Journal of Dracula Studies 5 (2003)
[Perry Lake
not only reads comic books, he writes and illustrates them for adult comics
such as Demi the Demoness and Sex Squad, sometimes featuring his
Cassiopeia the Witch character.]
Dracula Lives! Is this a
defiant declaration of the immortality of the most evil fiend the world has
ever known? Or is it the pitiful admission that humanity’s greatest undead
threat will never be defeated? Neither. It is the title of a comic book. In
magazine format, Dracula Lives! ran from 1973 to 1975, and was published
by Marvel Comics. But it was by no means the only appearance of the King
Vampire in graphic format.
When Dracula fell
into public domain, Bram Stoker’s vampire lord appeared in other novels, short
stories, scores of motion pictures, a couple of television series, Halloween
costumes, computer games, and even on a brand of breakfast cereal. But while
there has been much discussion and analysis of these versions of Dracula,
less attention has been given to the amazing number of appearances by Dracula
in the field of comic books. Not only have a variety of comic book writers and
artists dealt with the character Dracula, but so have different publishers. The
most famous of these comic books is Marvel Comics’ The Tomb of Dracula,
which ran for seventy issues from 1971 to 1979. Though best known, they are not
alone. Oddly enough, even though there is the potential for a wide
interpretation of the character, the
majority of the comics seem to conform to a particular pattern.
Let me present what I
consider to be the Ten Best Dracula comics ever published. The list is given in
chronological order, based on the events of the story.
1. Dracula: Vlad the Impaler #1-3
(Topps Comics, 1993). Here we are given a traditional origin for Dracula. The
storyline by Roy Thomas largely recounts the biography of Vlad as McNally and
Florescu give it in their book In Search of Dracula, yet still there are
interesting insights into Vlad’s motivation.
After all, Vlad is the narrator, so we see everything from his point of
view. In his mind, all his acts are justified, and that might be a little hard
for some readers to take. Estaban Maroto provides some exquisite art. Thomas’s
theory of how the historical Vlad is transformed into the demonic vampire lord
is probably the best ever presented, despite its departure from Stoker. This
excellent trilogy is one of the best Dracula stories ever seen in the entire
field of comics.
2. Dracula Lives! #1-13 (Marvel Comics Group – magazine sized,
1973-75). Various editors, writers, and artists contributed to this series
which featured the lord of the undead’s adventures spread over his five hundred
year reign, set in numerous locales. As with any anthology, the quality is
variable. A three-part origin (in issues #2-4) seems a bit bland, even with the
great Neal Adams drawing the first installment. The best tales include a battle
with Robert E Howard’s puritan adventurer Solomon Kane (#3), “Parchments of the
Damned” (a trilogy in #12), a team-up with the historical blood countess
Elizabeth Bathory (#4), a series of entanglements with Cagliostro (#1, 5, and
#6), and a serialization of Stoker’s novel (beginning in #5). Regrettably, the
magazine folded before this serialization came to its conclusion.
3. The Frankenstein-Dracula War
#1-3 (Topps Comics, 1995). A sequel to Frankenstein and a prequel to Dracula,
well written by Roy Thomas and well drawn by Claude St Aubin and Armando Gil. A
few years after the Mary Shelley novel, the Monster is hired by the evil Comte
de Saint Germain to cut out Dracula’s heart. It seems the Comte needs a
vampire’s heart to brew his elixir of immortality. But the two monsters see a
common bond and turn against Saint-Germain.
The alliance is short lived as Dracula’s natural lust for blood
overtakes him and he kills the Monster’s mate. Then the Monster takes his
revenge against Dracula. It was not an earthquake that destroyed the original
Castle Dracula, but the seventeen-page fight between these titans of terror. In
spite of weaknesses (brevity of the period of friendship, and Dracula’s
motivation for killing the mate), this
three-parter is one of the best Dracula comics ever produced.
