X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula

X-Men: Miniseries

by Frank Tieri, Clayton Henry (Illustrator)

One is a villain that has been plaguing civilization since the time of the Pharaohs. The other is the deadliest vampire to ever walk the earth. Enemies since the Crusades, they've met again in 19th century London. It's the battle to end all battles as Apocalypse confronts Dracula Collects X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula #1-4.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Superheroes, Fantasy, Comic Book

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2006

Reviews

[Mitticus · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was fun.

I was looking for a comic located in the Victorian era, and this came out on the list, haha.

In the London of the infamous Ripper, bloodless bodies appear. The police put some detectives to investigate, and by a tattoo on one of the victims they reach the Clan Akkaba , the descendants of Apocalypse. Well, apparently a famous vampire had a vendetta.



If you ever wondered if the X-Men could also be vampires at the same time ... you'll see.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the late 19th century in England, “someone” is draining the blood of the acolytes of Apocalypse. The title pretty much says it all as Dracula and Apocalypse have an argy-bargy in Victorian England.

Frank Tieri writes a fun, silly story of two villains whose immortality means that their grudges last centuries until they can no longer contain their slighted egos. I’d like to say that Apocalypse and Dracula having a fight is the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object but Dracula is no Hulk and there IS a clear victor (it’s who you’d expect given that this is a Marvel book).

Like all Vs titles, this book is no great shakes intellectually but, having never read an Apocalypse book before, it was interesting to see his extraordinary powers manifest and take on that most popular of archetypes today, the vampire.

Clayton Henry does a decent job with the art. It’s nothing ground-breaking but suits the story down to the ground, and Jae Lee throws in some excellent cover art too.

X-Men: Apocalypse Vs Dracula is a fun four issue story of two interesting villains having a dust-up with some decent art.

[Charles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

After long day I kicked back with a glass of scotch and the four part X-Men: Apocalypse/Dracula to unwind with. I didn't know what to expect. I picked this up from a comic vendor at a local comicon mostly because I enjoy horror. A X-Men and horror legend mashup seemed just up my alley. The story takes place in Victorian London and begins as a murder mystery which points to a society of the descendants of Egypt, but with flashbacks to both Egypt and medieval Romania. While not campy, or at least what I consider campy, the short 4 part series was entertaining, added some new depth and backstory to the Apocalypse villain and treated the characterization of Dracula with respect, and for good measure throws in Van Helsing. This is a fun aside in X-Men lore an an excellent way to unwind and enjoy the story and characters without having to tie everything into to the cannon.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. This one was a complete letdown. I was expecting an epic, high-stakes battle between two of the most iconic villains in fiction. Instead, what I got was a dull, uninspired story that is a slog from start to finish and feels far longer than its measly 100 pages. There was a lot of potential here: an ancient mutant warlord facing off against the legendary vampire lord. This should have been a thrilling mix of supernatural horror and larger-than-life comic book action, however that is not the case. The plot is sluggish, lacking any real tension or sense of urgency. The story meanders through lifeless exposition and generic fight sequences that do nothing to really capture the epic scope of what’s going on. Instead of an intense, memorable rivalry, we get a forgettable conflict that feels more like filler than an actual showdown. The characters are also flat and dull. Apocalypse, usually a menacing and complex antagonist against the X-Men, is reduced to a bland bad guy with little depth or presence. Dracula, feels like a caricature of himself, offering nothing beyond the most generic vampiric tropes. Van Helsing is boring and does nothing but just fill in the spaces. All of the interactions between the characters lack any real drama, and the dialogue often feels forced and uninspired.
As if the weak storytelling wasn’t enough, the artwork does nothing to help. This collection dates back to 2006 so the illustrations feel stiff and dated, with character designs that lack any real flair or impact. The action scenes and designs are poorly staged and lack the dynamic energy that could have made them exciting. Instead, they feel clunky and uninspired, failing to make the battle between these two titans feel as grand as it should. Overall, Apocalypse vs. Dracula is a massive disappointment. What should have been an epic, genre-blending clash ends up being a forgettable, lifeless story with uninspired art. If you’re looking for a thrilling battle between these two villains, you won’t find it here. Instead, you’ll find a comic that wastes its premise and your time.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these wacky comic book mash-ups! This comic plays out in a similar way to the "Dracula" story except it substitutes Jonathan Harker with Apocalypse from "X-Men." It's fun, goofy and filled with pulpy goodness that I can't get enough of. I picked it up for less than £2 on comixology and it was money well spent. Great fun!

