Tomb Of Dracula

When you are dealing with a character that has been so popular and recognizable throughout the history of literature and cinema you run the risk of presenting a “new” version in a different medium working against you.

This was not the case with Marvel Comic’s 1970’s offering Tomb Of Dracula,which first hit the stands in April 1972 and continued through August 1979. The 70-issue series featured a group of vampire hunters who fought Count Dracula and other supernatural menaces. On rare occasions, Dracula would work with these vampire hunters against a common threat or battle other supernatural threats on his own, but more often than not, he was the antagonist rather than protagonist. In addition to his supernatural battles in this series, Marvel's Dracula often served as a supervillain to other characters in the Marvel Universe, battling the likes of Blade (featuring his introduction in issue #10), Spider-Man, Werewolf by Night, the X-Men, Howard the Duck, and the licensed Robert E. Howard character Solomon Kane. Only Marvel could pull off this kind of diversity!

Most notable about this series is the acclaimed scripting of Marv Wolfman, who was really coming into his own at this time, and was well on his way to becoming one of the most respected writers in the industry. Dracula encountered the Werewolf by Night in a crossover story beginning in The Tomb of Dracula #18 (March 1974) and continuing the same month in Werewolf by Night #15 with both chapters written by Wolfman.

Not to undersell the fact that Marvel got the absolute perfect artist for this series : Gentleman Gene Colon! Colan, a veteran by this point, first being published in 1944 when he was a mere 18 years old, had deftly developed a very distinct style over the years, really coming into his own with Marvel in the 60’s - drawing Iron Man, Daredevil, Captain America and more. Colon had a versatile eye, going through different perspectives flawlessly, almost cinematically, and his work was at it’s best when he incorporated his keen understanding of movement and shadow; Gene’s work was downright moody, and suited Tomb of Dracula very well.

There has been a recent resurgence of interest in Bronze-Age horror books, making their market prices steadily on the rise. Tomb Of Dracula is becoming a very collectible series, with standout key issue being #10 - the first appearance of popular character Blade!

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