Just when everyone thought vampires on television were old news, AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire proved otherwise, quickly becoming one of the most talked-about shows on TV. Now the story continues with The Vampire Lestat, a recently rebranded continuation of Seasons 1 and 2 and a spiritual Season 3 within the same continuity. However, with fans still adjusting to weekly episode releases, a complete 12-part adaptation of the same story that inspired the AMC series offers the perfect way to tide them over between episodes.
The first episode of The Vampire Lestat dropped on June 7, 2026, and has already made a strong impression on both fans and critics. So far, it has earned a 100% fresh score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and an equally impressive 98% audience score. It’s clear that audiences are responding positively to this rock-and-roll–infused continuation of AMC’s Interview with the Vampire, which shifts the spotlight onto Lestat as he tells his side of the story following journalist Daniel Molloy’s bestselling account of his past with Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Set on a weekly release schedule, with the next episode not arriving until Sunday, June 14, some fans may be looking for a way to fill the gap in the meantime. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution: a 12-part adaptation of Anne Rice’s novels from the ’90s that many fans may have never heard of. With all 12 parts now available, it’s the perfect option for those who prefer to binge their chosen media.
Interview with the Vampire Has a Forgotten Series From the ’90s That Everyone Forgets About
Main Cover by John Bolton for Interview with the Vampire #1 (1991)
Before even the 1994 film adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, starring Tom Cruise as Lestat, Brad Pitt as Louis, and Kirsten Dunst as Claudia, there was Innovation Publishing’s 12-part Interview with the Vampire comic series, one of the earliest official adaptations of Anne Rice’s iconic work.
With its first issue released on October 1, 1991, the series ran until January 1, 1994, spanning 12 issues. It was written by Cynthy J. Wood, with Anne Rice’s involvement, and illustrated by Joseph Phillips, and adapted from the first novel in Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. Like the original novel, the comic is set in present-day San Francisco and follows a young journalist as he interviews a vampire in a hotel room.
As expressed in the official synopsis, the journalist “learns the story of a man named Louis who wanted to die, but lacked the courage to do it himself — until his open invitation to attack was answered by the vampire Lestat.” Based on this description alone, fans will see that the comic, like the show, remains faithful to the core of Anne Rice’s novel, making it a strong alternative for those who want more official Interview with the Vampire stories while they wait for the next episode of The Vampire Lestat.
Interview with the Vampire Across the Decades
Book, Comic, Movie, or TV Series: Which Version Resonates Most With Audiences?
One of the best aspects of the comic series is that it essentially represents the best of both worlds, combining visual storytelling with a traditional reading experience and serving as a true middle ground between the TV series and Rice’s original novel. Fans may also find it interesting to see how the story evolved across another decade, especially those familiar with both the AMC show and the original book, as the TV series effectively brings Rice’s 20th-century novel into a 21st-century context.
The TV show, while still paying respect to the source material, makes several notable changes. In addition to expanding the story through a multi-season structure and further developing the vampire world and mythology established in the books, the series places a much stronger emphasis on themes of identity, race, and sexuality. These more explicit portrayals are one of the key elements that anchor the show as a distinctly modern, 21st-century adaptation of the novel.
Thus, given that the comic series was published in the 1990s, nearly two decades after the original novel was released in 1976, fans may also find it interesting to examine how the story evolved over that time to reflect a 1990s audience. A comparison between the 1990s comic adaptation and its specific thematic focus can then be contrasted with the latest modern evolution in the AMC series, allowing fans to discover which version of Interview with the Vampire resonates with them most.
10 Biggest Changes The Interview With The Vampire TV Show Makes To The Anne Rice Books
The AMC+ show Interview with the Vampire is based on Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles but makes a lot of changes to the story in the books.
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE #1-12 from Innovation Publishing is now available to read!