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AWESOME-tober-fest 2011: Marvel’s Dracula Lives magazine (1973)

Posted in comic books, Dracula, monsters, movies, pop culture, vampires with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2011, Cavalcade Comics, comic books, Dracula, Halloween, holiday, Marvel, monsters on October 6, 2011 by Paxton

Welcome to Day 4 of AWESOME-tober-fest 2011. This week I am looking at comic books featuring the character of Dracula. Yesterday we looked at Marvel’s regular size Tomb of Dracula. Today we look at Marvel’s magazine sized Dracula Lives.

Marvel released Dracula Lives after their comic Tomb of Dracula became popular. It was a black and white magazine that featured Marvel talents such as Tomb of Dracula writer Marv Wolfman and artists Dick Giordano, Roy Thomas and Gene Colan. The magazines would feature articles about Dracula movies as well as the actors that played Dracula. The magazine would also become known for the comic stories featuring Dracula. Since the magazine was released concurrently with the Tomb of Dracula comic, the stories would, for the most part, keep continuity between the two. Events that happened in one would be reflected in the other.

Let’s look at some of the more notable comic stories in this magazine.

In Dracula Lives! #2, there is a Dracula origin story. It’s written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by the awesome Neal Adams. The artwork is truly fantastic. Adams is wonderful. I mentioned his work on Monday when I looked at the book and record set A Story of Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein. The story involves Turks invading Transylvania and taking Dracula (who is a mortal man) prisoner and planning to use him as a puppet king. Dracula is injured in battle and taken to a gypsy to keep him alive. The gypsy reveals herself to be a vampire and the Turks kill her and take Dracula back to their stronghold. Their the Turks threaten Dracula’s wife and child to make him to their bidding. The Turks kill his wife, then Dracula reveals that the gypsy turned him into a vampire and he slaughters everyone. Why he didn’t “vamp out” earlier to save his wife is a mystery. Dracula then vows vengeance on the entire world for the death of his wife.

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2011: Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula (1972)

Posted in comic books, Dracula, Halloween, holiday, monsters, vampires with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2011, Cavalcade Comics, comic books, Dracula, Halloween, holiday, Marvel, monsters on October 5, 2011 by Paxton

Continuing our look at comic books this week featuring the character of Dracula. Today we look at the classic Marvel comic, Tomb of Dracula. The first seven issues of the series had trouble keeping a writer. Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin and Gardner Fox all took turns. The book finally took off when Marv Wolfman became the permanent writer with issue 7. The entire run was drawn by Gene Colan. Colan didn’t model his Dracula on Bela Lugosi or Christopher Lee. He would use Jack Palance as his model. Tomb of Dracula became a very popular part of Marvel’s horror comics in the 70s – 80s.

In Tomb of Dracula #10 (1973), the character of Blade the Vampire Hunter would be introduced. At the time, Blade was just a guy who happened to be immune to vampire bites. He was more Shaft than super-vampire. In 1998 Wesley Snipes would re-envision the character of Blade for the big screen.

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2011: Dell Dracula comics (1966)

Posted in comic books, Dracula, Frankenstein, monsters, nostalgia, pop culture, vampires with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2011, Cavalcade Comics, comic books, Dell Monsters, Dracula, Frankenstein, Halloween, holiday, monsters on October 4, 2011 by Paxton

Continuing our Halloween AWESOME-tober-fest, this week we are looking at comics featuring Dracula. Today is one part of a group of comics by Dell that re-imagines the Universal Monsters as super heroes.

I have previously looked at the other Dell Monster comics for Halloween. Dell picked up the Universal Monster license in the early 60s and tried to reboot the monsters into super heroes. It was as gloriously insane as you think it was. I talked a little bit about the Dell Frankenstein comic during AWESOME-tober-fest 2009. I hope to someday revisit that comic for a more in depth review. Next I took a long look at the Dell Werewolf comic for AWESOME-tober-fest 2010. While strangely awesome and weird, the Werewolf comic had the best plot so far. They next turned their eyes toward Dracula. And the above comic laden with ridiculous weirdness was the result. Check out that goddam costume. Did he design it in the dark?

The Dracula series only lasted three issue. Here are issues #3 and #4.

The comics are pretty zany. Let’s take a closer look at some of the more entertaining bits.

Dracula origin 2
Here’s the new Dracula’s origin. This guy, Dr Dracula is trying to clear his family name since it’s been smeared by legend. He is trying to cure brain damage with bats…somehow. He creates a serum, pronounces it a success and then proceeds to let go all of his test bats because his work is done (without testing it?). Then one of the bats knocks over the serum and it pours into Dracula’s celebratory drink…without him knowing it (of course!). The serum inexplicably gives Dracula the ability to transform into a bat which, if you think about it as a super power, kinda sucks.