4. Blood of the Innocent #1-4
(Warp Graphics, 1985). Dracula visits England a few years before the events of
the novel. He falls in love with a Whitechapel prostitute, only to have her
fall prey to – Jack the Ripper. The art is rather cartoony and exaggerated, yet
it works here. Curiously, while most comics come out on a monthly basis, this
limited run title was one of the first to be published once a week.
5. Creepy #8-9 (Warren Publishing,
1966). “The Coffin of Dracula” written by Archie Goodwin and illustrated by
Reed Crandall is a fine sequel to the novel, presumably occurring the required
seven years later. Most of the original cast is back as Dracula’s spirit
reaches out from his coffin and takes possession of a British fop. Dracula is
not yet a vampire, but he’s still a powerful threat. Archie Goodwin excelled at writing pastiches
and this was one of his best. Harris Comics later reprinted this story in Creepy:
The Classic Years in 1991.
6. Vampirella #16, 18-21, 39-41
(Warren Publishing, 1971-72). The beautiful (and almost naked) Vampirella is no
normal vampiress, but an alien from a living planet called Drakulon where blood
flows in rivers. When a drought threatens to destroy the planet, Vampirella
travels to Earth, where she discovers that blood is inside people. Thus she
becomes a deadly huntress, but eventually discovers an artificial serum to
control her bloodlust. Conrad and Adam Van Helsing – father and son vampire
hunters – battle, then befriend Vampirella. But her constant companion is the
ever-so-slightly tipsy stage magician, Pendragon. Vampi’s ability to turn into
a bat is the main attraction of his show. In issue #16 Vampi and Pendragon are hired to perform at a
private party for none other than Count Dracula! But writer Archie Goodwin’s
Dracula is not just another vampire – he is the leader of the Cult of Chaos. He
serves the mad Lovecraftian god who plots to one day conquer the Earth. Dracula
is also from Drakulon (that’s where he got the name), was executed for his
crimes but then revived by Chaos to serve him. In Vampirella, the last
Drakulonian, he has at last found a vampiress worthy to become the Bride of
Chaos. Of course, Vampirella does not agree and a fight ensues. This is a great
one. But in issue #18, Dracula is revived by an inferior writer and for the
next three issues Vampirella has to save him from himself and a giant, alien
slug. Also, Vampirella #39-41 had a short Dracula series set in 1908,
but he did not meet Vampirella; it was quite forgettable. Jose Gonzales was the
first artist to really capture Vampirella and truly bring her to life. In fact, he may still be the best.
7. The Tomb of Dracula #1-70
(Marvel Comics Group, 1972-79). This is the best Dracula comic ever. Gene Colon
penciled every issue, and Tom Palmer inked most. From issue #7 on, Marv Wolfman
wrote the book. They would prove to be the best horror team in comics. Never
has a comic book title run so long in which the main character was a villain.
This would not surprise anyone familiar with the comic book – the quality of
the writing and art, and the depth of the storyline. Marvel’s Dracula is not
just a thirsty vampire; he is an evil man. When he cannot slay an enemy, he
kills a family member and hurls the corpse in their face and then laughs about
it. He is vainglorious, saying, “I am your god! Your god, do you hear me?” He
is brilliant, plotting world domination, where humans will be raised as cattle
for vampires to feast upon. As portrayed by Marv Wolfman, Dracula is just plain
mean – but he also is a very human character with cares and concerns, and it is
no surprise that some readers empathized with him.
Approximately the first
third of this series deals with a group of vampire hunters and their efforts to
destroy Dracula: Frank Drake (Dracula’s own descendant), Rachel Van Helsing
(guess who she’s descended from?), the giant mute Taj, and even Blade, the
first Vampire Slayer, who would go on to have a book of his own for a time (and
a brace of recent motion pictures). But the leader of this group was Quincy
Harker. Introduced as a baby on the last page of Stoker’s novel, he is now an
old man in a wheelchair, broken in body from his many battles with Dracula, but
rarely in spirit. The Harker group would continue to pester Dracula throughout
the series, but the next third also had Dracula battling the mysterious Dr Sun.
