Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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The first Marvel multi-title crossover story I can remember ever reading was the nightmarish horror that occurred when Tomb of Dracula first collided with Werewolf by Night.
How I remember reading both books at the same time, as I sat in the raised cafeteria of Sheffield's indoor Sheaf Market whose main claim to fame was being next to the indoor Castle Market where the video for Tony Christie's Walk Like a Panther was shot.
How glamorous, but neither of these characters walked like a panther. One walked like a dog and one walked like a bat.
Still, I didn't let that put me off.
So, with Halloween looming, it's time for me to revisit that two-part trauma-thon and see just what's going down in Fang Land.
Jack Russell and his lady friend Topaz are travelling to Transylvania, in search of answers about his family's history of lycanthropy.
At the same time, Frank Drake and his lady friend Rachel Van Helsing are also travelling to that very same part of Europe, in search of Dracula who's headed out there for whatever reason.
Neither couple is aware of the other's existence, nor of each other's mission.
But the two missions soon intersect because it turns out the very first lycanthrope in Jack's family was his great, great, great grandfather who, after staking Dracula, was turned into a beast by a female werewolf the Count had been keeping prisoner.
Dracula, meanwhile, has decided he fancies getting his teeth into Topaz, even though he discovers she has a strange power to mentally repel him, thanks to her magic abilities.
Needless to say, this leads vampire and werewolf into conflict, one in which the werewolf does surprisingly well, thanks to the influence Topaz is exerting on both his and Dracula's minds.
Anyway, just as the fight's reaching its apex, Frank and Rachel show up to distract Dracula and seize a book that could enable them to destroy him, before fleeing in their helicopter, forcing Vlad to take off in hot pursuit and leaving Topaz and Wolfie far behind.
For a story that's spread over two parts, it's a surprisingly simple tale. What's good about it is we get to learn a little more of Jack's backstory and he, for once, isn't totally useless in a fight. In fact, he actually manages to win one.
Granted, it's against a drunken sailor but it's one more fight than he normally manages to win.
He, of course, doesn't defeat Dracula but that part is one of the story's main weaknesses.
In order to make the scrap not as one-sided as all logic suggests it would be, Dracula has to be portrayed as remarkably ineffective in this tale. Not only does he not manage to summon the wherewithal to defeat his hairy foe, he twice has a perfect chance to kill Rachel and Frank and twice departs without doing so, letting them off the hook for no real reason.
He also tries to sabotage their helicopter - laughing maniacally as he does so - and does such a terrible job of it that, when they climb into it, they have no difficulty flying off in it at full pelt, leaving the villain to have to turn into a bat and flap like crazy to chase after them.
I think we can assume he's having an off-day.
Speaking of off-days, I'm not sure that either Gene Colan or Mike Ploog produce their best work in this tale, while Marv Wolfman sort of does what he has to.
This tale's set in modern-day Europe, which means it's, inevitably, somehow, still the 19th Century, and Transylvania seems remarkably British. Even the local inn's sign is in, "Olde," English.
I'm also not sure about Dracula's ideas about time management. We're told he's travelled all the way back to Transylvania, from England, in order to concentrate on hatching his next scheme.
But the scheme he then hatches is to return to England and carry on doing what he was already doing.
I can't help feeling that was something of a wasted journey.
So, in the end, it's all non-decisive and I feel the tale has to be seen as just another episode in the turbulent lives of both sets of characters, rather than an awesome and historic epic that fans will never forget.
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38 comments:
That story was Marvel monster-kid heaven! I was so happy to get both parts.
Now if only Marvel's version of the Frankenstein Monster had been featured also. They coulda called it "House Of Werewolf By Night". Maybe not.
Unsure if Frankenstein had made it to the 20th century yet, when that story was published anyway.
KD, I can reveal that that month's Marvel Frankenstein book featured the monster encountering Dracula as well.
But in the 19th Century.
Did you use the reprint you took those scans from for your review Steve?
