Over the past few years, we’ve seen some thoughtful analysis in articles and blog posts about how the horror genre (whether in film, comics, books or beyond), although typically a landscape where women, people of color and LGBTQ+ characters are the first to be killed off, is slowly seeing a change in the representation of characters that have power and agency over the concept of fear.
It is no wonder, then, that we are seeing more and more female fans being drawn to this genre, in what some are calling a “feminist renaissance” in horror. The comic book world has often been ahead of the game when it comes to pushing boundaries, and Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comic books and graphic novels since 1997, is once again proving this to be true with the announcement of a new series that will thrill horror fans.
This June, Oni will release the next chapter in the blockbuster resurrection of the immortal EC Comics, aka the most notorious name in terror. ‘BLOOD TYPE #1‘ is the first issue of a terrifying new horror series from Hugo Award-nominated writer Corinna Bechko (Cruel Universe, Green Lantern: Earth One) and Eisner Award-winning artist Andrea Sorrentino (Gideon Falls, Old Man Logan).
When you’re a vampire, everybody sucks…sooner or later! Meet Ada, an immortal vampire whose misdeeds have landed her on the doorstep of an idyllic Caribbean resort, an island paradise teeming with wealthy tourists and superstitious locals—an ample food supply for the thirsty vamp looking to get away from it all. But as Ada stalks the boundaries of her new hunting ground, she’ll soon become embroiled in a deadly game of cat and mouse by moonlight, as an older, wiser, and entirely different kind of predator reveals its own carnal hunger for greed and power. Who will survive when a brand-new kind of BLOOD TYPE declares war on a cunning bloodsucker with nothing left to lose? And what will be left of them?!
‘BLOOD TYPE’ is intended to be the first in a new slate of semi-regular EC Comics limited series that will spotlight and continue a select few of the razor-sharp short stories introduced in the pages of EC’s monthly anthology titles – be they horror, science fiction, fantasy, or more.
Before ‘BLOOD TYPE #1’ arrives in comic shops everywhere this June, readers can rediscover the killer short that first launched Ada into infamy inside the pages of ‘EC PRESENTS BLOOD TYPE #0’, Oni’s 2025 Free Comic Book Day release by superstar creator Corinna and artist Jonathan Case (Green River Killer). Corinna will be appearing in-person to sign copies of ‘BLOOD TYPE’ at Collector’s Paradise in Los Angeles on May 3, from 11 AM – 2 PM for a Free Comic Book Day event, and talk about the genre she loves most.
“Horror has just always been where I’ve felt most at home, something Andrea and I have in common,” said writer Corinna in a press release. “With ‘BLOOD TYPE’ we’ve cooked up a wicked tale that expands on a character I fell in love with as soon as I put her on the page. Does she love me back? Not a chance, and that’s her charm. She’s a vampire, but that doesn’t mean she sparkles or is ready for romance. She is, however, ready to take over a tropical paradise.”
“I’ve worked on many different things like superheroes and sci-fi in my career, but when it’s up to horror, this is where I feel at home,” said artist Andrea Sorrentino. “The opportunity to connect with the deepest fears of the reader through some imagery is a great and satisfying challenge.”
Ahead of the Free Comic Book Day ‘EC PRESENTS BLOOD TYPE #0’ release event, and the rest of the series release in June, we spoke with Corinna about her writing process and how she hopes the horror genre will no longer be seen as exclusively a male-dominated domain, not if she and the badass characters she writes have anything to do with it!
Where did you writing career began, and what were your biggest inspirations growing up?
I had been getting prose short stories published for a while in various small anthologies and magazines before I considered it an actual career, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t serious about the craft from the start. I think the very first one I was paid for was called “Cycling”, which appeared in ‘All Hallows: The Journal of the Ghost Story Society’ in 2007. After that “Sooterkin” was shortlisted for an Aeon award, but I had to wait until 2009 for ‘Heathentown’, my first graphic novel, to hit shops.
Growing up I read everything I could get my hands on. I especially loved ‘The Lord of the Rings’, of course, but when I got a little older, I read a lot of science fiction too. James Tiptree Jr. hit me just right but so did seeing a lot of David Lynch as a teenager. His view of the world as being darkly horrible yet weirdly beautiful has always stuck with me. I guess I could say the same of Cronenberg’s films.
