Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection Vol. 1

Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection #1

by Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin (Contributor), Gene Colan (Illustrator)

Collects Tomb of Dracula (1972) #1-15, Dracula Lives! #1-4. Sink your teeth into a vampiric volume that chronicles some of the greatest supernatural comics ever printed! The all-time classic Tomb of Dracula ushered in Marvel's glorious age of horror, while the black-and-white magazine Dracula Lives! delivered stories with real bite - and both featured legendary creators, including Gene Colan in his prime illustrating the Lord of Vampires! The tomb has opened, and Dracula lives again! But his descendant, Frank Drake, joins vampire hunters including Rachel Van Helsing and Quincy Harker in a bid to return him to his grave! Will they drive a stake through Dracula's heart - or will that honor fall to Blade? Plus tales of terror from across Dracula's 500-year existence, featuring Hell-Crawlers, the Monster of the Moors, wizards, gargoyles, voodoo queens and more!

Genres: Comics, Horror, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Vampires, Graphic Novels Comics, Collections

507 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2017

About the author

Gerard Francis Conway (Gerard F. Conway) is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics' vigilante the Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man. At DC Comics, he is known for co-creating the superhero Firestorm and others, and for writing the Justice League of America for eight years. Conway wrote the first major, modern-day intercompany crossover, Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man.

Reviews

[Cameron Chaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was smiling from ear-to-ear the entire time I read this book. I can't wait to continue on!

[Ripley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half is the Tomb of Dracula while the second half is the Dracula Lives comic magazine. Tomb of Dracula is an early marvel horror comic. I love the artistry and the vintage, stereotypical comic book art style. Tomb had a dracula that wanted to rule the world with undead minions but who also had times of compassion. Dracula lives was a darker version of Dracula. His back story was explained but he was a more menacing and less cheesy character. also the art work has a grittier if not more realistic look. Young Dracula was made to be handsome and debonnair but older versions almost have a clownish quality. An amazing comic though.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book in July of this year and I vowed that as it was a Christmas present last year I would finish it before this Christmas and I have done it. This was my last book that has been lingering in my reading pile for a while and I wanted a clean slate for the new year. This volume had two parts in it, there was Tomb of Dracula 1-15 and Dracula Lives 1-4. Reading each one though I found I much preferred the Dracula Lives sections. I still liked all of it but I would have liked to read more of the Dracula Lives. I would like to continue to volume 2 but it's a very expensive buy but this one was definately worth a read.

[kesseljunkie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charming volume for the devoted

There is nothing here for any but the devoted who were first thrilled by reprints of Dracula comics. (I was too yoing for first run but have always loved vampire tales.) For those who were, this is a treat of a read. But I find nothing of special depth to recommend it to the casual comics reader, nor those without the taste for campy horror.

It's all so campily sexual at points -especially in later black and white volumes - that you can clearly see the pandering influence of the uncomfortably over-sexualized 1970s America. Some of the art and writing is top notch for the era but, like most series, inconsistent across different teams and formats.

Love Dracula and/or old 1970s-era and/or campy horror comics? This one's for you. All others, maybe not.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific collection of stories about The Prince of Darkness

This book takes you back to the beginning days of Dracula in Marvel Comics. It traces the roots of the character and introduces us to an ensemble of really interesting heroes along the way, including one who would become a standout star in his own right, Blade. This first book of the series struggles to find a steady path of consistency at first, but only takes a few stories to find its way into a direction of fluid storytelling. I highly recommend this and further installments for fans of comic, horror, or just the King of the Undead himself, Dracula.

[Davidus1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The is a compilation of the Tomb of Dracula and Dracula Lives. I liked the Tomb of Dracula comics much better but enjoyed both. The stories were fun. The Dracula Lives contains much "black and white" only but it was still enjoyable. There are additional volumes which I plan to get and read. This adds a nice mix to the comic series that I enjoy.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is gorgeous and atmospheric throughout, but the stories are repetitive and Dracula's boastful ranting is tiresome. I do like the collection of vampire hunters that gradually assemble as the series progresses: from Dracula's own descendant Frank Drake to Van Helsing's granddaughter Rachel and her partner Taj to Quincey Harker and of course the famous Blade. But every issue has them back Dracula into a corner only to have him escape. The only changes are the locations and supporting characters. The art (mostly by Gene Colan) is so strong that I plan to go ahead and read Volume 2, which features Dracula's appearances in other series like Spider-Man, Frankenstein, and Werewolf by Night.