I wonder if that explains why you think Gene Colan (and Tom Palmer) were having an off-month. Because that pic of Jack Russell and Topaz in front of Castle Dracula here does not look good... but in the original comic its great (modern reprints on better paper make the colour really over-powering in a way that detracts from the artwork, and Colan's stuff suffers more than most).
Its less of a problem for Mike Ploog, although the striking change in style doesn't work well, and I don't think Frank Chiaramonte's inks did him any favours.
Anyhow, other than that your take is as sound as usual, and you're right that there could - and should - have been more to the story.
-sean
Yes, I'm afraid I was using a reprint, Sean. I agree, a better quality of paper can rob old artwork of its charm.
I did have that Frankenstein book, with the battle against Dracula, but I only got it month's later. I traded my slice of pizza to a kid at lunchtime for it. Our school cafeteria had kick-ass pizza. Actually all the food at school was good, as we had a very conscientious nutritional supervisor that refused to serve us junk. He retired when the school board forced him to cut his budget.
Its incredible - and really annoying - that even in the 21st century American comic book publishers still don't seem to have figured out how to reprint their old stuff in colour properly. They either re-do it digitally in a modern style which just doesn't suit old skool "analogue" artwork, or go with the original colour which looks terrible on anything that isn't newsprint.
How hard can it be to adjust the original colour levels for better paper?
-sean
K.D., "kid-heaven" is right. I had that issue of Frankenstein where Drac shows up, and I read that dang thing to pieces. I bought another decent used copy years later. You were a shrewd tradster, even at a tender age. Well worth a piece of pizza.
It's funny, but our school cafeteria had pretty good pizza too. Maybe it was from the same pizza factory. Probably somewhere in New Jersey.
Their "turkey surprise" left a lot to be desired, however. I dunno what THAT stuff hadda do with turkey.
But I digress. Great Halloween post, Steve! You're officially on the board (for Halloween posts)
In the early '70's, Marvel jumped into the horror comic business with both legs and the result was a lotta wonderful weirdness. Tomb of Dracula was consistently awesome. Not a bad issue I recall. Remember Man-Thing? It seemed like they let Steve Gerber outta the yard and let him get as diabolically weird as he wanted to be. You read it and think, wow, that guy must have been smoking some amazing s#!t. A talking extradimensional cartoon duck.
M.P.
Indeed M.P. - I think I've mentioned here before that Giant-Size Man-Thing #3 may well be my fave Marvel single issue of the 70s.
But Gerber was inconsistent, and dare I suggest Howard the Duck was over-rated and would probably have been best left falling through the dimensional void?
Ok, I'll get my coat...
-sean
Sean, how dare you disrespect the Duck!
...on the other hand, sometimes I feel like I'm tumbling through an interdimensional void. What is the world gonna look like tomorrow? What world am I gonna wake up in?
I haven't the first clue.
M.P.
"Trapped in a world he never made."
That's it! That's what I was trying to get at.
The meaning and origin of that phrase are obscure; it may have come from a line in a poem from an Englishman named A.E. Housman.
If that ain't spooky (this being Halloween) I dunno what is.
M.P.
It comes from one of Housman's Last Poems M.P., The Laws of God, The Laws of Man -
"...And how am I to face the odds
Of man's bedevilment and Gods?
I, a stranger and afraid
In a world I never made..."
Good luck with waking up tomorrow. The way I see it, as long as you manage that you've started off the day well, whatevers going on with the rest of the world.
-sean
Hah!
And a good evening to you, my friend.
...some hours from now.
M.P.
Wonderful review Steve! And thanks for bringing in Dracula! (I was never a big werewolf fan.)
Bite your tongue, Charlie! The Wolfman is an essential element of the Cultural Horror Triad consisting of him, Dracula, and the Frankenstein Monster.
This, in turn, forms the core of the Pentagonal Horror Archetypical Construct which is expanded to include the Mummy and the Creature From the Black Lagoon.
