Author: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
First Published: 2024 (TPB)
Contains spoilers
The Blurb: THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH creators, James Tynion IV (W0rldtr33, Something is Killing the Children)and Martin Simmonds, reteam to tell a new tale of the monster who started it all!
When Dr. John Seward admits a strange new patient named Renfield into his asylum, the madman tells stories of a demon who has taken residence next door. But as Dr. Seward attempts to apply logic to the impossible...his daughter falls under the spell of the twisted Count Dracula!
The Review: A short run comic series now in graphic novel form, Dracula is not the only Universal monster getting this treatment but he was, of course, the first in movie form. This is very much based on the Universal film – so the ship the Count comes in on is the Vesta and Seward feels that Renfield’s madness may actually be born from a blood disease. This fits as, in Universal’s House of Dracula, the Count is shown to have unknown parasites in his blood, and a blood anomaly is found in this. Interestingly, Seward then looks to administer a cure through transfusion (again mirroring House of Dracula) and Renfield feels like (and fears that) he is changing more back to the man he was. Another Renfield moment I liked was when he says he was shown how to extract life (from the flies and spiders) but refuses to share the secret – making the consumption more than just eating.
Renfield suggests that the telepathy with Dracula is in images not words (and he would not understand the Count’s native tongue). Van Helsing is seen as a crackpot and Seward is forced into working with him. There was a jarring moment when Van Helsing mentions the Count’s lack of reflection, illustrated in the panel where this is mentioned using the cigarette box scene (referenced from the movie), and also saying that Seward had seen him transform into a wolf – but we never saw that meeting prior to the oblique one panel mention, and the short hand of it felt like it would not be obvious to a reader who was not also invested in the film. However, it was a moment in an otherwise strongly put together reimagining of the Lugosi film.
In mentioning Lugosi, I must say that the artwork around the Count can, in some moments, be reminiscent of him (though they have not used the actor’s likeness exactly). That does bring me to the artwork, which is stunning with a great use of muted colours verses splashes of vividness. The latter reserved for the vampires and there is some mirroring of Renfield’s assertion that “you’ll like what he does to your world. The color he brings to it.” It is the art in this the really draws me into the book and, minor quibble aside, it is well deserving of 8 out of 10. My thanks to Adrien who put me onto this.
In Hardback @ Amazon US
In Hardback @ Amazon UK
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