Vampire Tales Vol. 1

Vampire Tales (1973) #1-3

by Steve Gerber, Ron Goulart, Roy Thomas

Collects Vampire Tales #1-3.

Morbius the Living Vampire and Satana the Devil's Daughter - the reluctant revenant and the sinister succubus, two of Marvel's most preternatural protagonists - up against demons, cults and mortals even more monstrous than themselves! Black-and-white horror tales from the 1970s horror boom and some of the genre's greatest talents! Plus: adaptations of classic terror tales from literature!

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Anthologies, Vampires, Fiction, Horror, Graphic Novels

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2010

About the author

Steve Gerber graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in communications and took a job in advertising. To keep himself sane, he wrote bizarre short stories such as "Elves Against Hitler," "Conversion in a Terminal Subway," and "...And the Birds Hummed Dirges!" He noticed acquaintance Roy Thomas working at Marvel, and Thomas sent him Marvel's standard writing test, dialoguing Daredevil art. He was soon made a regular on Daredevil and Sub-Mariner, and the newly created Man-Thing, the latter of which pegged him as having a strong personal style--intellectual, introspective, and literary. In one issue, he introduced an anthropomorphic duck into a horror fantasy, because he wanted something weird and incongruous, and Thomas made the character, named for Gerber's childhood friend Howard, fall to his apparent death in the following issue. Fans were outraged, and the character was revived in a new and deeply personal series. Gerber said in interview that the joke of Howard the Duck is that "there is no joke." The series was existential and dealt with the necessities of life, such as finding employment to pay the rent. Such unusual fare for comicbooks also informed his writing on The Defenders. Other works included Morbius, the Lving Vampire, The Son of Satan, Tales of the Zombie, The Living Mummy, Marvel Two-in-One, Guardians of the Galaxy, Shanna the She-Devil, and Crazy Magazine for Marvel, and Mister Miracle, Metal Men, The Phantom Zone , and The Immortal Doctor Fate for DC. Gerber eventually lost a lawsuit for control of Howard the Duck when he was defending artist Gene Colan's claim of delayed paychecks for the series, which was less important to him personally because he had a staff job and Colan did not.

He left comics for animation in the early 1980s, working mainly with Ruby-Spears, creating Thundarr the Barbarian with Alex Toth and Jack Kirby and episodes of The Puppy's Further Adventures, and Marvel Productions, where he was story editor on multiple Marvel series including Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, and The Transformers. He continued to dabble in comics, mainly for Eclipse, including the graphic novel Stewart the Rat, the two-part horror story "Role Model: Caring, Sharing, and Helping Others," and the seven-issue Destroyer Duck with Jack Kirby, which began as a fundraiser for Gerber's lawsuit.

In the early 1990s, he returned to Marvel with Foolkiller, a ten-issue limited series featuring a new version of a villain he had used in The Man-Thing and Omega the Unknown, who communicated with a previous version of the character through internet bulletin boards. An early internet adopter himself, he wrote two chapters of BBSs for Dummies with Beth Woods Slick, with whom he also wrote the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Contagion." During this period, he also wrote The Sensational She-Hulk and Cloak and Dagger for Marvel, Cybernary and WildC.A.T.s for Image, and Sludge and Exiles for the writer-driven Malibu Ultraverse, and Nevada for DC's mature readers Vertigo line.

In 2002, he returned to the Howard the Duck character for Marvel's mature readers MAX line, and for DC created Hard Time with Mary Skrenes, with whom he had co-created the cult hit Omega the Unknown for Marvel. Their ending for Omega the Unknown remains a secret that Skrenes plans to take to the grave if Marvel refuses to publish it. Suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ("idiopathic" meaning of unknown origin despite having been a heavy smoker much of his life), he was on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. His final work was the Doctor Fate story arc, "More Pain Comics," for DC Comics'

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume of reprints of Marvel's '7os horror anthology title Vampire Tales (despite the title, it's not just stories about vampires).

