“Life After Undeath”

THE TOMB OF DRACULA — Issue no. 64, February 1978

Book: The Tomb of Dracula

Issue No.: 64

Published: February 2, 1978

Title: “Life After Undeath”

The cover promises “This is the big one! Dracula — face-to-face with Satan!” So that got my interest! The actual execution isn’t that compelling. At the start of the story, Satan has captured Dracula and a young woman named Topaz, and both are now trapped with him in hell. Apparently Satan fears Topaz because she will one day manifest some power that will destroy him. We know this because Satan likes to talk. And talk. And talk some more. And if Dracula tries to get a word in edgewise, Satan tells him to shut up. After several pages of talking, we get a scene of Dracula’s enemies on earth, and they talk a lot. Then back to hell, where Topaz does... something. And then the book ends with Dracula back on earth but without his fangs, the implication being he isn’t a vampire anymore. I’m thinking this isn’t the best “jump on board” issue of Tomb of Dracula. Oh well. Maybe the next one will be more my speed.

All that said, I do dig the artwork by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. And though I didn’t love this story, writer Marv Wolfman was responsible for DC’s New Teen Titans, one of my favorite comic books when I was a (non-titanic) teen.

Next time — Super-heroics with the masked stuntman known as the Human Fly!