After that, it is further expanded to include zombies, giant apes and chainsaw-wielding maniacs.
Then, at some point down the road, I think Pinhead shows up.
Y'know, it wouldn't kill you to do a little research once in a while, Charlie.
M.P.
Charlie isn't the only one M.P.
You forgot the Old Ones - Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and all them. Which is kinda surprising really (no wonder you haven't found a copy of the Necronomicon yet).
-sean
MP- How is my favorite Dakotan?
I thought you were going to say Abbot and Costello fulfilled the pentagon?
My only interest in werewolf is that the only surviving word from old english is the word "were."
My only interests in Dracula is the first movie, the book "The Historian," and Gene Colan.
I just ain't a holloween / horror guy. I can't help it. Even at Holloweeny as a kid, I dressed up as Spidey, bozo the clown, a cowboy, and hobos... many times the hobo.
Charlie, being your "favorite Dakotan" is like being the tallest midget.
Sean, if I ever get my hands on a copy of the Necronomicon, I would hope that I would leave it alone and unread.
On the other hand, I've been known to pull a cork once in a while, maybe have a few toddies, so if you look out your window and the many-tentacled multi-eyed Yog-Sothoth is floating in the sky, then you might assume mistakes have been made.
M.P.
Oh, the wonderment of Halloween costumes! My first 2 dress-ups were the "off-the-self" boxed costumes. The 1st one was the Tiger that was used for gasoline commercials (put a tiger in your tank), then a generic "monster" outfit that could've been a yeti/gorilla.
My next costume was halfway homemade, as I got a Dr. Doom mask at a discount store. In sure I've told this tale before. This was in '68, and Doom wasn't quite a household name yet.
All the next year's I did vampires & werewolves alot with makeup & masks, up until 18yrs old. At adult age I did the Grim Reaper once (not the supervillian), then zombies & Solomon Grundy.
When I had motorcycles I had planned to take an old helmet and sculpt papermache to form a skull on it, to be Ghost Rider. Glad I didn't do it, cuz I'm sure it would have been illegal to ride with it, and I'd be too obvious after having a few pints.
What about the Invisible Man, MP?
Ah, cmon Charlie! You KNOW Jack Palance's Dracula rules! Lol!
Marvel Premier #28, in '72 featuring the Legion Of Monsters was a must grab.
The cover was excellent, but you-know-who drew the guts. If only Ploog would have done that.
I've been indulging in werewolf films since this past Saturday, usually about 2-3 an evening. So far I've rewatched Frankenstein's Bloody Terror, Howl, Dog Soldiers, Big Bad Wolf, Werewolves On Wheels, American Werewolf In London, the first 2 Ginger Snaps (the third is awful) and the Oliver Reed Hammer film (wish Hammer did more lucanthropy). Also the incredibly cheesy Mummy & The Curse Of The Jackal. Must be seen to be believed!
Virtually owning almost every "mainstream" werewolf movie, as well as Euro-shock ones, I'd appreciate any title suggestions for films I might haven't seen yet, oh my brothers.
Keep in mind my library is rather vast, so Universal & Paul Naschy titles are well represented. I'll let you folks know if I've seen or own a title or not. Would love to view new/forgotten stuff.
Thanks to all brothers who may participate.
MP, in my personal opinion, there are at least 4 horror icons off the top of my head that OWNED the roles they played:
Hellraiser films. Without Doug Bradley it isn't Pinhead.
No one can replace Robert Englund as Freddy Kruger. No one.
The first 2 Stepfather films were great. The third without Terry O'Quinn is unwatchable.
Anthony Perkins WAS Norman Bates. I even enjoy the sequels, to a certain extent. Still can't believe someone tried to remake ALFRED HITCHCOCK!!!
KD - I did enjoy the Jack Palance Dracula! (Bram Stroker Dracula 1973). I thought it was well done for the genre.
