Dracula: Son of the Dragon

by Mark Sable, Salgood Sam (Illustrator)

A blood-soaked epic of the real-life Vlad the Impaler's transformation into the vampire Dracula. Part historical fiction, part horror fantasy, this graphic novel is brought to you by writer Mark Sable ( The Dark, Graveyard of Empires, Unthinkable ) and artist Salgood Sam ( Dream Life, Therefore Repent, Sea of Red ).


Collects the original digital series Son of the Dragon

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

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 23, 2018

About the author

Mark Sable is a writer for stage, screen, television and comics.

He is most noted as the writer/creator of the comics GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES, GROUNDED, FEARLESS and HAZED for Image Comics and UNTHINKABLE for Boom! Studios.

Mark has worked on WHAT IF? SPIDER-MAN: DARK REIGN for Marvel Comic and SUPERGIRL, TEEN TITANS: COLD CASE, TEEN TITANS SPOTLIGHT: CYBORG and TWO-FACE: YEAR ONE for DC Comics. He has contributed to Image's COMIC BOOK TATTOO, POPGUN and 24/7 anthologies.

He is also the only person ever to work for both Charlie Rose and Howard Stern.

Mark's most recent works include GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES for Image Comics and RIFT RAIDERS, the launch book for Kickstart Comics.

Both UNTHINKABLE and HAZED were optioned as feature films.

Upcoming books include DECOY and BLUE SKY for Kickstart.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is well researched, mixing what we know of Vlad Dracula and his family with some more mystical elements to show his descent to becoming a vampire. Still, there's a lot to follow and it's not always easy to tell the characters apart. Salgood Sam's art has an olde world look to it, fitting given the subject matter, but not always pleasing to the eye.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss

[F · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story is somewhat choppy. I am NOT a fan of nudity in graphic novels so parents beware- not for children.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dracula: Son of the Dragon is the first of a few planned volumes and even though the art by Salgood Sam is marvelous, I think that comics may not be the best place for the story Mark Sable wants to tell. There's a lot going on: a lot of history, a lot of characters, a lot of changing locations and moods. It's an epic story and even though this volume is only a fraction of the entire saga, it rushes through situations that I wanted to slow down and savor. I kept imagining what this might be like as a 10-hour television series, or perhaps better yet: as a novel.

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I struggled with the artwork in this one but really enjoyed the historical sense of it. There is a lot of real information shared in this regarding the true historical Vlad mixed in the fantastical stories of Dracula. I would thoroughly enjoy a continuation of this.

Received via Edelweiss

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading one of Alan Moore’s graphic novels, I found this a little messy. I used my kindle so it went from tile to tile properly but still found it jumpy and messy.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not have cared any less about this story or the characters/historical figures. I don’t know why I own this book and I don’t know why I forced myself to finish this one.

[GONZA · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange mixture of real story and fantasy (dragons and vampires). I didn't mind it so much, it was just not so confortable.

Strana unione di eventi storicamente accaduti e fantasia (draghi e vampiri). Non che la cosa mi sia dispiaciuta, ma sicuramente lasciava una curiosa sensazione....

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Seher · Rating 3 out of 5]

decent

Not bad, but I feel like it was a bit rushed at moments. Especially the vampire he kills. There is also nothing on how he becomes the impaler. Could have added that. Unless there is a part 2.

[Maraya21 (The Reading Dragon) · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ P40 (42%)

[Amanda [Novel Addiction] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was.... kind of confusing, honestly. It smoothed out a little bit as it went on, but still not the best laid out story. I would be interested in reading the next volume to see how the story progresses. I like the overall idea they have for the trilogy (each book is in response to one of the religious men that visits him).

[Victoria Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dracula: Son of the Dragon collects the original digital Comixology series that recounts the life of Vlad Tepes, referred to as Vlad Dracula, and often considered an inspiration for the character of Dracula. The book tries to give us a historically faithful retelling of his early life, as much as is possible with the inclusion of magic and vampires. Unfortunately, this is to the detriment of the fun that can be had with this story. The narrative finds itself stuck between fantasy and historical so that it never commits to either, and I just found it quite dull. It is a very dialogue-heavy story meaning that you have lots of speech bubbles to read, which is fine. The art shows us that the artists are very skilled through the amount of detail he puts into each drawing. However when you couple these two elements together it makes the pages feel too full. Your eye just doesn't know where to go, and so as a comic book, there is a lack of flow to the story. This made it somewhat confusing to read and I did have to push myself through to the end, and ending which did not feel very complete. I can't see a sequel, but it very much feels as though there will be one because of the way the narrative is framed. Despite my love for vampires and for Dracula, I did not enjoy reading this book but I did appreciate the care and thought that went into it as is illustrated by an apendicies.

