I’ve been to that rarefied intersection where two phenomena which have somehow insinuated themselves into America’s consciousness meet, have intercourse and plop out some truly hideous babies. I speak, of course, of vampires and bacon. I don’t know who said, “Bacon makes everything better” first (though I suspect it was Ted Allen after “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” was canceled and he no longer had to live up to the bodies of the younger cast members), And while I’d like to blame the “Twilight” series for making vampires popular as suave and hung switch-hitters in bed, it’s too derivative to lend it that much credence. And I will admit to playing a (minor) part in this phenomena as the creator of Elvis Cupcakes for Weird City Theatre‘s production of Nosferatu.

I’d like to bring my considerable powers of prognostication to bear and tell those with ears to hear that the next element that will join this cultural confluence will be Jack the Ripper. I base this on a book and a comic book series I started reading in the midst of “Nosferatu”: Kim Newman’s (sadly) out-of-print Anno Dracula (which I will follow up with The Bloody Red Baron and Dracula Cha Cha) and Blood of the Innocent by Rickey Shanklin, Marc Hempel and Mark Wheatley.

Blood of the Innocent was published back in 1985 under Wendy and Richard Pini’s WaRP Graphics imprint (see what they did there?) and details Dracula’s time in London (apparently without the burden of Jonathan Harker & Friends) where he runs afoul of Jack the Ripper, giving the latter a lesson in what it means to be a true predator. For only being four issues long, the series does a great job at telling a complex, novel story while stating close to the real-life source material. And that’s no small trick. Considering the proliferation of vampire stories out there now, most of which just rip each other off in a sort of incestuous genetic weakening of the genre, it’s heartening to see that it is possible to tell a decent Dracula story without exploitation. OK, OK, the love story iss a bit on the odd side, especially with Lucy Westerna and Mina Harker just a heartbeat away, so to speak. It fits the plot, but I like my vampires less sympathetic. Also, I find it fascinating to see how Marc Hempel’s art style in 1985 is drastically different from his work on The Sandman “The Kindly Ones” arc.

I got the complete set of Blood of the Innocent for $5 at Austin Books and Comics. I doubt you’ll find a better deal out there (unless you go to ABC and buy the other set that was in the bin). And remember, you’ll be buying into the upcoming “Jack the Ripper” phenomena before all your friends do. And when they finally catch up, you can flounce your hair and sniffle about how you were into The Ripper before he became popular.