my immortal angst – Going Down Swinging

Nuanzhi Zheng 郑暖之 is a multi-disciplinary artist who works with themes of feminism, existentialism, race and queer theory, with their practice expanding across theatre, graphic design, zine and guerilla publishing, and craft arts. Their most recent plays include Chick Habit (2023), Evening! with Jimmy Applause (2021) and Yang/Young/杨 (with Sherry Zhang, 2021). She lives in Tāmaki Makaurau and is a Shanghai gal in her bones.

Zephyr Zhang 张挚 is a writer based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Aotearoa. They are not a vampire, but they are angsty and allergic to the outdoors. You can find more of their poetry in places like Cordite, Landfall, Starling, Ōrongohau | Best New Zealand Poems, and on their website.

More from Nuanzhi Zheng 郑暖之, Zephyr Zhang 张挚 →

August 25th, 2025 / COMICS

Panel 1: A glittering flowering gorse bush. The text reads: everyone is writing about gorse but i am allergic to the outdoors

Panel 2: A short vampire with a black side-swept fringe, headphones, a shirt that says ‘KILL ME’, ripped jeans, and platform boots. There’s an arrow pointing to the vampire that says “ME”. The text reads: i am also a vampire. an emo vampire it's not a phase. i'm 500 years old

Panel 3: The short vampire leans on a black convertible. He is wearing sunglasses. Text reads: i drive a black maserati with tinted windows Panel 4: The short vampire is clutching the steering wheel. His seatbelt is on. Text reads: because i'm rich and sexy

Panel 5: The short vampire is lying down with his eyes closed, listening to his iPod through his headphones. Text reads: it's hard being an emo vampire i try to cry but i'm always really dehydrated from drinking just blood

Panel 6: The short vampire takes his headphones off. There is a shadow of his parents looming over him. Text reads: my parents don't get it Panel 7: A two-headed vampire appears. They have matching bob haircuts with deep widow’s peaks, pointy shoulder pads, and matching jewellery. They speak in a Gothic font. Text reads: they're like why don't you be like your cousin dracula go terrorise a village

Panel 8: The silent film version of Nosferatu (1922) looks up as he drinks blood from a sleeping woman. Text reads: i'm like mom, dad, it's not about sucking blood anymore

Panel 9: The short vampire lies face down. A dream bubble appears from his head. Text reads: it's about sucking at life Panel 10: In the dream bubble, the short vampire looks into a pond where Edward Cullen (from Twilight) looks back. From Edward’s head, three Jacobs appear. Each successive Jacob gets larger, running towards the short vampire. Text reads: i dream about being famous i dream about being sparkly i have nightmares about bella where the hell have you been loca? i hate werewolves no one understands me

Panel 11: The short vampire is sitting with his eyes closed. Behind him, his two-headed parents present a vampire queen (Akasha from Queen of the Damned, 2002) to him. Text reads: my parents keep asking when i'm going to settle down with a nice vampire girl

Panel 12: A silhouette of the two-headed parents consoling the vampire queen. The short vampire is standing at the window of a mansion overlooking the scene. Text reads: i wish they had more empathy

Panel 13: The short vampire holds the curtain at the window. He watches his parents wave farewell to a carriage riding into the sunrise. Panel 14: The short vampire draws the curtain closed, grimacing. Text reads: it's hard to meet people when you only go out at night and can't enter places unless invited

Panel 15: The short vampire lays in his coffin-bed looking at his phone. Text reads: besides, i prefer mortals

Panel 16: Close up of the phone screen, showing a dating app. There is a large heart that says ‘love finder.’ Under the heart reads ‘start matching.’ Text reads: i've been trying to date.

Panel 20: The short vampire is in his underwear, stylised as a dress-up doll. Four outfits float around him. There is a red cloak and wig from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), the Victorian-era Volturi outfit from the Twilight Saga, the fur-lined coat from Nosferatu (2024) with a fur hat, and the marching band outfit from My Chemical Romance’s Welcome to the Black Parade music video next to a box of blonde hair dye. Text says: i'm having my first date in 200 years i'm trying to pick out an outfit something that screams eternal torment but also says i'm approachable

Panel 21: The short vampire, now with blonde hair, is dressed in the My Chemical Romance outfit. Text reads: i tell my date that i'm an immortal creature of the night.

Panel 26: The short vampire bat kicks the wheel of his Maserati. Text reads: even my car is not as fast as the fleeting nature of mortal existence

Panel 29: A blurry silhouette of the short vampire in his coffin. Text reads: i think to myself at least i have an eternity to perfect my eyeliner as i fall asleep to the sweet sounds of ambient screaming

read the plain text transcript of the comic with image descriptions here

Words: Zephyr Zhang 张挚

Pictures: Nuanzhi Zheng 郑暖之

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