[Marko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not a fan of the art style of the comic and the story itself was at times a bit hard to follow - sometimes because of the art and sometimes because of the storytelling. Also, the full intentions of the story were revealed to me in “The Endnotes”. After reading The Endnotes, I have to say, that the comic does not do service to the research and story behind it.

Dracula as a topic is quite old and exhausted, but this story still managed to be interesting.

This comic was a first in a trilogy, but I will probably not pick them up.

[Wendopolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little hard to keep the characters straight (kinda all looked alike) I enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The end notes, though, are really what elevates this interesting look at the legend of Dracula. Definitely worth reading.

[James Varghese · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt like this was a waste of time. Some interesting areas but by the end, I had no idea why I forced myself to finish.

[Priya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Story had such potential, but unfortunately it jumped around in the crucial parts. Just when the story started getting interesting, it would shift to a new plot and setting.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a vast amount of vampiric fiction available today, and no small amount of it focuses on the character of Dracula. This graphic novel sets itself apart by building the story on real world events (such as they are known, and with dramatic license to make the story exciting and the imagery evocative.) At the risk of turning people off (but not intending to,) I would go as far as to say this book leads with history, and makes the supernatural secondary. I actually liked that about it. When I say the supernatural is secondary, it’s not like its eliminated from existence or that it’s purely garnish. There are dragons and vampires, but a story exists with or without those elements.

A story of war and political intrigue in what is now Romania is bookended by the depiction of a meeting between Vlad Dracula and three clergymen. In the opening, Vlad is telling the priests that he is about to let them in on the truth of his story, which they have no doubt heard in mythologized form. At the end, he asks the clergymen to tell him whether he will be allowed into heaven. The body of the story is a flashback from the meeting with the priests. It splits focus between Vlad’s father, who is working to keep his domain under his control by playing the ends against the middle vis-a-vis his Roman Catholic neighbors (notably Hungary) and the Ottoman Empire, and the story oft Vlad, himself. Vlad is a young man. He and his brother are sent to Scholomance (a kind of Slavic Dark Arts Hogwarts) and later become prisoners of the Ottomans.

I thought the artwork was easy to follow and stylistically appealing enough. Some of the frames in the ancillary material at the back were truly beautiful. I often disregard the back-matter in comics because it usually amounts to little more than discussion of how the drafts changed over time – i.e. offering insight into the sausage-making of the book. However, this book had an extensive Notes section that I found fascinating and useful because it explained how points in the book compared with known history. Some of the points that I assumed were pure fiction had a factual basis. Sable also related points to Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.” The creators tried to be consistent with Stoker’s book, as well as with history, when they could. The former wasn’t so hard because readers of Bram Stoker’s will recognize that the titular character is kept largely a mystery, particularly with regard to his backstory.

If you are interested at all in the historical and mythological basis of the Dracula vampire, I’d recommend this book. As I said, the notes will give you a good idea of what was known to be true, what is complete fiction, and what is a kernel of truth enveloped in story sensationalism. Obviously, all the supernatural elements are pure fiction, and also there is a lot that remains unknown, but this graphic novel provides an interesting take on the origins of Vlad Dracula.

[Gabriel Tamaș · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bad part about this graphic novel is that the story is all over the place. The whole thing is just a big exposition/origin story. It uses the frame story technique, but the original story, with an adult Vlad is just left hanging, probably only opening the way for a sequel that I do t know when we're going to get.
The main story is, likeI said, chaotic,trying to fit in as many elements as possible, thus leaving some.of the key story devices poorly explained.

