The story of Dracula is one which requires very little introduction. It is a story that has been retold, and reiterated so many times since its initial publication in 1897 that the name Dracula has become synonymous with the concept of the Vampire. Vampires existed long before Bram Stoker penned his Gothic classic, in fact, it is possible to trace the origins of the word back to 11th Century Russia. However, It was Bram Stoker who first truly popularized the mythological beast. Since that time, countless films, novels, plays, comics, and songs have been written about these blood-lust driven creatures. The vampire is a concept that is now thoroughly ingrained into the cultural conscience of the Western World, and when we think of Vampires, it is Dracula who we think of, or some derivative of Stoker’s Lord of Vampires.

It may therefore surprise some people to know that the complete story of Dracula has never actually seen publication. In 1914, two years after Stoker’s death, the short story ‘Dracula’s Guest’ was posthumously published. It was, according to most contemporary critics, the deleted first (or second) chapter from the original manuscript and the one which gave the volume its name, but which the original publishers deemed unnecessary to the overall story.

This week marks the 112th anniversary of the publication of Dracula. To mark this monumental occasion Dynamite entertainment will be releasing The Complete Dracula. The Complete Dracula, aims to restore Bram Stoker’s Horror classic back to the author’s originally intended vision. This shall be accomplished by reinserting the ‘missing’ scenes which the publisher decided to excise prior to its initial release, including the infamous ‘Dracula’s Guest’. This seemingly subtle update of the tale will actually give the story an all new beginning and ending, changing the story we all thought that we knew so well. The Complete Dracula will be released as a monthly, 5-part miniseries, adapted by Leah Moore & John Reppion, and will be illustrated by painter Colton Worley. Moore and Reppion also provide bonus material such as script pages, annotations and samplings of the original text by Bram Stoker!

Recently, I was lucky enough to discuss this grand project with writers Leah Moore and John Reppion. If you missed this interview, then simply click here, I’ll wait for you…. done? OK… Leah and John were also kind enough to provide me with a pre-release copy of the first issue of the series, so without further ado here is my review:

The Complete Dracula #1

The comic opens with an image of someone working at a typewriter. At the bottom of the page we are given a brief preface to the story, which indicates the epistolary nature of that which follows. Dracula the novel was originally told as a collection of letters, diary entries, audio-journals, and newspaper clippings. With this very simple preamble Moore and Reppion effectively introduce the reader to this format of story telling, and reassure Dracula fans that they have not tried to convert it into a purely sequential story. It is a very nice touch.

The Second page begins with journal entries from Jonathan Harker, recounting his wanderings around Munich before leaving for Transylvania. It is Walpurgis Night, and in spite of the coachman’s warnings, he foolishly leaves the couch, and wanders through a dense forest alone. Along the way he feels he is being watched by a tall and thin stranger (possibly Count Dracula). His wandering takes him to a huge mausoleum in which he finds the body of a young woman, with an iron stake driven into it. Harker is then attacked by a wolf, but is not injured, as it merely keeps him warm from the snow and the freezing cold night. When Harker is taken back to his hotel, a telegram awaits him from his expectant host, Dracula, with a warning about “dangers from snow and wolves”. If this part of the story sounds a little alien, that is because the first few pages of the comic are events taken from ‘Dracula’s Guest’. I have read ‘Dracula’s Guest’, and Moore and Reppion do a good job of bringing it to the comic page. They do make a few slight changes here and there. For example, the man in ‘Dracula’s Guest’ is referred to as the Englishman traveler, and it is left to assumption that this is Jonathan Harker. Moore and Reppion actually name him from the outset, which is a good way to introduce the character, and integrates this missing chapter quite deftly into the overall story.

