to rush to the impending attack.  Alas, such was not to be…though I wasted an entire evening trying to force it!  Apparently, Rymer’s story will only be told a certain way…artist desires be damned!

A special thanks again to Curt Herr…who put out the (already ragged) annotated copy of Varney the Vampire that I’m using to guide my way.  It’s been invaluable!

I find myself torn between reading a few chapters ahead, or keeping myself restrained and moving at the reader’s pace.  I’d be curious to hear my reader’s input on the matter!

Until next time..Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everyone!

-Dave