Eisner Award–winning artist and storyteller Ricardo Delgado has launched a new illustrated hardcover project, VAMPYRE: A Costa Rican Folktale, now live on Kickstarter from Clover Press. The bilingual (Spanish and English) volume expands the world Delgado introduced in Dracula of Transylvania while drawing directly from his personal and family history.
Set in 1940s Costa Rica, the story unfolds in the small town where Delgado’s parents grew up and follows a community grappling with a series of violent murders tied to a monstrous, shape-shifting figure. Delgado describes the project as a deeply personal work dedicated to his parents, blending autobiography with folklore and classic horror traditions.
The hardcover edition will span more than 200 pages and include historical maps, photographs of real-world locations featured in the story, and extensive creature designs. The book also offers commentary on Delgado’s creative process, along with visual effects insights informed by his decades-long career in film, presented in both languages.
Delgado’s career includes contributions to films such as Apollo 13, Men in Black, WALL·E, and The Incredibles, along with his long-running Age of Reptiles graphic novels, which earned him an Eisner Award in 1997. VAMPYRE: A Costa Rican Folktale is positioned as both a narrative work and a behind-the-scenes exploration of his artistic approach, combining horror storytelling with historical and geographical context.
