Originally published at Project Fanboy
The Complete Dracula #2 (of 5)
Title: The Complete Dracula #2 (of 5)
Publisher Name: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: Leah Moore, John Reppion
Art: Colton Worley
$4.99, 32 pages, Color
Safety Content Label: T+ TEENS AND UP – Appropriate for most readers 13 and up, parents are advised that they might want to read before or with younger children.
Publishers Blurb:
Dynamite presents an unprecedented comic book series starring the Lord of the Undead – Dracula! Writers John Reppion and Leah Moore are joined by painter Colton Worley for a 5 issue odyssey of life, death and the blood that flows within us all!
This fully-painted series features a massive 32 pages of story and art per issue, each page fully-painted in a rich, moody style by Worley, all under covers by modern master John Cassaday! Join us for this authentic and exhaustive adaptation by Moore and Reppion, who also provide bonus materials such as script pages, annotations and samplings of the original text by Stoker!
Reviewer Comments:
The Complete Dracula is one of those books that I wish I had in high school. A faithful adaptation like this is an easy way to get through that assigned reading without missing any important details for the test, and it makes the book come alive in a more accessible way – especially for modern day readers.
This issue in particular was absolutely gorgeous. In the first issue, most of the story took place in very dark and dreary settings like Transylvania. In this issue, the settings change to places like bright Victorian-era English countryside and coastal towns. The blues of the sky and the greens of the landscape are vivid, and the style of the art is similar to the classic paintings of that era. Hats off to artists Aaron Campbell (on layouts) and Colton Worley (digital painting), who firmly rooted the look of this book in the Victorian era not only in the way that the characters dress but also in the feel of the art (heavy paint strokes and lots of texture).
Normally, lettering fulfills an important function in that it allows us to see what’s being said, but the lettering in this book took on a much more important function. The Dracula novel was written like a collection of excerpts from personal diaries, telegraph messages, and letters. Many of these entries were written by different characters, and they reveal important aspects of the story as seen by each character. The Complete Dracula reveals that switch in narrative voice by showing messages neatly typed on telegraph paper, or handwritten in letters or personal diaries. Even the choice of typed text (including varying “typewriters”) versus handwritten text reveals more about that character.
Go pick this book up to see the roots of the vampire mythos. It is a true artistic experience.