Volume 1 also reprints the black-and-white Dracula Lives magazine, featuring stories from various time periods before the events of Tomb. The best of these are dumb fun (Dracula vs Solomon Kane, for instance); the worst of them are ridiculous nonsense (Dracula takes legal action against Elizabeth Bathory); but all of them look great with art by the best of Marvel's '70s artists.

[Tim Vargulish · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a reason why this series is held in such high regard. The art is absolutely beautiful, Gene Colan's Dracula IS the Dracula. Writing can be a bit dated at times but the stories still hold up and again I can really just stare at the art all day.

[J. Gowin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you remember when Blade wore riding britches with Blue-Blockers, and killed vamps with wooden knives? Times have changed alot since he was first created.

It should be noted that this volume collects issues of both Tomb of Dracula and Dracula Lives, from the early 1970's. The issues of Dracula Lives have the better artwork and stories. That said, there is a certain nostalgic charm to the Tomb which can best be experienced with a bowl of sugary breakfast cereal, and a satisfied inner child.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see the progression of The Tomb of Dracula. The first half of TOD is hard to get through. We meet all day the main characters and get a feel for them but the overall writing is pretty bad. I wasn’t enjoying myself until Blade showed up. This is around the time when Marc Wolfman took over writing. From that point forward the experience was significantly better but still not great. I understand that the story gets real good going forward. I’ll let you know.

The real prize is the Dracula Lives magazine issues reprinted in the back. I give those five stars and wish I’d read those first to get into to vampire mood. I’m glad I got the complete collection over the omnibus for these suckers. I’m gonna hang on to this guy to reread the Dracula Lives stuff at a future date.

*note* Don’t pretend to be Dracula. He really doesn’t like it.

[Chris W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blast to read. It sticks to horror tropes but plays out like a fun Vampire movie/TV show. The art is excellent, the tone is a mix of goofy yet horror based. And I really enjoy Rachel Van Helsing and Blade's introduction. It's entertaining, dark and unafraid to have Dracula take lives and be a continuous menace. I really enjoyed this series and it is by far one of the better if not best 70s comic series put out by Marvel.

[Shawn Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun

I remember reading these as a kid. Each issue would get passed around the house. The writing is still entertaining, although I must confess I still don't care for Gene Colon's artwork. The real treasure here are the Dracula Lives reprints. Harvey's black and white output is still top notch.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a pretty good time last year reading some of DC's foray into vampire comics with their I...Vampire series from the 80s. After I finished my sidetrack into the New 52 by way of the rebooted version, I figured I should give Marvel's equivalent a go. I've read some of Marvel's other horror comics of this time, mainly their take on Frankenstein. Much like that, I ended up finding this first volume of Dracula comics a bit of a mixed bag.

Though this was a bag mixed from the opposite direction, as it were. The Monster of Frankenstein started out fairly strongly, with a multi-issue adaptation of the original novel, but over time strayed and brought the monster more in line with his mute, simple-minded Universal Horror depiction, before the whole thing just kinda petered out. Thankfully, Tomb of Dracula began rather confused but did manage to improve by the end.

The first six issues are rather like the first season or two of a TV show that's having trouble finding it's footing. Over the course of the first seven issues, the creative team changes four times. This leads to jarring changes in direction and the constant introduction of new characters, only some of whom survive. I found it especially frustrating that every two issues followed a pattern of introducing a potential female vampire to be a distaff secondary villain standing alongside the Count, only to immediately kill her off. It's especially wasted potential with the first such character, Frank Drake's girlfriend who gets turned by the Count. A vampiric loved one is a classic trope that could provide plenty of angst and story potential but no, she's dead for good in issue two. The first six issues also bounce around between torches and pitchfork stuff more suited for Frankenstein, modern adventures in London, time travel, and even a random moor monster story.

Thankfully, in issue seven Marv Wolfman takes over and starts to put things into better order. And I've learned from Wikipedia that he and the associated artists stick with things for the whole rest of the run, which makes me feel more positive about the idea of reading the other four volumes. Marv does a good job clarifying the characters already established and adding new ones, including the ever popular Blade. Interestingly, while I know Blade as a half vampire, here he's just a normal human. And he's got a very 70s sense of fashion, and he's British - when he isn't spouting a 70s white guy's attempt at writing a black man's dialogue.

