Rami Ungar The Writer

“How do you like my new lipstick? It’s called Without a Briefcase Bloodsucker.

With zombies being the new vampires, vampires have finally settled back into that mode where they’re considered cool but nobody over-does them or anything. In fact, I stopped writing a vampire novel because vampires were “all the rage” for a little while, so it kind of made no sense to write one when everyone else was. But like I said, they’re not the trendy thing they used to be. Sure, you still got the fifth Twilight film and two vampire TV shows on the CW and HBO networks, but those are the last ones really making any waves, and they’re kind of fading, in my opinion.

So with that in mind, I thought it was high time I talk about my favorite vampires, the ones I consider cool and awesome. Trust me though, I won’t have anything from Twilight or anything that mostly appeals to tweens and bored single moms. The vampires I list have broad appeal, so I’m sure you’ll find something here you’ll like.

Of course, if you do like tortured, handsome, and undead, I’ve got some here that actually have some depth to them besides brooding and stalking girls.

Mina Tepes, Dance in the Vampire Bund

“I’m full of surprises.”

The female protagonist of the hit manga series by Nozomu Tamaki, Mina is over 200 years old and queen of the vampires despite the fact that she’s a pint-sized, twin-ponytailed girl. At the beginning of the series, Mina has just created the Bund, a refuge for vampires from all over the world to live in, off the coast of Tokyo. The Japanese government allowed Mina to do this in exchange for her paying off Japan’s humongous debt, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy about it. In addition, there are several vampire nobles who are attempting to gain Mina’s hand in marriage to secure power over the throne, and a mysterious organization named Telomere is attempting to destroy the Bund from the inside.

Mina is an interesting and muti-faceted character. On the outside, she acts naughty, cute and teases others like a regular kid. But don’t let that fool you; she’s a shrewd politician and calculating general to make the most veteran leaders feel small in comparison to her. Mina is also very smart and wise, and has knowledge on a number of subjects. And beneath all that, there’s another part of her that we rarely see: an insecure and scared young girl who often relies on the support of her subjects and her werewolf companion and male protagonist Akira to help her through tough situations. It’s all this that makes Mina such an unforgettable character.

However, I wouldn’t recommend this series for anyone younger than fifteen, and only if they have read an extensive amount of horror and romantic-comedy manga beforehand. Still, it’s a pretty awesome series.

Lestat de Lioncourt, The Vampire Chronicles

“I’m tortured…without looking like I’m sickly or haven’t bathed recently.

The original sexy vampire, he brooded and fell in love long before Edward Cullen ever graced the world. Originally the deuteroganist in Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Lestat quickly became popular and established himself as the main character of the series in the follow-up novels The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned. Lestat was originally the youngest son of a nobleman in France before being made a vampire. He traveled the world, looking for companionship and losing it from time to time. At one point he met Louis, the main character of Interview, and in Lestat he formed a rock band that he left after Queen. In Memnoch the Devil he met God and the Devil, and in…you know what, why don’t you read it yourself? Those books were some of the best years of my short life, I tell you.

Lestat is a theatrical man, able to act sophisticated and like a gangster at any time. He also is a deep philosopher, viewing the world as a sort of Savage Garden of beauty and violence, and a romantic as well, loving many over the years and only having a true connection maybe once or twice over the series. Having legions of loyal fans though, Lestat is definitely one of the greatest vampires out there.

Vlad Dracula, Dracula

“Ah, the readers of this blog. What fine words they read.”

No list of vampires is complete without Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler or just Vlad to his wives. A former Romanian king and warlord, Dracula became a vampire after his death, and ruled the Romanian countryside with an iron grip of fear. At some point he heads to London, hoping to start an army that will allow him to take over the world. With a variety of powers at his fingertips, Dracula is all but unstoppable, and several characters die trying to stop this insidious man.

Since there is no technical copyright over the story or character, Dracula is in the public domain and becuase of that has appeared in a variety of works and has been portrayed by numerous actors. Most point to Bela Lugosi in the 1931 film version or Max Shrek in the 1920s silent film Nosferatu as the best portrayals of the character, but my favorites are Gary Oldman as a lovesick vampire searching for his long-lost bride in the 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Richard Roxburgh’s portrayal in the 2004 film Van Helsing as my favorites.

Akabara Strauss, The Record of a Fallen Vampire

“I will find what I’m looking for.”

Yes it’s another manga, but I swear it’s a good one. Written by Kyo Shiradaira and illustrated by Yuri Kimura, Record follows Akabara Strauss, the former vampire king who forsook his throne to find his queen, who was sealed away somewhere hidden when she couldn’t control her magical powers and nearly destroyed the Earth. Trying to stop Akabara are what’s left of the kingdom, a few vampires and half-vamps who do not want to see the world destroyed. In addition, a curse called the Black Swan follows Akabara in nearly every generation, and it won’t stop until it kills him through a host it selects to do its dirty work.

At first it seems like a simple tragic love-story, but it’s more than that. Soon, Akabara is contacted by a powerful man who wants his help to stop an alien invasion (plot twist!), and Akabara has to join up with vampires, the Black Swan, and humans to stop the invasion. At the same time, we learn the real events that led to the destruction of the vampire kingdom and why Akabara vacated the throne, and in doing so, we learn just how deep and selfless a king can go. A beautiful, introspective work, I looked forward to every volume I got.

That’s all I got for now. If this article is well-recieved, I’ll write a Part II with some more vampires, famous and otherwise. Have a good evening!