(Luis Scafati’s) Dracula – review

Author and art: Luis Scafati

Release date: 2008

Contains spoilers

Artist Luis Scafati brings a new slant to the Dracula myth in this book of art, where the text is almost supportive of the pictures rather than the other way around.

This is not a faithful rendering of Bram Stoker’s novel, rather it is an amalgam of various sources including the novel, the historical Țepeș, the romance introduced in the 1973 Dracula and a large dose of Nosferatu. This list is not exclusive and, indeed, Scafati adds some of his own lore. In a description of anti-vampire devices we get (with my highlight): “’Vampires, the professor continued, ‘feed off blood. They live in the dark and hate sunlight, which is lethal to them. They have sharp fangs and mysterious powers, such as the ability to control certain inferior beasts and change shape at will. They also fear the smell of fruits and the sign of the cross. They are immortal. To destroy them it is necessary to pierce their hearts with a stake made from wild rose or ash.’”

Dracula and Mina

The Count of this story is a ravenous beast, with a host of victims through the city all of whom are awakened sexually, hiding the evidence of his nightly visitations and the animal awakened within them. It is also a circular journey, an investigation into the maze of Harker’s mind.

The story itself is an interesting, if brief, reimagining but it is the artwork on which the book succeeds or fails. I was taken by the stark, nightmarish style and to me it worked really well. The score is actually based upon the art primarily, and the volume as a collection piece. 8 out of 10.