Ricardo Delgado has spent a lifetime designing creatures and worlds for Hollywood, in films like WALL-E, Men in Black and The Incredibles, but his latest project, Vampyre: a Costa Rican Folktale, brings that skill back to something deeply personal. The Eisner-winning illustrator turns his attention to his parents’ hometown in Costa Rica, weaving together family history, local folklore, and classic horror into a stunning, bilingual illustrated novel.
Clocking in at over 200 pages, Vampyre is a visual treat. Delgado combines historical maps, real-world photographs, and fully realised creature designs to create a world that feels tangible yet uncanny. Along the way, he shares insights into his workflow, including his favourite tools, whether it’s experimenting with the best digital art software or exploring the best comic art resources (read our guide to the best acrylic paint brushes if you want to start painting, too). Influences range from Bram Stoker and Berni Wrightson to Stephen King’s illustrated novellas, but the story is unmistakably his own, a dark folktale grounded in memory and place.
