Dracula Book 2: The Brides

Dracula (Dark Horse) #2

by Matt Wagner, Kelley Jones (Illustrator), José Villarrubia (Illustrator)

For the wives of the infamous vampire, the horrors begins long before Dracula.

Following the massive success of Book 1: The Impaler, Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones continue their story between the lines of Dracula in this second graphic novel volume!

“One of the most eerie and memorable parts of the Dracula legend is the presence of his vamipiric Brides,” says writer Matt Wagner. “In both the novel and the litany of screen adaptations, the appearance of these beautiful and seductive sirens is always an indelible part of the narrative. And, of course, this presents us with yet another dark and beguiling story to be told. Who were these women before they became part of Dracula’s sinister harem? How and why did he come to claim them as his undead paramours? And what role do they ultimately play in his ongoing saga?”

This 120-page volume dives deeper into the story of Dracula’s brides, and the lives and horrors they faced before they married the ultimate evil.

Genres: Horror, Vampires, Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy

136 pages, Paperback

First published November 18, 2025

About the author

Matt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist. In addition to his creator-owned series' Mage and Grendel, he has also worked on comics featuring The Demon and Batman as well as such titles as Sandman Mystery Theatre and Trinity, a DC Comics limited series featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Reviews

[Sean Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate what Wagner and Jones are doing here; it's just not hitting me as hard as I'd like.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lusty Vlad "seduces" 3 young women to comprise his coterie of vampiric brides over the course of dreary centuries in Transylvania. Fittingly, the personality characteristics that attracted him to each abruptly change or disappear upon their transition to undeath. Serves him right!

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Wagner and Kelly Jones return to their hauntingly beautiful version of Dracula to tell the tale of his three vampire brides and they came to join his evil harem. Perhaps not quite as good as the first volume, it was still such an atmospheric ride. I am eagerly anticipating Volume 3.

Special Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

[Tim Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got my Kickstarter copy of the second volume of Dracula by Wagner and Jones. As with the first volume, this one sets out to fill in the blanks in Stoker's novel. Volume two gives us the origin of Dracula's three brides, who have very limited time in the novel but have left an imprint of the psyche of the Dracula legend. Like the first volume, this is a perfectly fine addition to the mythos. The three wives are different enough, at least at their inception, to make them interesting. The reasoning behind each is solid and the book does a good job of setting the stage for the beginning of Stoker's novel.

While I said before that Jones was born to draw Dracula and his environment, the art was honestly the major issue with this book. I'm a Jones fan and overall the art was good to great. But it seemed that maybe he was rushed or was just not feeling it at times. There were panels that just didn't work for me at all. In particular, the second wife looked really odd at times, particularly before she was turned.

Still a solid book and I'll again support volume three because I want to encourage veteran creators to work outside the "Big Two" system.

[Matt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wagner and Jones have done it again! This is another great installment in their Dracula series. Although this one is a bit more of what I’d expect from a classic Dracula story.

It follows how Dracula acquired his 3 brides. Telling how each one came under his thrall. Because of this, it is more contained to the castle and nearby town. I did miss seeing the crazy landscapes and monsters that the first volume had (that dragon was unreal!) instead it replaces those environments with blood thirsty buxom wife’s and pitchfork/torch wielding villagers seeking revenge for their missing children and women.

Kelley Jones continues to put out amazing art on every page and Matt Wagner’s prose capture the Dracula esthetic and atmosphere completely. Can’t wait for the 3rd volume.

[Eddie B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10
This volume is supposed to be released on November 18th, but a version of it emerged online somehow, fittingly, just before Halloween. I hope this is the reason why the art looks unfinished and lacklustre. It's a shame to see the art of Kelley Jones tarnished like that.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wagner does a very good job working within a source material that just doesn't interest me. He put real effort into crafting distinct characters for the three brides, and it was interesting to see how each loses their allure once he has them. On the other hand, I found Dracula's lethargy in the back half of the book very boring. I guess it's necessary - for him to want to strike out and go to England in the novel, he has to be trapped or indifferent to his current lifestyle and location, but it doesn't make for compelling reading.

I know Kelley Jones has his fans, and I'm glad they have him, but I've never been one. The layouts are often very striking and his use of black and shadow is impactful, but the anatomy is rubbery and erratic and I could frequently only tell the brides apart by their hair color.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones's Dracula adaptation delves into the mind of the Impaler himself as he strives to find companionship in all the wrong ways since he's incapable of love. Dracula's descent as he loses his grip on everything that he thought he wanted is well-realised, and the three brides, while intentionally secondary characters, push the narrative further and Vlad closer to the edge until the final pages grant him a new revelation that moves him into the next phase of his life.

Jones's artwork is exactly what this kind of book needs. It can be a bit out of proportion at times, but that's the charm of it, and no one does horror shading like he does.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun to read about the Brides' origins. Not so sure about the depiction of them throughout the book. I get that the original story is a commentary on Victorian sexuality and that vampirism has always been associated with sexuality... I just felt some of the graphics were more gratuitous than they needed to be.