The stories from issue 7 on feature a modern equivalent of the band of vampire hunters from Stoker's novel, with Frank Drake, human descendant of Dracula, joined by descendants of the Harkers and Van Helsing, as well as the mute Indian strongman Taj and the aforementioned Blade. They make a good team and have enjoyable dynamics, with Quincy Harker being a mix between M and Q while Frank is in love with Rachel Van Helsing and struggling with the concept that it may be his fate to be a vampire someday.

Dracula is also done well in these issues. He's somewhat of a mix of the original novel's version and the general pop cultural idea of Dracula. It's maybe not as faithful to the novel as I would like, but I think it's a good version of the character that works well for stories. Over the course of this volume it's clear that Marv is trying to make Dracula a more sympathetic character in some ways - he's often depicted with a sort of noble sexism, coming to the defense of women from evil men, though he's perfectly willing to still snack on women himself when the opportunity presents itself. And a few of the issues focus primarily on the Count, which I found especially interesting.

This volume also collects the first four issues of the Dracula Lives black and white comics magazine from the same time period. Each issue generally contains three comic stories and a prose piece. There appear to have been more things in the actual magazine but generally they were reprints of older comics and thus are no re-reprinted here. I think the material in these magazines is actually my favorite in the whole volume. While in continuity with the color comic, all the stories here are focused on the Count. There are tales of his origins in Transylvania as well as stories of adventures in the modern world. Highlights include a story of Nazis occupying Castle Dracula and Dracula facing off against a Hollywood actor known for playing the Count on the silver screen. Since the magazine was not subject to the Comics Code, stories can be more explicit and adult with the horror, which I appreciated.

Overall, this felt like a somewhat mixed collection, but much of that was due to the rocky start of the comic itself. I'm hopeful that with Marv Wolfman and his team creating it consistently for the whole rest of the run, it will be a more consistently enjoyable book. When I started reading this I wasn't sure if I'd keep going. Having finished, it hasn't completely blown my mind but given that I already have the other four volumes in this set of collected editions, I will press forward at some point in the near future.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing art by Gene Colan with a great horror atmosphere. That’s the main reason to read this book. He is a painter with shadow, carving out form with value shapes as opposed to line, something no other comic artist has ever done so well. Of course, much of the credit must go to inker Tom Palmer. His slashing, bravura brushstrokes are the perfect complement to Colan’s style. (Several issues here are inked by lesser talents — Ernie chua, Vince coletta, and jack Abel, and they pale in comparison. All try to define form in standard linear fashion.) The art features dramatic angles, dynamic figures, and impressive depth. Detail of architecture and faces is implied with abstract dots and dashes that resolve at a distance, an impressionistic effect. On the down side, the art never conveys emotion well and can come across as soulless, and in some instances photo traced.

The story is a mixed bag. There are 3 or 4 different authors. Of course they all employ excessive, redundant, and purple prose. Just the style at the time. The purple prose isn’t so bad, but descriptions of the plainly obvious really hurt the pacing. So much could have been told with the art alone. There is not much effort made at characterization — the stories are all plot-heavy, also typical of the time. And much of the plotting is repetitive with no clear end-goal or sense of progress.

The one character standout is not Dracula, but Blade. Blade, unlike everyone else, has a unique personality. He’s rude and impatient, but also highly skilled, driven, and trustworthy in his way. Nothing slows him down, and his comparatively upbeat attitude, despite the horrors they all face, makes him the most likable.

Wolfman takes over for issue 7 and writes the rest of the series. He doesn’t begin to find his footing until issue 12 however. In that issue Dracula and Quincy Harker’s gang confront each other directly in a haunted house of horrors, culminating in tragedy and a vow of revenge. Finally, this sets up strong motivation for the conflicts to come.

Throughout most of the issues, Dracula comes off as a bumbling fool and spends the bulk of his time fleeing. The nadir comes when he is beaten up by a gang of street punks and dumped in a lake. His weaknesses are many and triumphs few; the sight of a cross, sunlight, or silver instantly vanquish him. He gets man-handled multiple times and needs to sleep in Transylvanian earth. His only successful kills are a few maidens — the gap between his rambling, grandiose threats (including world domination) and reality is massive.