The final third has Dracula becoming the object of worship for a band of
Satanists. This leads to his marriage with coven member Domini, and the birth
of their son, Janus. After Janus is killed, an angel dressed like a superhero
shows up and battles Dracula. It turns out the angel is Janus, back from
the future. All this eventually brings Dracula before the throne of Satan
himself. Satan curses Dracula with something lesser writers would think Dracula
would desire – humanity. The human Dracula is still impressive, but he is not
happy until he makes himself a vampire again. But then came the inevitable
final battle between Dracula and Quincy Harker, and the cancellation of the
series.
8. Defenders #95, Doctor
Strange #58-59, Thor #332 & 333, Doctor Strange #60-62 (Marvel Comics Group, 1983). Since Doctor
Strange fought Dracula before, this epic-length tale is a rematch. After being
revived by the demon Mephisto, Dracula searches for the book of sins, the
Darkhold, thus pitting him against the good Doctor and vampire detective
Hannibal King. Dracula is served by the
Darkholders cult and a couple of American Indian vampires – who turn into
eagles, not bats. Then Dracula’s battle shifts to the Norse god Thor, and he
nearly turns the goddess Sif into a vampiress. Her blood gives him superpowers
and immunities he has never had before. When superheroes like the Scarlet Witch
and Captain Marvel cannot stop Dracula from taking the Darkhold, Doctor Strange
enlists the aid of folks better suited to this kind of work – Blade and Frank
Drake. Finally, Doctor Strange uses the Darkhold’s magic to thoroughly wipe out
not only Dracula, but also every vampire on Earth – or at least the Marvel
universe. It was not a bad story at all, even if the quality of the art
fluctuated from one artist to the next. Dracula is a deadly, power-mad villain,
and he is more powerful here than in any previous comic. But that is all he is.
He has lost much of his humanity at the hands of lesser writers.
9. Purgatori: Dracula Gambit #1
(Chaos Comics, 1997). Purgatori is half vampire and half demoness, so she feeds
on other vampires. She plans to conquer Heaven and Hell, but first she must
bring all vampires under her rule. Naturally this brings her into conflict with
Dracula. A nice touch comes when Purgatori arrives at the ruins of Castle
Dracula and she is able to see through the illusion, realizing the castle is very
much intact. So is its master. But it is actually a trap, and Dracula seduces
Purgatori and they end up exchanging blood (among other bodily fluids).
Purgatori does not realize that by drinking the blood of Dracula his blood will
be within her, making her his bride. This is a very good, thoughtful book, and
the painted art adds a certain dreamy, gothic quality. Usually, painted comics
are just pretentious.
10. The Curse of Dracula #1-3
(Dark Horse Comics, 1998). Marv Wolfman and Gene Colon return to their greatest
character – but this Dracula comes from a new publisher. There are numerous
similarities to their TOD version, but some surprising differences as
well. Dracula looks different, but he’s as power-mad as ever. Dracula has
handpicked his own candidate for the Presidency, and he’s having an affair with
the future First Lady. Again a team of vampire hunters has assembled to fight
Dracula, but these are more on the edge than Quincy Harker’s crew, and perhaps
not as likable. Nonetheless, Dracula is always one or two steps ahead of
them. He is surrounded by vampire
legions that obey to the death his every command, and without hesitation.
The art is shot from
Colon’s original pencils with no inking embellishment. Few artists could pull
this off, but his work is powerful and atmospheric. Rarely have an artist and a
writer been so perfectly matched. Marv and Gene may have not only matched their
brilliance of their old days, they may have even surpassed it. If there is a
complaint it is that The Curse of Dracula was only a three-parter, and a
short one at that.
