Humanoids has published Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula, written and drawn by acclaimed cartoonist Koren Shadmi. The biography, which chronicles the tumultuous personal and professional life of horror icon Bela Lugosi, is Shadmi’s second collaboration with Humanoids in the media biography space after The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television, which came out in 2019. Lugosi has been published under Humanoids’ Life Drawn imprint, which showcases diverse voices and slice of life stories from different points of view.
Lugosi, the tragic life story of one of horror’s most iconic film stars, tells of a young Hungarian activist forced to flee his homeland after the failed Communist revolution in 1919. Reinventing himself in the U.S., first on stage and then in movies, he landed the unforgettable role of Count Dracula in what would become a series of classic feature films. From that point forward, Lugosi’s stardom would be assured… but with international fame came setbacks and addictions that gradually whittled his reputation from icon to has-been. Lugosi details the actor’s fall from grace and an enduring legacy that continues to this day.
Shadmi tells gizmodo.com, “Lugosi is most recognized for his role as the iconic Count Dracula in the 1931 Tod Browning film. With an incomparable talent, Lugosi created a complex and nuanced monster, one that is both a seductive gentleman and a hideous demon. His performance has forever cemented his position as an icon in the history of cinema. The production of Dracula was somewhat disorganized and director Tod Browning showed little interest in directing the film. None of the cast members took filming seriously, except for Bela Lugosi. He was witnessed strolling up and down the set with his cloak wrapped around him and saying, ‘I am Dracula.’ This was Bela’s own method of psyching himself up and building his concentration to stay in character.”