The classic gothic tale Vampire Hunter D will soon return in audiobook format.
The story of the dhampir known only as "D" will be adapted by GraphicAudio into multiple volumes, with the first set for release on Dec. 15. Directed by Scott McCormick, the story of the classic light novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi will be recreated with a full cast of actors, music and sound effects, running for approximately six hours. Two other volumes, adapting Raiser of Gales and Demon Deathchase, the second and third novels in the Vampire Hunter D series, will go on sale Jan. 26 and Feb. 24, respectively.
New Series Announcement! VAMPIRE HUNTER D by Hideyuki Kikuchi & Yoshitaka Amano! A dark science-fiction romance set in the year 12,090 AD, in a post-nuclear holocaust world with vampires, mutants & demons. Full Cast, Sound Effects & Music! @DarkHorseComics https://t.co/HKIbIOVSvx pic.twitter.com/3vBiPVxXD0
— GraphicAudio (@GraphicAudio) October 30, 2021
Known for their tagline "a movie in your mind," GraphicAudio regularly produces audio dramatizations of comics and popular genre fiction that are similar in scope to Audible's recent serialized adaptation of The Sandman. The company has adapted over 180 series, notably bringing the likes of The Boys, Archie and fantasy author Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn saga to the realm of audio.
Vampire Hunter D was first published as a series of light novels by Kikuchi in 1983. Each book featured lavish illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano, the esteemed illustrator known for his work on Square Enix's Final Fantasy franchise. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, Vampire Hunter D follows a half-vampire named D who travels through a ruined Earth that has slowly managed to crawl back from the brink of nuclear destruction. D's missions regularly see him slaying vampires and other dark creatures of the night, and thus far, nearly 30 books have been published covering his exploits.
The first anime film of Vampire Hunter D was produced in 1985, billed as a "dark future science-fiction romance." It was released in English in 1992 and became one of the earliest anime films to achieve a cult following outside of Japan. The movie was followed up by another film in 2000 entitled Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. The series has also been adapted into manga, as well as a Japanese audio drama that ran from 1988 to 1990. Unlike the upcoming GraphicAudio version, the Japanese drama skipped the first book and instead began with Raiser of Gales before going on to Demon Deathchase and Mysterious Journey to the North Sea, the seventh novel in the series.
GraphicAudio's adaptations of Vampire Hunter D are available for pre-order now. Listeners using the GraphicAudio Access App can access the drama for $11.39 USD, while those who want MP3 and M4B files can pre-order them for $13.39 USD. Higher quality FLAC files are available for $14.39 USD. A physical release of the series will be published on CDs in January of next year.
Source: GraphicAudio