Altogether, there are about two hundred
comics about Dracula. Yet for all the different people working on Dracula, and
the different situations, the character is generally consistent. He is evil
incarnate. He is cruel and power-mad, and he has a distinctively dark sense of
humor. This is how Vlad the Impaler acted in life, and this is how Stoker’s
Dracula acts. But there are other interpretations. Some writers
soften him and try to make him a romantic or tragic character seeking
redemption. These weak Draculas do not work as well. Yes, though he is a
supernatural monster and a sociopathic butcher, he is human. He has things he cares about. But to have him
grieve for lost loved ones, and show sympathy for his enemies, seems to miss
the main point: Dracula is the bad guy. Some writers – no matter how good they
are otherwise – just cannot get into the main character of a story without
making him sympathetic. They insist of turning villains into heroes.
Comic books are
another, completely legitimate, representation of the Dracula myth. Through
them a great deal has been written (and drawn) about this character, his
actions, his methods, his insights, his feelings, and his soul. He came from
the past, he exists in the present, and he will proceed into the future. Comics
have played and will continue to play a major role in perpetuating Dracula’s
immortality.
APPENDIX: LIST
OF AMERICAN DRACULA COMICS
[Not included are
several funny books and those in which Dracula is wheeled out for a one-panel
gag and nothing more. For example, in an issue of Howard The Duck a
thirsty Dracula is briefly seen biting a cow; the rest of the story has Howard
dealing with this vampire cow in a cape! And if you want to know about
Dracula’s presence in The Flintstones #33, you can pick it up yourself
at your local comic book retailer. I do mention some comic books where
Dracula does not appear, but his influence is still strongly felt. And, no doubt, a few titles may have slipped
by me.]
Creepy #8-9 (Warren
Publishing, 1966), “The Coffin of Dracula”
Creepy #19 (Warren
Publishing, 1967)
Eerie #24 (Warren
Publishing, 1969), Bram Stoker’s “Dracula’s Guest”
Vampirella #16, 18-21
(Warren Publishing, 1971)
Eerie #40 (Warren
Publishing, 1972)
The Tomb of
Dracula
#1-70 (Marvel Comics Group, 1972-79) [The best Dracula comic ever]
Dracula #1-8 (Dell,
1972-73) [#6-8 are reprints and there is no #5]
Eerie #50 (Warren
Publishing, 1973), “Genesis of Depravity!”
Werewolf By
Night
#15 (Marvel Comics Group, 1973)
[In 1973, Warren
Publishing produced a comic art magazine called Dracula in both hardback
and softbound editions. But the stories had nothing to do with Dracula.]
The Witching
Hour
#34 (DC, 1973). “Dracula Had A Daughter”
The
Frankenstein Monster #7-9 (Marvel Comics Group, 1973)
Chamber of
Chills
#2 (Marvel Comics Group, 1973), “Thirst”
Dracula
Lives!
#2-4 (Marvel Comics Group –magazine sized, 1973-75) [An anthology]
Giant-Sized
Dracula
#4 (Marvel Comics Group, 1974)
Eerie #46-48
(Warren Publishing, 1974)
Giant-Sized
Spider-Man
#1 (Marvel Comics Group, 1974)
Giant-Sized
Chillers
#1 (Marvel Comics Group, 1974)
Giant-Sized
Dracula
#2-5 (renamed from Giant-Sized Chillers, Marvel Comics Group, 1974-75)
Vampirella #39-41
(Warren Publishing, 1975)
Fright –
Featuring The Son of Dracula #1 (Atlas/Seaboard, 1975)
Marvel
Preview