Its redeaming qualities are many though and the first and most striking one is the artstyle. It has a realistic approach, with great attention to detail, all while keeping an original, sometimes minimalist and sketch-like style. Very appealing indeed.
Another big redeaming quality (especially for a Wallachian as myself) is the historical accuracy this story displays, using historical elements and historical places even better at times than Cullen Bunn's and Mirko Colac's "Brothers Dracul". This script was clearly well researched through various sources, both historical and legend and the manner in which ficition intertwines with historical fact gives an overall pleasant experience.

But i'm really waiting for that sequel!

[pamelle angelu · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of vampires, this book is for you. I think every vampire story's origin leads to that of Dracula or Count Dracula (do you agree?). Readers (like me) who are intrigued by the documentaries, books (especially that of Bram Stoker's Dracula), and movies (so many of them ) about  Dracula will find this picture novel by Mark Sable and Salgood Sam very interesting.

They made an excellent work in this book. I enjoyed how the characters, scenes, and dilemmas are presented. The authors connected the history of Vlad Tepes (Dracula) to that of the variety of stories about Dracula. When reading historical fictions, I am a fan of illustrations and this book did not fail to set up Dracula's kingdom different from the usual setting we know of (eg. Dracula's castle).          

This historical fiction depicts Vlad Dracula's struggles in becoming a son, a brother, and a prince in Wallachia. His father, Vlad Dracul, molds him in his image to become a son worthy of his name.  When you read this book, you can find out where Dracula gained his power.

[Amalie ⚔️ Ørbak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what I expected, but I thoroughly enjoyed this! While the story is based on real history, but with a fantasy twist it was a good read if you are interested in Dracula and Vlad the Impaler. It's got some magic, witchcraft, of course vampires (strigoi). This is not at all an accurate tale of Vlad the Impaler but it's got an enjoyable execution. While the comic promises to deliver Vlad the Impalers' transformation to a vampire--we don't actually get to experience that, because the book ends before it happens and leaves us to wonder how it actually happen. Maybe in the next volume if it is ever released.

The best part was really the art. Coloured and everything! It's easy to see that having high quality art was important for the creators. Vivid and detailed illustrations that did not even need the text because it all was so descriptive by itself. That really drags this comic up to 4 stars for me.

I really hope there will be more volumes.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.8 for me with 0.2 points taken away due to the art style which offered little diversity between characters and confusing layouts. Otherwise, I enjoyed the combination of fact and Stoker's classic into one epic piece of historical fiction. As a Dracula nerd, learning about Romanian history with a literary twist was incredibly beneficial to my understanding of vampire lore in Eastern Europe. I would have preferred if Sable had worked with a novel writer rather than a comic artist for this piece, as I think he could have dove deeper into the characters and history without needing a lengthy appendix. Awesome to see a bibliography as well! Overall, a solid graphic novel for historians and vampire geeks!

[daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this!
it was insane

i picked this up mainly because the art style rlly stood out to me and was so so perfect being so dark, gothic and historic looking

on top of that it’s INCREDIBLY well researched, with so much attention to detail on vlad’s past. i mean there’s IANCU DE HUNEDOARA AND MATEI CORVIN?!?! insane.

and i loved the perfect mix of staying true to history and the few fictional elements that rlly made this “origin story” stand out (even if they were a bit much at times)

but overall really nice graphic novel👌👌

[Lindsey G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree the flow of the story was a bit confusing. I am a huge Dracula nerd and I understand that grasping the story of Vlad is a complicated one, so I don't think that is totally on the author. The artwork is great. The appendices at the end are also great, and very helpful - provided a lot of food for thought in a nice overview.

[Petr Nakasharal Fabián · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tady je hrozný vlastně všechno od prvního slova po poslední čárku. Ale bavilo mě to :D Jestli vás nebaví béčkový history/fantasy, tak si odečtěte hvězdu. Protože tady fakt nedokážu pochválit jedinou věc. Nicméně mě to nenasralo.

[Abby N Lewis]

According to the author in the notes in the back of the book, he planned this to be the first installment of a 3-4 volume series. Here we are 8 years later with no other installments, which is disappointing.

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The origins

Follows the history fairly well. Graphics are great. Provides commentary on panels and a bibliography of his sources. Awesome book.

[Stuart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cool blend of history and fantasy creating a believable origin story for Dracula. I definitely look forward to future volumes.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a hot mess of a book.

[Bailey]

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