Batman & Dracula: Red Rain [Comic]

Doug Moench (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1997

Graphic novel fans won't be able to resist as Dracula comes to make Gotham City his dark dominion, first preying on the homeless and then amassing an army to take on the good citizens of Gotham. Batman must forge an alliance with the undead to defeat this unholy foe in a duel that stretches beyond the boundaries of death.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Batman and the world's most famous vampire--seems like a perfect combination. Except for the fact that Dracula wants to turn Gotham City into his personal kingdom of the undead. Batman is left with no choice but to side with a renegade band of vampires and face Dracula face to face. Kelley Jones brings his creepy, exaggerated Wrightsonesque artwork to this clever story. A big favorite with the fans, the first edition of this graphic novel was out of print within a month. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Comic: 96 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (October 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563890364
• ISBN-13: 978-1563890369
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,076,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No, seriously...this is great!, November 12, 2001

By 

"amartz" (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (Comic)

In the book's introduction, Eric Van Lustbader descreibes his initial concerns over the cheesiness of the "Batman vs. Dracula" concept (really, <anything> vs. Dracula smacks of (...) to us nowadays).

Put all that aside. There is no cheese here. I am well acquinted with vampire lore, and this is just as good as any other modern interpretation. Consider how well vampire lore fits into the idea of Batman and the construction of his character. It really adds something.

Plus, it *is* an Elseworld's tale. And like all Elseworlds tales, you should let yourself go, knowing that none of this actually happened, and enjoy the alternative history. Let it get a little crazy.

The artwork is really top notch, and the story is great. My only complaint would be that the story moves too fast, and some parts (Batman's love interest...the characters dealing with *vampires* in the city) are not examined in enough detail. The work suffers from that. There *is* the sequel, though, which examines some of these concepts in more detail.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate Sacrifice, January 16, 2003

By 

Christian E. Senftleben "christian__s" (Costa Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (Comic)

This book is the start of a three-part descent into hell and oblivion, with much angst and pathos (and blood) along the way. While the last installment, "Crimson Mist" (think "Alien 3" as far as depressing goes), wraps this up pretty well, "Red Rain" and "Bloodstorm" are my personal favorites.

"Red Rain" sets up the storyline, bringing the Dark Knight from his usual stomping grounds (and reality) into a world where, (to quote "Bloodstorm"), deduction has become meaningless, for the rules are now random. This book focuses on the sacrifices of Bruce Wayne for his beloved Gotham City. [The second book focuses on the Batman's sacrifices for Gotham, and the third book focuses on the sacrifices of those who love Batman for the sake of Gotham].

Some complain this book is boring; I disagree. Since we are at the beginning of the trilogy, Batman is all cool calm and control, even with those bat-wings and eventually fangs. It is the beginning of Batman becoming his own namesake, a true "Bat-man" who is the ultimate nightmare form of the Dark Knight ...incarnate. We get to watch him be stripped of his cool calm, his reason and deduction, his belief in "how the world is," his house, wealth, fortune, life, and even his humanity ...yet he continues the fight, altered as he is, holding fast to his ideals even as he continues to become something he doesn't recognize anymore.

Tell me that Batman doesn't seem like a man pretending to be a creature of the night, a vampire who doesn't kill. Well here, he becomes what he pretends to be. Onward to the second book to determine what happens when we become what we have so long pretended to be!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dark Batman tale thrills, but Dracula deserves better, October 19, 2005

By 

Scott Schiefelbein (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (Comic)

"Batman & Dracula: Red Rain" offers a unique take on the Caped Crusader. More Dark Knight than Adam West camp, this tale plops Bruce Wayne into an apocalyptic Gotham (even more so than usual), as the very sky weeps tears of blood.

Wayne's dreams are tortured by haunting images of beautiful-yet-doomed women, but even more disturbing are the mysterious scars on his back when he awakens. Soon, as the title subtly hints, Batman is matching fists (and to a lesser extent, wits) with good old Dracula himself.

This is a very violent take on the Batman saga, with more emphasis spent on blood and carnage than Batman's detective skills. Several panes offer horrifying visions of Batman's world, and it's safe to say that this is a story for older Batman fanatics.

While the look of this pulp is fantastic, the story lacks a bit of heft. After all, we're talking about the leading comic hero taking on one of the leading villains in Western Civilization . . . and yet Dracula comes across as a rather pedestrian nasty than world-class. There's also an unsatisfying clank of deus ex machina in Batman's climactic fight against the Old Count Dracul, and is not worthy of either our hero or our villain.

Still, "Batman versus Dracula" is an entertaining, if brief tale, and is sure to thrill fans of Batman to their core. Worth a read, but not worthy of the pantheon of great Batman tales.