The Return of Camazotz - A Mayan vampire horror comic coming to Kickstarter this Halloween

October 8, 2023

‘The Return of Camazotz’ is a bloody gothic horror comic inspired by Mayan mythology coming to Kickstarter this October 1^st, 2023. The story follows twin brothers who are attacked by the ancient Mayan vampire god Camazotz during a trip to Mexico. Will they survive?

Watch the trailer here:

This bloody graphic novel is inspired by the legend of Camazotz, a Mesoamerican deity of bats and blood that was worshipped by the Mayans through ritual sacrifice. Chicano writer Rafael Flores Jr. partnered with Brazilian artist Azrael Aguiar to create this series, which was first published as a short comic and was a finalist in the Negative Space Short Comics competition in 2022. Grimmcore Studios’ founder and editor Daniel Grimm picked the story from there and worked with the creative team in developing it into a full-fledged graphic novel, which will be published in 3 parts.

We caught up with writer Rafael Flores Jr. to hear some of his thoughts about the comic:

GC: Why don't you tell us where you grew up, and how you fell in love with comics and horror?

RF: Hey, well I'm from DFW Texas, born in Dallas currently work in Fort Worth as a library assistant, and I currently live in Haltom City. My love for comics and horror can be traced back to an early age, growing up in a Mexican American household with a bunch of older cousins around, a lot of them were already into comics, artwork, horror movies, and gothic culture when I was a child, so I grew up around that environment and it created the person I am today. I have fond memories of watching horror movies with my older cousins like House of 1000 Corpses, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and An American Werewolf in London. And when I was a child I got a shoebox of random 90s comics from one of my older cousins and since that day I've never stopped reading and loving comic books and always knew I wanted to create my own.

GC: What is The Return of Camazotz?

RF: The Return of Camazotz is a Mayan-inspired gothic horror story about twin brothers who come to Mexico to get some closure with their mother who passed away while they were kids. Along the way they discover they are a part of an ancient ritual that involves the Mayan Bat God of Death Camazotz, that will change their lives forever. It uses the ancient mythology of Camazotz and the Mayan Hero Twins to tell a modern Gothic horror story for today's audience.

GC: What can readers expect from this comic?

RF: This is a Gothic Mayan horror Graphic Novella. Extra emphasis on the word Graphic! If you're a fan of Mayan mythology and themes, Gothic horror stories or movies, blood and gore, and terrifying Bat monsters then you are sure to love this book, it has all that and more.

Artist Azrael Aguiar had this to say about the comic:

AR: I think I can say with conviction that working on The Return of Camazotz has been a great honor and a great pleasure. Having developed the character designs, the environment, and especially the emotional climate was something very satisfying. it's one of the jobs I'm most proud of and I believe that the project as a whole gave me the opportunity to show all my creative potential. Of course, none of this would be possible if it weren't for Rafael and Daniel by my side. they are two great minds and Rafael's writing was something that inspired me very strongly. I think few stories I could visualize with such ease as it was with Camazotz. Even in the first issue, in the work process, we had curious events and incidents dealing with Camazotz. So what I can say to the readers is...wait for something supernatural. we pulled the strings on the other side and now Camazotz returns to us.