Titan Comics Announces ‘Vampire: The Masquerade: Wake In Hate’ Based On White Wolf’s RPG Game

by Olly MacNamee

Titan Comics and White Wolf are teaming up to adapt the tabletop RPG Vampire: The Masquerade into comics with the announcement of the four-part miniseries Vampire: The Masquerade: Wake in Hate. This new series will be written by John Lees (And Then Emily Was Gone, The Nasty) with art by comic book veteran Tom Mandrake (Batman, The Spectre, The Martian Manhunter, Swamp Thing, The Punisher, and Wolverine) and comes out this November.

Along with this announcement, we have a full synopsis and first look at covers and unlettered interior art:

“When a city on edge becomes a feeding ground, one vampire is sent into the chaos to uncover what’s really hunting amidst the protests. In the shadows of a city on fire, the bloody feed on every screen has spilled into the streets. Amidst the turmoil, whispers spread of bodies drained in the chaos, killings too precise to be human. When suspicion falls on vampires exploiting the unrest, the powers that be turn to Silky, enigmatic owner of The Dutchman bar, to uncover the truth.”

“I am so excited to be able to contribute to the rich lore of Vampire: The Masquerade,” said Lees. “One of the most evocative aspects of Bloodlines 2 is its setting in Seattle, a city I love, and it was really fun to expand on that and make Seattle and its recent history integral to our story. And getting to work with the great Tom Mandrake to bring this story to life has been a delight – I can’t wait for you to see more of the superb work he’s been doing on this book!”

Editor of the new series, Louis Yamani added:

“It’s been a genuine pleasure working on this with John and Tom. Together, they’ve blended unsettling supernatural horror with thoughtful social commentary, using the otherworldly to reflect the horrors that exist in our own world. Much like players are free to make their own choices in the game, readers are equally free to form their own opinions on the themes explored in the comic — we’re not interested in telling them what to think.”

Mandrake concluded:

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to illustrate this new Vampire: The Masquerade: Wake in Hate comic book project. Getting contacted by Louis felt like a full circle moment. It reminded me that I had done single illustrations for the RPG books over 20 years ago. Returning to this wonderful, dark franchise after all this time is already proving to be an amazing experience. We have a great team. John Lees scripts ring true to Vampire: The Masquerade while firmly rooting the story in the real world. We’re developing new characters and new lore for Vampire: The Masquerade while playing in the very deep pool of characters and settings that already exist, a balancing act that I truly enjoy.”