Issue: Death of Dracula #1
Writer: Victor Gischler
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Colors: Frank D’Armata
Letters: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: Marvel
Release Date: June 2010
Pages: 48
Price: $3.99
“He is the legendary Lord of the Vampires. Dracula. Who would
dare attempt to overthrow him? Only Dracula’s son Xarus, a ruthless and
clever upstart with the bold ambition to unite all the world’s vampire
sects under one flag. But Xarus’s older brother Janus isn’t sure he
likes the idea of a new regime and seeks allies to oppose Xarus. The
ultimate battle to control Earth’s Creatures of the Night unfolds, with
the future of the vampire race and possibly the Marvel Universe at
stake.“
Artwork: 3.0 out of 5
I wasn’t super blown away by the artwork in this story. However it was
strong enough for me not to hate it. When it came to character designs, I
don’t know why Dracula was changed at all. Hell he looked like he was
one of the Voltron bad guys. Sure it would have been strange to
see all these other cool vampires and then some dude in a cape, so I
will give them that, but why not just update him to look like he is the
most intriguing looking man in the room. Almost like a president. So
aside from that the Claw group was cool looking. The overall looked
worked, I guess it was just the colors, it just seemed flat overall. So
not this issues strong point.
Story: 4.5 out of 5
Now I have to sit here and tell you how good something was, but you
probably won’t get a good end to it. The story here starts fast. It’s
just BAM, were all meeting and now the leader is dead. If you consider
that a spoiler, read the title. So from there Gischler just took all of
the pieces and started to put together a fantastic book. Full of strong
plot points and a cool gang like feel it is very solid. The dialogue is
spot on and really explain the characters, of which I knew little about.
What it boils down to is a great one shot that will lead into this new
vampire era at Marvel.
Dying Breath: 3.5 out of 5
So the art was okay, and the story was fantastic. Problem is I want to
see this play out now, inside of itself. Meaning I want a mini series
that will have the vampires settle this between themselves. Spreading
this out into the Marvel Universe just doesn’t sit right with me. After
what I read I don’t see how Wolverine can have anything to do with it.
That is why I think something good is being wasted yet again. So just in
terms of this book. It’s great, I recommend it highly, but hopefully I
am wrong on how it all plays out. I just know it’s something I am not
looking forward too, because it will make this build up a big let down.
If you would like to buy or know more about Death of Dracula #1
you can find it at your local comic shop or at http://www.marvel.com