The rest of the issue is much more familiar, as we see Harker arrive by carriage at Count Dracula’s crumbling, remote castle. The purpose of his trip is to provide legal support to Dracula for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker’s employer, Peter Hawkins, of Exeter in England. Harker soon discovers that he has become a prisoner in the castle. He also begins to see disquieting facets of Dracula’s nocturnal life. One night while searching for a way out of the castle, and against Dracula’s strict admonition not to venture outside his room at night, Harker falls under the spell of three female vampires, the Brides of Dracula. He is saved at the last second by the Count, however, who ostensibly wants to keep Harker alive just long enough to obtain needed legal advice and teachings about England and London. The main plotline of Harker in Dracula’s castle is interspersed with snippets of communications between Harker and his fiancée, Wilhelmina “Mina” Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. Lucy receives three marriage proposals in one day, from an asylum psychiatrist, Dr. John Seward; an American, Quincey Morris; and the Hon. Arthur Holmwood. Lucy accepts Holmwood’s proposal while turning down Seward and Morris, but all remain friends. Through Dr. John Seward’s audiojournals we are also introduced to Renfield, an insane man who means to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures. The issue closes with Mina and Lucy sighting a Russian ship, the Demeter, off the shore of Whitby, England. The ship is being thrown around in a tempest, and one character remarks that its captain must have lost control of the ship. The last page leaves us with a vision of the boat’s captain slumped dead over the wheel…. Dun, Dun, Duhhhhhhhhh…

If you are unfamiliar with the layout of Dracula, the book consists of what is essentially a massive pile of letters, diary entries, audio-journals, and newspaper clippings. As such, the story can be quite hard to follow at times. The reader finds out information like that of Lucy’s three suitors much later in the book, as they are reported in people’s journals etc. By rearranging these parts into a more linear fashion Moore and Reppion have actually managed to give the story better narrative flow. We get introduced to the key players in the story earlier on, and therefore their later interactions feel much more natural, and we are far more invested in their fates. As for the scripting and dialogue, Moore and Reppion have done a wonderful job. They have managed to trim the bulky script down to its raw essence, but manage to remove none of the important parts. The dialogue is actually quite sparse, with lots of the tale being told by exposition, or rather, inserted captions taken the form of excerpts from the characters’ journals.

As I have mentioned previously, the story is told from the perspectives of several different characters, and from both letters and typewriter transcribed notes. This method of storytelling could easily get very confusing, but thankfully we are saved from bewilderment by the expert lettering skills of Simon Bowland. Bowland manages to keep the look of each character’s captions quite unique and distinct from one another. This really helps with the flow of the story, and helps differentiate whose perspective each part of the tale is told from. Bowland’s design and letting skills are really quite brilliant. I have noticed his work in several other Dynamite books, and I am continually impressed by his amazing talents.

The artwork for this project is by new comic book artist, Colton Worley. The only work I have seen from Colton Worley before is a fantastic Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse pin-up that Ben Templesmith asked him to do. For this project Colton has chosen a very photo-realistic art style, which is completely digitally sketched and painted. Colton’s artwork on this book is jaw-droppingly beautiful. The photo-realism seems to really add to the atmosphere that the story creates, and the detail of the work is mind-bogglingly intricate. On the Transylvanian scenes he manages to really bring across that wonderfully dark and oppressive atmosphere that Dracula’s castle and its environs inspire in the mind of the reader. Then, at the turn of a page he switches to rolling British countryside that makes you think of long summer afternoons and picnics; no darkness creeping in at the edges whatsoever. It is a wonderful juxtaposition that works to dramatic effect. It makes you really fear what horrors Dracula’s presence will cause in this idyllic setting. Another thing that I was really impressed with was that he pulls off the moustachioed Dracula look with adroit. I have seen posts around the net from many people worrying how Dracula would look like with a moustache, but let your fears be alleviated, under Worley’s deft hand, Dracula with a moustache looks even more menacing and grotesque than ever before.

I was incredibly impressed with every single aspect of this book, from the writing, to final presentation. This book is the complete package. It is sheer perfection! It is the best adaptation of Dracula that you will ever read. I will definitely be picking up all five issues of this wonderful achievement in the art of comic book adaptations. I suggest you do too.

The Complete Dracula #1 goes on sale this Wednesday, 19th May 2009, and will be available at all good comic book shops, and probably a few of the not so good ones too

Solicitation:

Dynamite presents an unprecedented comic book series that tells the complete story of the Lord of the Undead–Dracula!
For the first time in 112 years the tale that Bram Stoker intended to tell is told (including ‘Dracula’s Guest’!). If you thought you knew how it began or how it ends, you were wrong!

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!

Moore and Reppion also provide bonus material such as script pages, annotations and samplings of the original text by Bram Stoker!

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