There are three kinds of story on offer here: firstly, you have stories set in the main Marvel Universe featuring their more horror-oriented characters like Morbius and Satana. Secondly, you have more general comicbook fare, like you'd get in the old EC horror books. Thirdly, you have comicbook adaptations of classic horror short stories, by the likes of August Derleth and co. There are also a smattering of magazine-style text articles, if you like that sort of thing (I could take it or leave it myself).

I have to say that, by and large, these stories are of a pretty good standard. There are some genuine chills to be had here and the artwork is mostly of a high calibre, too (one particular highlight in this volume is Esteban Maroto's excellent work on one of the Satana stories).

The only thing letting this collection down is the fact that they've reprinted it at a smaller size than it was original published at, which means the artwork suffers slightly and the dialogue and caption are sometimes very hard to read. Despite this, I'll definitely be reading the next two volumes.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

As stated in other reviews, the book format itself hampered this collection. It reprints magazine sized comics in smaller digest format, which leads to text pieces almost too small to read and much loss of detail to the art. That being said, I am reviewing the content itself without the limitations imposed by the format.

I am a huge fan of the old Marvel black and white magazines of the 70s. There just seems to be a maturity to the art and stories that you didn't always find in the color comics. (Then again, some of these stories are so wacky mature isn't the word to use.) I am a fan of the Morbius character so I enjoy his solo stories, and I also really like horror anthology comics and there are plenty of one shot stories in this volume to enjoy. The Satana character itself isn't my favorite, but the sexy art is top notch. Really all of the art in this volume is well done.

Overall a good read if you enjoy horror anthologies and/or Bronze Age Marvel Comics.

[Garth · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 - 365 Days of Horror