#3 – Blade the Vampire Slayer (Marvel Comics Group, magazine-size, 1975,
continued from Vampire Tales #9-10)
Doctor Strange,
Master of the Mystic Arts #14 (Marvel Comics Group, 1976)
Marvel
Classics Comics #9 (Marvel Comics Group, 1976)
The Haunt of
Horror
#12 (Marvel Comics Group, magazine-size, 1977),
“Picture of Andrea” and “Profits Are Plunging”
Creepy #111 (Warren
Publishing, 1979), “Blood-Lust” [This issue also featured an ad for “Genuine
Soil From Dracula’s Castle” in a tiny plastic coffin]
The Tomb of
Dracula
#1-6 (Marvel Comics Group, 1979-80) [A B&W magazine]
Superman #344 (DC,
1980)
Uncanny X-Men #159 (Marvel Comics Group, 1982)
Uncanny X-Men
Annual
#6 (Marvel Comics Group, 1982)
Bizarre
Adventures #33 (Marvel
Comics Group –magazine sized, 1982), “The Blood Bequest”
Defenders #95, Doctor
Strange #58-59, The Mighty Thor #332 & 333, Doctor Strange
#60-62 (Marvel Comics Group, 1983) [A
multi-issue rematch between Doctor Strange and Count Dracula]
Tales of
Jerry
#1-10 (Hacienda International, 1984-92) [Dracula puts in an appearance in
issues #3, 5, and 7]
Blood of the Innocent #1-4 (Warp
Graphics, 1985)
Silverblade #6 (DC,
1987)
Dr. Strange,
Sorcerer Supreme #14-18 (Marvel Comics Group, 1990), “The Vampiric Verses”
The Tomb of Dracula #1-4 (Epic
Comics, 1991)
Blood of Dracula #1-4? (Apple
Comics, 1991)
Carmilla #1-6 (Aircel
Comics, 1991)
Dracula the Impaler #1 (Comax,
1991)
Dracula #1-4
(Eternity, 1991) [Interpretations of “Dracula’s Guest” and the rest of the
novel]
The Ghosts of Dracula #1-4
(Eternity, 1991)
Fright Night
– the Resurrection of Dracula! (Now Comics, 1992) [in 3-D]
Bram Stoker’s
Dracula
#1-4 (Topps, 1992), the official adaptation of the Coppola film
Dracula, The
Suicide Club #1-4 (Adventure Comics, 1992)
Nightstalkers #1-18
(Marvel Comics Group, 1992-94) [The survivors of the old Tomb of Dracula
form a detective agency]
Vampirella,
the Dracula War #1-4 (Harris Comics, 1993) [The king and queen of the
vampires have almost no scenes together]
Dracula: Vlad
the Impaler #1-3 (Topps Comics, 1993). [Roy Thomas’s version based on
McNally and Florescu’s In Search of Dracula]
Dracula
Versus Zorro #1 & 2 (Topps Comics, 1993)
The
Frankenstein-Dracula War #1-3 (Topps Comics, 1995) [A sequel to Frankenstein
and a prequel to Dracula]
Wolff &
Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre #14 (Exhibit A Press, 1997)
Purgatori:
Dracula Gambit #1 (Chaos Comics, 1997)
Vampirella/Dracula:
Centennial
(Harris Comics, 1997) [If only all Harris comics were this good]
The Curse of
Dracula
#1-3 (Dark Horse Comics, 1998) [ Marv Wolfman and Gene Colon return to their
greatest character – but with a new publisher]
The
Supernaturals #3 (of 4) (Marvel Comics Group, 1998)
Dracula: Lord
of the Vampires #1-3 (Marvel Comics Group, 1998)
Generation
X/Dracula
(Marvel Comics Group, 1998).
Purgatori #7 (Chaos
Comics, 1999)
Countess
Vladimira: Blood Relations #1-3 (Peregrine Entertainment, 1999)
Lady Rawhide #4-6 (Image
Comics, 1999)
The League of
Extraordinary Gentlemen #1-6 (America’s Best Comics, 1999-2000) [Mina
Murray’s further adventures]
Purgatori Vs. Vampirella (Chaos
Comics, 2000)
Superman #180 (DC
Comics, 2002)
Digital
Webbing Presents #10, “Ice” (Image Comics, 2003), the prelude to Sword of
Dracula (Image Comics, 2003) [The latest appearance of the King of the
vampires]
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