I did find Archie Goodwin’s short tenure (issues 3 & 4) interesting. He put a more fantastical spin on the story, weaving a tale of a black mirror which forms a portal to hell. Too bad he wasn’t given more issues because he may have been the best and most imaginative writer.

Gerry Conway had the best Dracula dialogue.

[Dan McCollum · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been said before, but I feel like i should say it again: the first few issues of Tomb Of Dracula are very uneven. The constant rotating of writers drags the series down and means that it finds a while to really capture it's voice. But once it does so with the bringing onboard of Marv Wolfman, it really begins to pick up steam.

It must be difficult, I imagine, to have a series where the titular character is the villain (and make no bones about it - Dracula throughout these issues is the villain. Noble, yes at times, and possessing a certain code of conduct - even sympathetic here and there, but most certainly a villain). The focus of nearly every issue must be the heroes engaging him in some form, and the Reader knows that they cannot win because, if they did so, it would be the end of the series.

It's a limitation - and the authors do their best to work around it; sometimes successfully and sometimes not. These issues are at their best when they simply throw their hands up and make Dracula the point of view character. Probably helped by the fact that - at least at this point in the series - the other leads just aren't that interesting.

Okay, so that's my thoughts on Tomb Of Dracula, but thats not the only book containes in these pages. We arw also gifted the first several issues of the Marvel Black and White magazine, Dracula Lives! Each issue containing multiple stories, some rather light and fun fanzine-esque pages which contain stills from Dracula films and captions, and biographiea of the creative team.

...

I loved Dracula Lives. Straight up loved it. No, not all the stories are amazing, but the art is spectacular for the most part, and each story dispells with the vampire hunters from Tomb and just focuses on Vlad himself, with many of the stories set before the events of the Tomb series. Here we see Dracula's tragic rebirth, see him stalk Salem Village, go up against Soloman Kane(!!!), and engage in a number of other misadventures.

Honestly, I thought these issues were amazing and exactly what I had been hoping for from a Dracula title!

P. S. I just realised I forgot to mention the art of the Tomb series. By and large it is impeccable and one ofthe main draws of the series. Though the book took a while to really get into the groove, the art was spot on from issue one straight on through.

Score:

Tomb Of Dracula: 3 Stars
Dracula Lives: 5 Stars
Final Score: 4 Stars!

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tomb of Dracula was a horror comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It ran between April 1972 and August 1979.

The first few issues are bit disjointed, this was due to the change of writers. It isn’t until issue #7 when Marv Wolfman takes over that it gains some coherence. From then on it’s pretty good stuff.

One of the things I loved about this is the artwork, it was done by Gene Colan and is typical of the so called silver age of comics. It’s the artwork that attracts you to comics I think. Especially as a young boy. After that it’s the stories that keep you coming back for more.

The Tomb of Dracula ran for 70 issues and this volume contains issues 1 to 15.

I must admit I read this as a pure nostalgia trip and from that point I really enjoyed them. I still love the artwork. I love that period of comics books.

Also included in this volume is Dracula Lives.

Dracula Lives was published by Magazine Management which was part of the Marvel Group. It was a magazine rather than a comic containing articles and photographs aswell as the stories. Unlike The Tomb of Dracula it contained partial nudity and was more violent.

It contained several stories in each issue rather than a single story arc through all the issues.

I didn’t read this in my youth. I think it was because it was black and white. Reading it now I am rather impressed. The stories are stronger than The Tomb of Dracula, more realistic.

I actually enjoyed Dracula Lives more than The Tomb of Dracula which surprised me.

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Tomb of Dracula" was written in the 1970s. It had a 70 issue run and was one of the most popular horror comics ever published. This volume collects TOMB OF DRACULA (1972) 1-15, and DRACULA LIVES! 1-4. Of the two series, I liked Tomb of Dracula more.

Marvel's Dracula is arrogant, vile, and supremely powerful. He is also, sometimes, a sympathetic figure. This series was interesting in that it introduced the character of Blade, the Vampire Hunter (though strangely in this version he is human and not half-vampire). I enjoyed the Tomb of Dracula and thought it was quite good. But the "Dracula Lives" was not as good and more of one-shot stories, some of which are really good and others not so much.

But considering the time- the stories and the artwork hold up well. If you're a fan of vampires or Dracula then you might enjoy this horror comics.