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh what could have been? Two ancient forces of evil battle throughout their lives, dramatically effecting the course of history. Well, at least that's what should have happened. What we're given is Frank Tieri's ridiculous re-imaging of Apocalypse's past through a terribly inept clan of followers who stumble into plot holes left and right. Then you have his terrible depiction of Dracula who seems more fit for Saturday morning cartoons than here. Not to mention Tieri trying everything in his power to shoehorn connections to present day X-Men characters. The art was bubble gummy pop and super bright coloring which is the exact opposite of the fantastic covers. Overall, this was an abysmal train wreck.

[Zombie_Phreak · Rating 3 out of 5]

So the decendants of Apocalypse are being hunted and killed off by someone much more powerful than they have ever faced before.

***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS***

Apocalypse is called on for help tracking down this killer in late 19th century England. I will admit I did like that we get a quick mention of Jack the Ripper, (I always wondered what his role was in the 616 universe), and then it is deduced that the corpses are drained of blood. So not only are these people vampires, they also have powers from Apocalypse at their disposal as well!

It's a great story with lots of action, fighting, stare downs and posturing between characters as they fight the legions of undead and eventually, Dracula himself!

***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS*** ***END SPOILERS***

The artwork is fantastic and the story is engaging and it keeps you interested from start to finish. If you can find this comic, it's something I recommend for all fans of Marvel Comics.

Check it out!

[Silas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good, and actually ended up making a good deal of sense, geographically. It is more or less what it says on the tin, a conflict between Apocalypse and Dracula, taking place around the same time period as the novel, Dracula. It features some shout outs to some later events in the Marvel universe, which were fun and interesting (As a Generation X geek, I was excited to see chamber's ancestor). I thought this would be kind of a ridiculous throw away crossover comic, but it was surprisingly well-done.

[Raymond St. Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lame

Lame and absolutely boring read very disappointed was expecting something more instead I practically fell asleep with boredom. I would not recommend this comic YAWNING TRYING TO STAY AWAKE.

[Aynsley! · Rating 2 out of 5]

lol kind of stupid but I expected as much. Poorly edited in my opinion, but fun nonetheless 🧛🏻‍♂️🆚🌚

[Zachary King · Rating 2 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the tin.

[TK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absurd in the best and worst ways. Really was hoping for a Time Traveling Blade plot.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for Apocalypse. This was ok.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately, a little goofy

