Just what you (didn't) ask for, more vampires in your Marvel comics!
Vampires are getting to be a pain in the neck. Everyone is getting vampire fever these days and now, we see there are way more vampires in the Marvel universe than we might have realized.
The Good
Like most of you, I'm getting sick of vampires as well. I have to admit I'm not overly familiar with the full history of Dracula and vampires in the Marvel universe but we do see some interesting things here. I wasn't aware that Dracula had kids. Things start out with a "once-a-century gathering" of the world's vampires. This means there are a heck of a lot of vampires in the Marvel universe. We get to see the different sects and it comes across as believable. Why haven't we seen more vampires in Marvel comics? Because of their weakness, mainly the daylight. They've simply been doing their thing, not drawing attention to themselves.
Like the title suggests, this is focusing on the Death of Dracula. Can Dracula actually be killed? If he's killed, can he return from the dead (or the undead)? The biggest shocker might be in who attempts (and possibly succeeds?) in killing Dracula. If vampires are going to start making bigger waves in the Marvel universe, it looks like the heroes are going to have their hands full.
The Bad
This just didn't feel like a Marvel comic to me. Being that this was written by Victor Gischler and the fact that vampires will be making a splash in Gischler's upcoming X-Men comic, I kept waiting to see actual Marvel characters (although there is mention of Atlantis). Yes this is a set up for what's to come but I felt like I could've been reading a Dracula/vampire comic published by any random publisher.
The Verdict - 3.5/5
We have an interesting take on vampires here. I dug the different sects and didn't really think about the different types of vampires that might exist in the Marvel Universe. You get a hint of how the events here could lead to a bigger repercussions in other Marvel comics. I'm not sure if anything here was really crucial enough to warrant a $3.99 one shot comic. Yeah, there is a "death" and the players are set up but it just wasn't enough to knock me off my feet. It could be worth picking up, depending on how much we'll see of these vampires and Dracula's sons in other titles.
@Emperor Gonzo Noir: Maybe it's just me. Apparently the book sold out right away and is already going to a second printing. It's supposed to mean big things but I just didn't feel it. I'd be curious to hear what others thought.
REALLY?! 3.5?! I know nothing about vampires. And this (to me) was one of the best single issues i have ever read. We must be smoking different crack. This issue was great. I read it 4 times. i give this a 6/5 This was the best issue of the week for sure.
Huh I wanted to pick this up but I was wondering how did it play into Draculas death at the end of Vampire State in MI 13 are these the same guys or what
vampires are about as lame as sillybands, facebook, justin beiber, and anything else that's going to be stone-cold dull in the next fifteen minutes. it's a real shame marvel is trying to placate this pre-teen mall rat crap by appealing to the twilight crowd. would it kill you to bring in a little Mr. Sinister?
(Apologies - left this as a comment on the review earlier, just new to ComicVine!)
Okay. So, the Death of Dracula. Yup, he was killed in it.
But there's something more bizarre afoot here; this actually isn't Dracula. At least, he bears no resemblance to the Dracula who has appeared in Marvel history, and who was most recently killed in the excellent Captain Britain and MI-13 series a few months back.
Surprisingly, his son Janus has been mentioned before, but the rest of the Gangrel, Toreador and Malkavians - oops, sorry, I mean Claw, Siren and Moksha sects - have seemingly always existed since the dawn of time, but we've never actually seen them before... I echo the above comments about it not really feeling like a Marvel comic (although the story was fun enough) - it just really jarred that it seemingly had nothing to do with what had gone before.
(Although I'm wondering if the author is going to do a scene in the Curse of the X-Men series that comes next, which has a flashback to House of M with the Scarlet Witch sighing "No more mutants..." and then under her breath before she fades out, "But hey, let's have a bucketload of vampires that no one's heard of before...")
@the_nightwalker: Vampires have been around for awhile, longer than Twilight. Back in the day, it was Anne Rice who was ruining vampires, now someone else took up the charge. I guess Anne Rice became all crazy religious or something. I hate to point out the obvious, but they've even been in Marvel for awhile. Maybe you remember Blade? He even had a couple of movies, one of which was actually good.
Sparkly vampires may be a fad, but I really don't think the several hundred year old concept of vampires is. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Vampires are far from what is wrong with Twilight, its fine being terrible in its own right.
Single worst comic in about 15 years. Where to start? The cod 90's look for a classic character? The lack of any drama? The ignoring of all previous continuity? Where is his daughter? Why is Janus there when he was de-aged? How did Drac procreate another son? The rampant over use of the word 'sect'? Read it aloud, go on. Pretend that the dialogue is for a film or tv series.....it wouldnt get passed for public viewing....sect, sect, sect, sect, this sect, sect that, secty-sect-sect, secto and sect.
I left comics altogether in the mid nineties and only came back a few years ago....this book reminds me of all the reasons I left. Flashy 'kewl' storylines with no sunstance. Half way through I didnt even know I was reading a Marvel book.....it could have been by any company. After the brilliant Vampire Nation in Captain Britain and MI13 and the wonderful legacy of Tomb of Dracula this looks like a steaming pile of vampire poo.
I'm sorry that this my first post here, I'm normally quite upbeat and positive but this book is so bad I feel it my duty to inform people, if I save one person the entry fee then I'll be happy. My copy is in the bin.
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