My only negative (looking at it as a "mature adult who does not believe in the supernatural" lol) was that the persons reactions were under-stated, too calm when encountering the horrors. I mean, I know they were English but still, their reputation for "calm," was too calm?
But it is worth a look for sure!
MP! It's 10 PM Central USA time and you have not posted yet? C'mon Dakota!!!
The English, calm? Obviously you've never had a conversation with any of them about Brexit, Charlie.
Gene Colan did Jack Palance as Dracula on paper much better than Palance himself did on film - he was strangely disappointing in the role.
You could say it wasn't his fault as it wasn't a very good version... but then neither were the Hammer flicks and that never stopped Christopher Lee being impressive as Drac.
On the subject of Palance, was I right Kd - are you into Hawk the Slayer?
--sean
KD, I think you've mentioned every werewolf movie I've ever seen. I am, therefore, struggling to think of any suggestions. I remember some horror-based TV show that was on British TV in the early 1980s. One episode starred Diana Dors as a sinister housekeeper and involved a tourist discovering there are werewolves in the local woods but I don't have a clue what that show was.
Ooh! I've just remembered a movie you haven't mentioned, which is The Company of Wolves, possibly the only werewolf movie to star Angela Lansbury.
I've now located that TV show . It was a 1980 Hammer House of Horror episode called Children of the Full Moon and is on YouTube, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYZA6dRFbcc
Who was the more unlikely star of a werewolf film - Angela Lansbury or South Yorkshire's finest, Brian Glover?
Kd didn't mention the Underworld films, but to be fair they are rubbish (Kate Beckinsale is quite easy on the eyes though...)
-sean
I've just remembered, there's a Doctor Who episode - Tooth and Claw - which features a werewolf.
Killdumpster - do you remember the tv series Lucan? The protagonist wasn't a werewolf, but was raised by wolves, and had wolf powers.
Werewolf by Night holding his own against Dracula? Quite an achievement! In one X-Men annual, Dracula proved stronger than Colossus. Silliest story ever? Maybe not - but it's close.
Phillip
I can't believe we have not mentioned:
The Boy Who Cried Wolf!
Little Red Riding Hood!
Perhaps the wolf's most devious attempts ever! Indeed, perhaps I was so affected that's why I never grooved to future wolf incarnations such as Werewolf by Night, Day, Afternoon... etc.
Phillip, I noticed Kd's typo too, and liked the idea of a Hammer film suggesting Lord Lucan was a werewolf. A mystery solved!
-sean
Sorry for the late responses, oh my brothers.
Sean, yes on Hawk The Slayer. I will watch anything Jack Palance is in. And you're right about the Underworld films. Absolute drek.
Steve, I own both the Hammer tv series & A Company Of Wolves. The various stories were good, but Angela Lansbury isn't one of my favorite actresses. And what was the deal with her head shattering like porcelain at the end?
That film was a little on the "arty" side. Almost like something Jean Rollin would have directed.
Charlie, I once saw a direct-to-video Little Red Riding Hood with a werewolf, not sure if that's the one you mentioned.
Ha! The Boy Who Cried Werewolf! I even have the theatre lobby-cards from that piece of cheese. Lol!
Yeah, Phillip, I remember Lucan. That show only lasted for a few episodes. It was a spin-off from the Six Million Dollar Man.
As far as Werewolf By Night's strength, later in the 80's-early 90's he was full-blown ferral, and went toe-to-toe with the West Coast Avengers & the grey Hulk/Joe Fixit. I always thought Dracula should have been out-classed by the X-Men, but he did hold up against the Silver Surfer, and Thor after drinking Sif's blood.
Just like any story, the writer's do what ever they want.
Steve,
I am having trouble with your teespring website. I am unable to checkout. Can you please help?
Juanita
mohtybooks AT gmail.com
Hi, Juanita. I shall see what I can do. I have no control over the checkout process but I'll try contacting the people who do and see if they can sort it out.
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