IDW brings together two comic veterans, Roy Thomas and Esteban Maroto, in a new black and white reissue of their Vlad The Impaler Dracula.
Originally published 30 years ago, this miniseries has been reproduced from the original art, and tells the sordid tale of Vlad Dracula. He has been taken hostage by Sultan Mehmed I and assumes his kingdom’s crown after his father’s (Vlad Dracul The Dragon) death. But he suffers, kills, rages, and kills some more.
To summarize the story is to attempt to summarize a history book, so let’s just say that this story spans decades, and covers the plotting and actions of a warring time in eastern Europe.
Roy Thomas (Conan, Marvel, Twomorrows, etc) writes this deeply detailed account in such a way that it reads less as a thriller, and more of a family history. Scenes are pulled from the wreckage and historical family accounts and fleshed out, reanimated, and given drama. Esteban Maroto (Conan, Marvel, Warren’s Vampirella, DC, etc) provides crisp line art, beautifully inked with wonderful pen flourishes. The faces, horses, castles are amazing. The swordplay, the savage massacres, the terror, all drawn accurately and with flair.
Despite 3 pages of the novel having been reproduced (and unfortunately not retouched) directly from printed copies of the original comic books, this is a very attractive reissue. Just don’t expect a whole bunch of happy endings. This is a tragic saga with a lot of “Sturm und Drang” and blood taking.
IDW Vlad The Impaler Dracula, $15.99 for 96 pages, Mature for violence
Newsdesk