Les Daniels

Les Daniels (1943–2011) was an American author and scholar born in Evanston, Illinois. He spent much of his career documenting the history of comic books while simultaneously crafting a distinct body of gothic fiction. His life was defined by a deep immersion in both pop-culture history and the darker corners of literary horror.

Daniels is best known for his 'Don Sebastian de Villanueva' series, which begins with The Black Castle. These novels blend historical fiction with supernatural horror, following an aristocratic vampire through the Spanish Inquisition and beyond. His non-fiction work, including Comix: A History of Comic Books in America, remains a definitive text on the medium's evolution.

During his lifetime, Daniels enjoyed a cult following among horror enthusiasts who appreciated his meticulous historical research and atmospheric prose. While his academic work on comics was widely praised and cited, his fiction was often categorized as genre-specific, limiting its reach to dedicated horror circles.

Daniels is remembered as a bridge between high-art horror and the pulp sensibilities of the mid-20th century. His influence persists in the sub-genre of historical gothic fiction, and his scholarship on the history of comics continues to be referenced by historians and collectors alike.