Review — ‘Leonide The Vampyre: The House of Yonda #1’ Is A Fairytale With Teeth

Welcome to the table,

I spent a semester devoted to studying Bram Stoker‘s Dracula. It was one of the best classes I ever tangled myself up in. I learned some very cool things and met some very cool people. It provided an experience where I could dedicate time to the study of a thing that brought me joy and encouraged me to be curious.

For that reason, I think I will always have a fondness for vampires. That means when I heard that Mike Mignola and Rachele Aragno were dropping another Leonide the Vampyr book, I knew I had to check it out.

Let’s get into it.

Leonide The Vampyr: The House of Yonda is written by Mignola with art by Arango, colors by Dave Stewart, and letters from the champion Clem Robins, who I’m convinced has some magical deal with the good folk that allows him to work on all the books.

This new two-part mini series gives a bit more insight into the origins of the titular vampyr, Leonide, who has, up and to this point, been slightly shrouded in mystery since her first appearance in the 2022 comic Leonide The Vampyr: Miracle and the Crow’s Head.

Leonide the Vampyr: The House of Yonda picks up after Leonide is chased off by her latest intended victims. An unwitting good Samaritan finds her in a deep slumber in a small barn and gathers the local community to transport her via horse-drawn wagon from the countryside to the local village, where she can be seen by the young doctor Hanz.

— Spoilers Follow —

When the wagon arrives, though, the duo manning it are discovered by the villagers to be mummified corpses. Their skin is dry and drawn across their bones, while their clothing and hair seem un-mussed by whatever mystical process has caused them to become members of the recently dead.

One of the mummies is found to be holding a small coffin that contains a seed. As is the nature of the curious, the good doctor Hanz plants the seed and then, as is the nature of stories about the Vampyre, feeds that seed his blood. After having a vision of Leonide in a swirl of purple fog and a massive manor house, a young adventurer could call a castle stronghold, Hanz sets off in the dark of night to the library, where the librarian informs him that the castle he saw was none other than Castle Yonda.

The librarian goes on to tell Haz that a mob invaded Castle Yonda and killed the family living there, as they were said to be vile creatures who got up to unspeakable acts. Hanz is then shocked to learn that the youngest of the family cut down by the mob was none other than Leonide, as she was said to be the most depraved of them all.

Leonide the Vampyr: The House of Yonda is perfect for fans of The Amazing Screw-On Head and Panya while bringing something new and fresh to the graveyard. This book is a charming gothic fairy tale with fangs.

These shorter run series are fun because we don’t have to wait long to get this chapter of the story wrapped, but I’m a little sad we are not getting a longer series run. I would have liked to have had a few more issues in this world with these characters.

Though with back issues harder and harder to find in physcial media, these two issues, plus the few that are already out, may warrant a release of a collected edition sooner than later, and that could help drum up more awareness and, in turn, more stories.

Until next time, what’s your favorite vampire story? Leave a comment below or drop us a comment on Bluesky or Facebook.