Image via Madman Entertainment
Published Jul 18, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT
Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.
Ever since the debut of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula, vampires have been a staple of the horror genre. However, some bloodsuckers have been known to make audiences show their fangs with laughter, most notably in What We Do in the Shadows.
The 2014 mockumentary, which inspired a hit FX series in 2019, offers an inside look at the life (or lack thereof, more accurately) of a creature of the night from a modern and, most importantly, lighter point of view. Those who think that sounds like a bloody good time should sink their teeth into a horror-comedy comic book arriving this year.
Dinner Date Is Perfect For What We Do In The Shadows Fans
As of 2026, there is no official comic book based on or spun off from the What We Do in the Shadows franchise. The closest thing it has come to a graphic novelization is a subtle cameo by the original horror-comedy movie favorite's cast in Grant Morrison, Liam Sharp, and Steve Ollif's The Green Lantern #5, in which Hal Jordan finds himself on a planet crawling with recognizable vampire characters.
Thus, for the time being, Dinner Date will suffice as the perfect comic book companion to What We Do in the Shadows. While not officially tied to the franchise in any canonical way, this upcoming romantic-comedy tale is just the kind of series that fans who prefer their undead nocturnal creatures with a side of humor.
Image via Ignition PressPublished by Ignition Press, Dinner Date follows Syd, a young New Yorker whose struggle to get over her ex has led her to rely on one of the most dreadfully common tools of the modern dating scene: apps. Unfortunately, after one of her matches turned out to be a vampire, she finds herself reluctantly part of the community.
Of course, as fate would have it, it is only after this life-changing situation (or, life-ending, more accurately) when Syd finds the unexpected romantic connection she has been seeking from a newbie to the Big Apple working as a ride share driver named Izzy. The official synopsis for Dinner Date asks the burning question of whether these ladies have found "love at first sight" or if it will "all end with one bite."
Dinner Date Explores A Human Issue That What We Do in the Shadows Rarely Addressed
Image via Ignition PressConsidering the vampire's reputation for its seductive qualities, it is hard to believe that dating is not among the many modern, mundane topics frequently acknowledged in What We Do in the Shadows. While the original film had a few romantic subplots, involving Taika Waititi's Viago reuniting with his now-96-year-old former lover and Jemaine Clement's Vladislav crossing paths with his ex, "The Beast," the series, which ended in 2024, very rarely touched on the subject, especially in a way that its human viewers could relate to.
This gives Dinner Date a refreshing opportunity to pick up the slack left by the Emmy-nominated sitcom. While it is certainly not the first romantic vampire story with a humorous tone, which describes movies like 2012's Vamps or the Canadian web series Carmilla, it is likely destined to be renowned as the ultimate iteration of such a tale for the comic book medium.
Dinner Date is the brainchild of writer Joanne Starer and artist Khary Randolph, who previously collaborated on the Boom! Studios series Sirens of the City, which is a more earnest take on supernatural phenomena in an urban environment. It follows a teenage runaway named Layla, who becomes the target of various malevolent creatures in 1980s New York City.
Starer is also known for penning Fire & Ice: When Hell Freezes Over, which was launched in 2025 by DC Comics. The award-winning Randolph has also contributed to DC titles like We Are... Robin with Lee Bermejo, as well as Marvel's Peter Parker: Spider-Man No. 55 from 2003 and a 2010 issue of Image Comics' Spawn.
Dinner Date #1 flies onto the shelves on Oct. 7, 2026.
English (US) · 