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frank Tieri offers an interesting notion with his Apocalypse/Dracula series. Pitting the immortal prince of darkness against the immortal evolutionary mutant feels like a grand premise. The book steers away from actual confrontation, instead choosing to delve into the Clan Akkaba. Opening with Apocalypse's forces crushing the army of Vlad the Impaler, we jump to 1897 London and a string of ghastly murders. As members of he Clan have been found with twin puncture marks and no blood, the group awakens Apocalypse to combat the mysterious threat. The Egyptian-garbed mutant(kudos to Clatyon Henry on the design) teams with a fire-breathing ancestor of the X-Man Chamber and Professor Abraham Van Helsing to beat back Dracula. The end battle pits the surviving Akkaba members against Dracula's turned disciples sending both monsters off to lick their wounds until meeting again. Despite the exciting chance to see two immortals combat each other across decades, we are instead forced into a lackluster look at a 19th century tussle between flunkies. Granted, the seeds for Chamber and Blink to be descendants of Apocalypse is a nice addition to the X-Men mythos. When promised a bout between En Sabah Nur and Vlad, I am looking for that to deliver. Flip though the volume, if only to marvel at the gorgeous cover art by Jae Lee, and imagine what could have been.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, what can I say? If you're reading an X-Men comic called “Apocalypse vs. Dracula”, you should already know what sort of thing to expect. It's as dumb as pointless as you had expected, and about as fun as you could reasonably expect. Frank Tieri does a workable job of bringing together these two villains that nobody ever asked to see fight each other, in a story that sheds some relatively interesting light on Apocalypse's past in the process. It's by no means bad, but not especially good either. It gets the job done, and is reasonably fun. The art is pretty good, and it's quite amusing to see Apocalypse in an almost protagonist-like role in this story. If you're particularly interested in the character of Apocalypse, then it's worth a read if you can borrow it or get it cheap. If not, then don't bother.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I really enjoy the Generation X series and heard they brought back Chamber for a while but with Apocalypse's blood because they were related, I had to read this book. Not to mention that Jubilee is a vampire, so that made it a must read. Add in the fact that Blink and Chamber are both of Clan of Akkaba and descendents of Apocalypse, this book was very integral to the mythology.

The art was generic superhero style and very reminiscent of Ed McGuinness. The artist didn't have much of a handle on drawing old people or people of various body shapes.

Tieri has the unfortunate job of stuffing a lot of plot into a short story. He has to skip a lot, and there are only a few good character moments. He's also very fond of killing women in a very fridge-y sort of way.

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I liked:
Jae Lee's covers. They should have let him do the whole thing. Interesting back story on Apocalypse. The idea was interesting; two immortals going to war against each other.
What I didn't like:
The idea wasn't executed to its potential. There didn't seem to be any explanation as to how Dracula was still alive to take his vengeance. The story felt rushed. Not enough action between the two title characters (you know, the whole reason anyone would want to read it). Most of the dialogue seemed overly dramatic and just poorly written.

If you like the characters or the mythos you might like it at least for the fandom sake. VanHelsing shows up and is one of the better characters. So yeah, not a home run.

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really quick read, and while entertaining, not as epic as I thought it could be. You do get some background on Apocalypse and his history on Earth, much of it via his chronicler, a character I found interesting. Basically, Apocalypse has a clan of followers who get some of his powers (mutants) and vie for positions of power. Van Helsing the vampire hunter makes an appearance, and we do wonder where his loyalties lie and whether his obsession with vampires may make things worse or not. I did like the art and the setting. The ending, which I won't spoil, I thought was ok. But again, I think it could have been more. Still, an entertaining quick read.

[Dedefox · Rating 3 out of 5]

For who Marvel chose the artist to draw its cover, I'd personally give the book 3 stars already. Jae Lee is my favorite comic artist, as his works had gave depth to most stories. The penciller isn't bad either. Clayton Henry brought new design to En Sabah Nur appearance, delivering a look more akin to his Egyptian origin. The only thing that bothered me was how the writer had took a cliche plot to probably an awesome crossover of the two most formidable immortal villains in Marvel universe.

But still it was a good book to be collected alongside every major X-books.

[Derek Moreland · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was bonkers; the continuity nonexistent. But Frank Tieri writes the most delightfully trashy comics on the market, and the Clayton Henry art was lovely. I wanted to hate it, but I can't deny that I was entertained.

[Tiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread. Was discussing this with a friend and we decided to reread it to discuss some things. Man, never realized how much I'd forgotten about this comic.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have no idea how this book ended up in my Comixology accountil. For two powerful beings, the fight was pretty tame. But it was fun, mostly due to the art

[Jasper Goodheart]

A weird curio of a comic mini-series that pitted classic Marvel bad guys at each other's throats (literally in the case of Dracula...).
One day, though, someone will write a decent version of Apocalypse...One day...