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2011: A Story of Dracula, the Wolfman and Frankenstein book and record set (1975)

Posted in Dracula, Frankenstein, monsters, nostalgia, pop culture, vampires, werewolf, werewolves, Wolf Man with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2011, Dracula, Frankenstein, Halloween, holiday, monsters, pop culture, werewolf, Wolf Man on October 3, 2011 by Paxton

Welcome to AWESOME-tober-fest 2011. For those that don’t know, this is my yearly Halloween celebration. I do it in conjunction with the Countdown to Halloween Blogathon. Each week I’ll be looking at comics, movies, TV shows and books that feature monsters. This year’s theme is Dracula/vampires, so the stuff will all feature Dracula or vampires.

Anyway, we begin the celebrations with comic book week. This week I’ll look at a bunch of comic books and comic book stories that featured the character of Dracula. Today, I’ll start with a different type of comic book. A Power Records book and record set. This is the book and record set of A Story of Dracula, The Wolfman and Frankenstein. It was released in 1975 and features awesome artwork by Neal Adams. Somewhat of a long and awkward title, isn’t it? I thought this book would be appropriate to look at today because it features the monsters in reverse order of how they appeared in the last three years of AWESOME-tober-fest.

AWESOME-tober-fest 2011 – Dracula/vampires (NOW)
AWESOME-tober-fest 2010 – Wolf Man/werewolves
AWESOME-tober-fest 2009 – Frankenstein’s monster

The book contained one long story incorporating all three monsters.

The story starts as a man and woman are discovered in the woods by a blonde Dracula with a Ted Nugent mustache. The guy is revealed to be Vincent, the nephew of Baron von Frankenstein and the girl his fiance, Ericka. He survived the murder of his uncle by villagers (saving the knowledge of his uncle’s work) and is being chased by those very same villagers. Dracula offers his castle as refuge. But as soon as the couple settle into the castle, Dracula takes Ericka hostage and forces Frankenstein to create a slave using his uncle’s lab equipment. Frankenstein builds the monster and imbues it with life. However the monster goes apesh*t and tosses the fiance out the window (I’m not kidding). Frankenstein begs Dracula to save her and so he calls The Werewolf.

The werewolf attacks Ericka, then takes her to a gypsy camp run by Maleva and her son Bela (the two gypsies from the original Universal Wolf Man movie). Ericka discovers a pentagram on her hand and remembers a werewolf poem, “Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may be become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the moon is shining bright”. Yes, apparently Ericka has been turned to a werewolf. Of course, at that moment, the full moon comes out from behind some clouds and Ericka turns into a wolf and engages in a battle with another giant werewolf. Bela shoots the other giant wolf and it turns back into Maleva. As a wolf, Ericka flees and somehow finds her way back to the Castle Dracula.

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AWESOME-tober-fest 2010: Frazetta’s Dracula Meets The Wolfman

Posted in comic books, Dracula, monsters, werewolves, Wolf Man with tags AWESOME-tober-fest, AWESOME-tober-fest 2010, comic books, Dracula, Halloween, holiday, monsters, werewolves, Wolf Man on October 4, 2010 by Paxton

In 2007 Image Comics started releasing several limited edition comic books based on the paintings of sci-fi/fantasy legend Frank Frazetta. Their first comic was based on one of Frazetta’s most well known pieces, The Death Dealer. The Death Dealer was the subject of several of Frazetta’s most famous paintings. The comic book told the origin of the famous character and fleshed out some of his adventures. When that comic proved successful they decided to continue the series by telling the story behind other famous Frazetta paintings.

(Via FrankFrazetta.org)

In 2008, Image released a one-shot comic book based on Frazetta’s painting, Dracula Meets The Wolfman (see above). The one-shot comic was released with three limited edition covers. Cover A was the original Frazetta painting. Cover B was done by the book’s artist Francesco Francavilla. The third cover was a limited edition sketch by Nat Jones (see covers below).

Dracula Meets Wolfman Cover B Dracula Meets Wolfman Cover C

I recently read this one shot comic and, as for the story, it’s a little thin. It feels like only part of a larger story. Nicolae, who is apparently a werewolf, is in love with a peasant girl. The peasant girl is taken to Dracula who intends to feast on her blood. Nicolae shows up all wolfed out and battles Dracula for the life of the peasant girl. That’s essentially it. The peasant girl is killed and we get an epilogue that fast forwards years later where the Wolf Man ambushes Dracula on the tarmac of a private airport. It’s really disjointed and feels like the middle part of a three part story. I was hoping there were other issues to flesh out the rest of the story but there isn’t. That’s it.

Needless to say, for me, the idea is far better than the actual execution of that idea. I love Frazetta, I love the painting, but I do not love this comic book.

Stay tuned, all week I am looking at werewolves in comic books.

Also, check out the blog Countdown to Halloween for more Halloween-y, bloggy AWESOMEness.