Requiem Chevalier Vampire
Requiem Chevalier Vampire (French for Requiem Vampire Knight) was a Franco-British comic, published by Nickel Editions. It was translated in English and published by the magazine "Heavy Metal" in the United States. It was also translated in German and published in Germany by Kult Editions as "Requiem Der Vampirritter". The story was written by Pat Mills (best known for his work on "Sláine", "Charley's War" and "ABC Warriors") and the pictures were drawn by Olivier Ledroit (early volumes of the Black Moon Chronicles). The comic was characterised by its extreme violence and each issue was  more daring and darker than the previous one, sadomasochism was common in this comic and there were several scenes of violent sex. There was a lot of humour in this comic, although it was full of cynicism. Because of the financial weaknesses of Nickel issues had to be released every 8 months at first, with Requiem's successes more time was given to the artists to work. Originally a total of 12 issues were expected, with issues released roughly a year apart; however, the series has been on hiatus since issue 11, published in November 2012. In July 2016 Pat  Mills announced that "the long-anticipated volume 12 is due for French publication at the end of 2017, and we are hoping for a same day, English language digital release. We'll then round off the series with volume 13 in the not too distant future." This has not happened. Publication history. To break into the French comic market was Pat Mills' dream – in order to do so he established his own comics publishing company in France, as Nickel Editions, with his associates Jacques Collin and Olivier Ledroit. Jacques Collin had previously founded the company Zenda Editions. Mills and Ledroit  had previously worked together on Sha. "Requiem Chevalier Vampire" was Nickel's first editing job on comics and found a comfortable success in France. Because Nickel Editions was founded for Requiem it was financially very fragile. Nickel did not even have a website for quite some time and employed no one but Mills, Ledroit and Collin. Ledroit did all the blueprints himself with his wife. Roughly 30,000 copies of each issue were published, allowing Nickel not only to survive but to enlarge, getting its own offices and internet website. More artists were recruited by Nickel such as Adrian Smith and  Franck Tacito. Mills has explained some of the thinking behind the series: Storyline. The story is set in a world called Résurrection, which is often called Hell (however, it seems more like a mixture of Hell and Purgatory, as everyone seems to land in there – even "innocent victims" and the only known way to leave it is through purification or redemption, by being "expired" or "expiring" one's tormentor). In Résurrection people are re-incarnated into monsters according to the sins – or lack thereof – of their life. The lowest ranks are formed by zombies and Kobolds whilst vampires form the  elite of the society and the ruling class. The more cruel one was in life, the better he is rewarded on Résurrection. There is therefore an inverted concept of justice in "Requiem Chevalier Vampire". Résurrection has a similar shape as our Earth does, but everything appears to be the opposite way around than on Earth. Land has replaced the oceans, while seas of perpetual fire occupy our known continents and time flows backwards. People do not get older but rejuvenate until they become a foetus and ultimately are forgotten; their memory follows the same cycle and is "lost" as people  get younger. In order to avoid madness and total loss of their mind in this process, Résurrection's residents are addicted to a drug based on black opium. People do not land on Résurrection in the same order that they died (for instance, Requiem died before Otto and Claudia but landed on Résurrection after them). The hero is a German soldier during World War II named Heinrich Augsburg, who is killed on the Eastern Front facing the Soviet Army. He is sent to Résurrection after his death and is attacked by a mob of zombies. During the confrontation he meets  a vampire who calls himself Otto von Todt and befriends him. Otto reveals he is a vampire and explains that now Heinrich has become a vampire as well. As the story progresses, the hero discovers the world of Résurrection, its peoples and politics. He is however only interested in retrieving a woman he loved during his lifetime and who he knows by the name of Rebecca. Publications. French-language edition. The French-language volumes are all published by Nickel Editions: English-language translations. The series is being translated into English and published in "Heavy Metal". They are collecting these stories  in trade paperbacks (three to each volume): Panini Comics are also collecting the stories into trade paperbacks (two to each volume): Dutch-language translations. The series is being translated into Dutch and the volumes are published by Prestige in the series "Requiem, de vampierridder" Claudia Chevalier Vampire. Claudia Chevalier Vampire is a different story featuring Lady Claudia. It takes place in the same world as "Requiem Chevalier Vampire" and adds new characters to the story. Pat Mills writes the story while pictures are drawn by Franck Tacito. It is translated in German and published in Germany by Kult Editions as  Claudia Der Vampirritter. This series is also translated in Dutch and published in the Netherlands by Prestige as "Claudia de vampierridder".