Issue#1:
"MORBIUS"
Love, they say, conquers all. But whoever first penned those imperishable words obviously never met up with the tormented vampire called Morbius.
"BLOOD IS THICKER"
Our awe-inspiring Editorial: why we're here, where we're going, and how you can't get there from here without you change into a bat.
"TO KILL A WEREWOLF"
A most laudable ambition, perhaps, unless the lycanthropic throwback in question happens to be- yourself.
"THE VAMPIRE: HIS KITH AND KIN"
A pulsating precis of the most astonishing volume ever to deal with the ever-popular Living Dead. Or: What To Do Till Dr. Van Helsing Comes.
"THE VAMPYRE"
The bloodthirsty saga of Lord Ruthven- the first, perhaps most fearsome specimen of Undead in all of literature. Proving that you can't trust Lords, Counts- or possibly even the Duke of Earl.
"SATAN CAN WAIT"
When you sell your soul to Lucifer, there's the devil to pay. And you thought you knew all about inflation. ..!
THE WORST (NO KIDDIN'!) VAMPIRE FILMS EVER MADE!
These man-bat movies weren't released- they escaped!
"REVENGE OF THE UNLIVING"
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned- especially when she's a luscious vampiress who's had a wooden stake implanted in her left ventricle.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Issue #2:
"THE BLOOD-SACRIFICE OF AMANDA SAINT"
Michael Morbius, living vampire! Amanda Saint, innocent! The question: how many innocents can a man destroy before destruction becomes his only purpose?
"V IS FOR VAMPIRE"
Once again, our awesome Editorial-bringing you the story behind this issue and a look at things to come!
"WITCH HUNT"
The time: the late 1600's. The place: Salem, Massachusetts. The situation: a young girl on the run, pursued by an oh so-righteous citizenry determined to hang her as a witch!
"A VAMPIRE BY ANY OTHER NAME"
His performance as Dracula is legend. But what about Bela Lugosi's other vampire roles? You'll find out in our latest information-packed article from Marvel's Monster Movie Museum.
"FIVE CLAWS TO TRYPHON"
The ancient artifact was a bridge to another di. mension. But when Simon Majors crossed that bridge he found himself embroiled in a fearful struggle between two eons-old beings. a struggle that threatened to destroy a world.
"A GENERATION OF VAMPIRES"
When did mankind first begin to fear the preying undead? That's the subject of the second part in our study of Montague Summers' "The Vampire: His Kith and Kin."
"SATANA"
Introducing the Devil's Daughter! The most exciting new character concept of the year!
"AT THE STROKE OF MIDNIGHT"
They laughed at the old man's books on the occult. Until the terrifying moment when they learned his studies had gone beyond mere theory. And then, they began to scream!
"THE PRAYING MANTIS PRINCIPLE"
Hodiah Twist. He's lost his wife, his fortune, his touch with reality. And now, facing the Madam of Vampiresses, he may very well lose his life!
VAMPIRE TALES FEATURE PAGE
Because you demanded it-reviews of Film. dom's latest horror and monster productions! This issue: "Vault of Horror" and "Daughters of Satan!"
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Issue #3:
KISS OF DEATH
A huntress stalks the streets of Los Angeles and her prey is -your soul! She's Satana, the Devil's Daughter, now in her own full- length feature!
VAMPIRE MAILS
Missives to Morbius! Raves to Lord Ruthven! Yes, all this and more are yours to behold in our nifty new letters section.
THE COLLECTION
Nostalgia: a longing for things far away. But those things can change - and not always for the better!
VAMPIRE HUNTING FOR FEAR AND PROFIT.
The care and feeding of vampires, as described in this, the third part of our study of Montague Summers’ The Vampire: His Kith and Kin.
DON’T TRY TO OUTSMART THE DEVIL
You’ve me Satana, now meet her father. Their methods are slightly different, but the terrifying results are the same!
EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SATANA*
(*But we’re afraid to ask!) The story behind the succubus - revealed at last!
BAT'S BÉLERY
A tale of nightmares and haunted mansions-from the terror-laden pen of August Derleth.
VAMPIRES IN TIME AND SPACE
Presenting the first in a series fear-fraught fact pages on the Living Dead!
DEMON-FIRE
Trapped by the forces of Demon-Fire, Amanda Saint turns for help to Morbius, but is he her rescuer or her destroyer?
VAMPIRE TALES FEATURE PAGE.
From Rhode Island he came--to chronicle the deeds of Morbius. The uncensored autobiog raphy of Donald F. McGregor!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Shawn Manning · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to see that these stories were being reprinted. The art is gorgeous. The stories are of that wacky over top type that was prevelant in the 70's. The whole thing went wrong when the publisher went with a manga/digest size. This choice made the text pieces nearly impossible to read and the art too small to be appreciated to its fullest. I hope that Marvel rethinks this and decides to reprint these in their Essentials format. If you can get through the size issue however, it's a lotta fun and a great example of 1970's cheese.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gran bella raccolta di storie brevi in stile Zio Tibia, realizzate dai migliori autori ed artisti Marvel dell'epoca: Lee, Conway, Claremont, Steranko, Buscema, Moroto (la sua Satana è un'opera d'arte mozzafiato) e tanti altri. Filo conduttore dei numeri che compongono l'antologia, una memorabile saga di Morbius il vampiro vivente. Purtroppo la ristampa delle tavole dal formato rivista a quello tascabile ne ha abbassato notevolmente la qualità.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

File this one under "dreams come true". I have long wanted to see this series collected in ANY format. It was released in Marvel's new "Graphic Novel" format, which is a bit smaller and narrower than a standard comic book. It's not my preferred format, but it's better than nothing. The cover image is a poor choice, especially when you consider how impressive each issue's painted cover is. Any one of them would have helped to make this a more attractive package.

All of the original text pieces are included, and the covers are presented in full color. The original issues were black and white. There are some reprints of Atlas Era Horror material as back up features, and they are included here as they were in the original issues of Vampire Tales.

I had Issue 3 back in the '80s. Morbius the Living Vampire has been a favorite of mine since I first encountered him in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #38 back in 1978. My Mom bought me that one evening when we went grocery shopping at Farmer Jack. Morbius was originally the star feature of this title until Issue 3, when all of the focus seemed to shift to Satana, the Devil's Daughter. I love '70s Horror comics, with their faux-Satanic, Hollywood-tinged evil. It's so much more interesting than "real" evil or Satanic stuff, which is just stupid.