Writing for a comic book or graphic novel feels like a whole different craft to a regular novel, or even a script, for example. How do you approach the comic writing process when you start a new project?
They are very different in some ways, but in other ways they are all just about telling a good tale. Sure, the format varies, but the story comes first. That said, comics have some unique attributes that bear thinking about early in the process. Not every story will make a good comic, just as some should be films and some should be novels.
Part of that is the pacing. You have to plan the action to be revealed on page turns and plan major plot points to fall where they will do the most good and not between issues, for example. A comic also has to lean into the visuals. If, as a writer, you don’t consider the artist your coauthor you are doing something wrong.
Personally, I come up with the story, break it down into how it will work in the space allotted (be that a few pages, four issues, six issues, etc.) and then build it back out by thinking about how the individual issues will work. From there I break the pages into panels so I know how the action will flow. Only after all that do I write the full script with dialogue.
We are excited for the release of ‘Blood Type’ and what it brings to the horror genre! What was it like working with Andrea Sorrentino and the Oni Press team on this issue?
Thank you! It’s been an amazing ride to work with so many talented folks. Oni really loves EC Comics and wants these stories to be the best they can possibly be. Having the opportunity to work with Andrea is incredible. His storytelling instincts are superb. Sometimes I gasp when I see his pages arrive in my inbox because, while I wrote the initial script, seeing what he does with the story makes me see the scenes in a whole new light. I can’t wait for folks to read the finished product!
What do you love most about the horror genre and what excited you about writing Ada’s story in this issue?
I love how freeing it is. Characters don’t have to fit into any particular type. They don’t even have to be likable! But they do have to be interesting. With Ada, I was excited to dig into what makes her tick and how she became the self-assured monster she is today. You can’t do that in a short story, but across the course of these four issues I think people will get a much better sense of who she is and why she isn’t interested in being any other way.
Why is it important for comic fans to see more stories with complex female lead characters who are allowed to be, at times, unlikeable, terrifying, and unpredictable?
I think it’s a lot like the reason it’s important to have more female creators making comics in general. We aren’t a monolith; we are individuals with unique life experiences and a huge range of things to say and stories to tell. When only one or a couple of stories are allowed that limits how we can think of ourselves and gives us fewer options in terms of what others feel it’s appropriate to think about us.
It puts us in boxes, and, like Ada, I don’t like to feel boxed in. I want to be able to tell any story I choose, as long as it’s good. And I want the female characters I create to feel like real people, not like windup dolls who must say one particular thing over and over.
You mentioned in a press release that the horror genre is where you feel most at home, as do many other female writers and readers! Why is this genre typically still seen as so male-dominated, and how do we change that?
It’s funny, isn’t it? I know tons of horror fans who are women. I think that they are a much larger contingent than most people realize. I’m fairly certain the answer gets back to those boxes. Women are “supposed” to be demure and like cute things and hate violence. And they do! Or at least I do.
I love Hello Kitty and would never own a gun and am rather quiet in person. But that has nothing to do with what I like to read and watch. We contain multitudes, but not everyone likes to acknowledge that. I suspect that doing so would make it clear we aren’t easy to define or control.
As to changing it, I think the answer is to speak up. Talk about the things we love. Share good books and comics and films. Don’t think of them as guilty pleasures. Reading, and reading comics in particular, breeds empathy. There’s no reason to keep quiet about what you like, even, and maybe especially, if it’s something unexpected.
We suspect that fans will be hooked after reading Blood Type #1. So can you give us a glimpse into the future of the series and what you are cooking up for the upcoming issues?
Not surprisingly, there will be a lot of bloodshed! The mystery will be deepened too. Not everyone, including Ada, is quite who they say they are. Right now I’m working on a scene guaranteed to give the shivers to those who are rodent adverse. My partner doesn’t like rats, so of course I had to include a scene with as many rats as possible. Hopefully he reads this interview so he’ll be prepared!
Mark your calendars for the release of ‘BLOOD TYPE #1’ in June, go and meet Corinna Bechko in person on May 3rd for Free Comic Book Day in Los Angeles, and get familiar with more of her work over at her website! Follow Oni Press on Instagram, X(Twitter) and TikTok. Get a sneak peek at pages 1-5 of #1 below!