[Matty Dub · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series has a lot of hype in omnibus collector circles, mainly because the 3 omnibus collecting it had been out of print for so long. Clearly this was another case of them never having read the books they hoard because this ain’t shit. I rate it 2.5/5 because Colan and Palmer offer incredible art but even that gets fucked up with middle of the road color work. This book would level up hard with black and white art, like most horror books. The writing is where Dracula shits the bed as Conway starts with a “vampires for children” kind of vibe and Wolfman eventually comes on as regular writer with his usual overly verbose soap opera style. The only thing of note taking place in this mess is the first appearances of Blade and he’s written like a bad Blaxploitation pastiche. 👎

[Jerry Durrwachter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colan & Palmer are one of the best art teams in Comics--EVER!

I didn't buy these comics when they came out in the 70s, but now I wish I had! When Palmer also acts as colorist, the quality goes up another notch still! Although Janson is also good on Colan, I wish Palmer would have also worked with Gene on Batman...

In addition to being very well illustrated, these stories are also well-written. I especially enjoyed the DRACULA LIVES B&W stories, particularly the ones showcasing the "new" talents, like Starlin, Weiss, and Buckler.

[Johnathon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid beginning to the classic series that while rough, lays the grand work for greatness. The first few issues are uneven, with the rotating writers of Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin and Gardner Fox giving mixed results, even if they establish the main characters and plot. However, by issue #7 when Marv Wolfman took over as writer, it truly found its character, especially with the introductions of the Harkers and Blade. Plus, Gene Colan's art improves with each issue, creating an atmospheric but action packed comic. A solid read that slowly moves into greatness.

[Mh430 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book only collects the first fifteen issues of the series and the publication hadn't hit its peak yet, but you still get a sense of the greatness to come. The supporting cast is quite good already and for my money more of a draw than the eponymous lead. I would have preferred a few more TOD issues here rather than a reprinting of the earliest the b & w Dracula Lives! offerings but at least the copyright gods did not prevent the appearance of Robert Howard's puritan adventurer Solomon Kane.

On to Volume Two? Yes, please.

3.5 stars

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I seem to be in the minority in regards to this collection, but it did very little for me. It was melodramatic, dated, and full of stereotypes. Maybe if I'd read this as a kid and gone back to re-read it now, I'd feel differently, but this is my first exposure to Tomb of Dracula, and it was more a chore than anything else.

I think I expected too much out of it.

[April Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

These comic books are still so, so good. And, for the most part, any slurs were spoken by Dracula, and he’s clearly the villain. Considering that these comics are so old, that’s pretty good.

I love it that these comics are so gothic and contain such amazing verbiage. It’s almost like reading a non-comic book. The artwork is also quite excellent.

[Bob Wolniak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine collection of the acclaimed 70’s horror series and the black & white companion series Dracula Lives. From the start, this was the series Gene Colan was born to illustrate. This first volume also includes the first few appearances of Blade-perhaps Marvel’s first real success at the box office some twenty years later.

[Don Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starts off a bit uneven, but it really picks up once Marv Wolfman takes over as the writer with issue 7. Marv Wolfman's and Gene Colan's run on Tomb of Dracula is a Horror Epic worth reading and re-reading, still one of the best from Marvel.

[I.D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little uneven in parts, but what’s good is great and what’s bad is still readable. The magazine issues at the end are decent but not all that memorable it’s in the Marv Wolfmam penned Tomb issues that everything picks up. Neat to see how Blade began as a Blaxploitation character.

[Brannigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun read for fans of the classic Universal Monster films. It also has Blades first appearance I believe. That said I don’t see myself going back to it every few years so it’s a one and done.

[Jon Shanks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice artwork, some which hasn't stood the test of time. Same goes for the stories, which get pretty repetitive pretty quickly. Dracula seemingly killed, Dracula alive again, Dracula takes revenge on his would-be slayers, rinse and repeat.

[Jamie McLendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best of the Marvel 70s horror titles, this one takes a few stories to find its groove. Once it locks in, it's amazing. Gene Colan's art is perfect and the various writers' take on Dracula applies just enough arrogance.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of purple prose. Not for me. In it's time it would have been special because not much anything would be like this.

Colan art is very good. Colours and lettering are well done.

Too many other things I'd like to read over this. It didn't hold my attention for full issues.