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"Vlad the Impaler" is the fourth graphic book that Ernie Colon and I have created together. The first one, "The 9/11 Report," was published three years ago and, happily for us, became a best seller. Twenty or more years ago, we'd barely have ONE completed and published in three years time. You see, Ernie lives in Huntington on Long Island and I live more than 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. We hadn't seen each other for more than 15 years before we finished that first book. Yes, I said FINISHED the book. We didn't see each other at all while we wrote and drew it.

Thank goodness for the invention of that thing called the computer. I wrote the script, yes, on the computer, and emailed it to him. He drew it on, yes, the computer, and emailed the pages back to me. We then edited it and offered each other suggestions, made changes when we decided it was necessary, and voila, the book!

I often think of my days as an editor of comic books and recall how things were done then. Far, far back when I was a callow youth editing such comic magazines as Chamber of Chills, Tomb of Terror and Witches' Tales, most writers used something called a typewriter and artists drew on large sheets of drawing board and within a space of 12 inches by 18 inches. They brought the penciled pages into the office, where a letterer picked them up and hand lettered the story. He or she sent it either back to them or to an inker to blacken, and who then sent the completed pages back to our office. From there it was sent to the engraver who returned pages now the size of the printed page for a colorist to indicate what the coloring should look like. Finally the colored pages were returned to the engraver to make the final four-color printing engravings which went out, this time, to the printer. Yes, whew!

Today it's all done on the computer and through email. Yes, ahhhh!

Now, the more important point, is it any better? At least in the case of "Vlad the Impaler: the Man Who Was Dracula," we wish you would tell us!

Vlad the Impaler Dracula Sid Jacobson Hudson Street Press Bram Stoker