One of the things that I enjoy about these '70s Marvel Horror magazines are the way that they push the envelope. Freed of the Comics Code Authority, they can do pretty much whatever they want to. Drug references, violence, bloodshed...they're all here. I have a double standard: I love this stuff in comics, but not in mainstream Marvel Comics. When it comes to Spider-Man, Captain America, etc., I want things to be age appropriate. When it's Horror or non-Marvel stuff, then the sky's the limit as far as I am concerned. Again, it's a total double standard and I freely admit it, but I think that it boils down to the fact that Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, etc., are all marketed to children, whereas Morbius the Living Vampire is not.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vampires and zombies have great appeal and staying power as villains as they go up against normal people. Many stories have been written about vampires from the classic novel by Bram Stoker. Like many of the greatest fiction stories of all time, there is a bit of fact backing up the fiction. There is in fact a condition known as clinical vampirism, or an obsession with drinking blood.
The stories in this collection all appeared in comic form under the Marvel label. Some are basic vampire stories involving mysterious men wearing capes, yet in other stories the vampires are female. Some of the best stories involve Morbius, a man of science that was suffering from a deadly blood disease. He was able to cure that affliction, but in a manner where the cure was worse than the disease. He was turned into a vampire with an uncontrollable blood lust that must be quenched. In an unusual twist, he experiences great remorse after he has drained the lifeblood from his latest victim. In a form of compensation, he becomes a bit of a vigilante, protecting the weak from the “normal” human predators.
Frightening, yet titillating, vampires are monsters that arouse odd passions in humans. They love them yet are often terrified when they see them doing what they do on a screen. In this case, they are in comic and fine form.

[Roberto Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great dive into to the Vampire myths and lore during the era of its original publication, this marvel volume collects the first three issues of the out-of-code black and white magazine, starring Morbius, Satana, and some other vampire-related stories and articles.

The art in most of this stories are something to behold. Taking in account that this book wasnt for the main line of Marvel, the artist here are top-notch, and for a visual medium, to appreciate the art restored in this digital format, is a gift for people that didnt live during that age of publication.

A recommendation for any Vampire and spooky stories enthusiast.

[Michael Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects the first three issues of the 70’s Marvel magazine featuring some of the best talent in comics - Roy Thomas, Gardner Fox, John Romita, Jim Steranko, Jordi Bernet, Carmine Infantino, Don McGregor, Steve Gerber, Chris Claremont, Mark Evanier, Pablo Marcos, Klaus Janson, Gerry Conway, Stan Lee, Tony Isabella, along with many others. Some fun tales are told in the same spirit as EC and Warren, but the highlights for me are the Morbius stories. The digest size does not do the art justice. Would love to see a larger format for this collection.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Old fashioned black and white horror tales

Contains a lot of marvel history about the villains Morbius and Satanna the succubus. Parental advisory due to subject matter. Contains some adaptations of horror stories of Poe and Derleth. Nothing by lovecraft ? Many of these comics haven't been seen for decades.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some fine EC like stories in here and some good artwork but there was also a lot of rough spots.

[Devero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Raccolta dei primi tre albi della rivista Marvel in bianco e nero di inizi anni '70. Un'epoca in cui i migliori fumetti in circolazione negli USA non erano quelli di super eroi bensì questi, di argomento horror, sdoganati dopo che Stan Lee e John Romita padre se ne uscirono con quei tre numeri di Amazing Spider-Man con la storia della droga, non approvata dal Comics Code.
Una bella lettura, specialmente alcuni redazionali sui film di vampiri, o sulla gestazione delle storie di Satana.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reprinting the first three issues of a magazine Marvel published in the early 70s, this book contains a mixed bag of stories, as is true of any anthology. The writing varies, of course, but the art is consistently good.

[Ralph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice collection of 70s Marvel black and white horror comic ( Vampire Tales 1-3) hampered by digest size reproduction.