An enraged village hungry for blood pursues Vincent, the nephew assistant of the now-dead Doctor Frankenstein, and his fiancee Erika. From out of nowhere, Prince Vlad rescues the terrified young couple. But Vlad is, in fact, "Dracula," and he has a sinister purpose. If he has an unstoppable creature like the Frankenstein monster, his safety will be assured. To get this, Vlad holds Erika for ransom. The monster is created then kills Erika but a werewolf's bite brings her back. The scene is set for a battle of pitiless monsters.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Legendary '70s superhero comic artist Adams has put his version of a classic monster movie into a graphic novel, and the result is an expensively produced storyboard for a hoped-for movie project. The characters—a vampire nobleman, a scientifically created monster, a werewolf—are inspired by the classic Universal horror films, but their designs are different for trademark reasons. A young couple, pursued by a pack of wolves, is saved by a mysterious Prince Vlad and taken to his lonely castle. The rescued man is the nephew of the infamous Baron Frankenstein, so Vlad holds his fiancée hostage to force him to build another monster. The girl almost dies but is instead turned into a werewolf, in a chapter that seems like it was imported from another story altogether. The artistic approach, with pages saturated with computer color, works against the classic style. The pages are busy and full, and readers' eyes will struggle to find a place to rest as a result. Modern layout effects also work against the purple prose (the most frequently used punctuation is the ellipsis) and old-fashioned storytelling style. The book concludes with a selection of Adams's sketches from various horror films and covers from random monster-related comic books he illustrated.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
About the Author
Neal Adams is the legendary illustrator and storyteller behind Batman and X-Men. He is the author of Neal Adams: The Sketch Book.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every Old Thing Is New Again,
By
This review is from: Neal Adams Monsters (Paperback)
Neal Adams Monsters
Neal Adams was recognised as an instant master when his rendition of Batman smashed his way into mainstream comics in the early 70s. His life- like portrayal of super heroes helped elevate comic art back into a respectable medium bringing passion and drama into charactors not taken seriously before. His influence cannot be overstated,ranking him with Ditco,Kirby,and Frazetta as the best of the best. "Monsters" was published during the time Universal was resurecting their Classic Monster Series on DVD. It is a totally original work that harkens back to those Gothic glories with Adams adding his personal flare for action and hyper-realizm. The panals flow like a story board. I found myself grinning ear to ear as I turned each page. I will say nothing of the story but this. This is the movie that "Van Helsing" SHOULD have been. The monsters did not need to be amplified into charicatures of themselves. They were treated with the same respect seen in their original screen versions. It was as if Universal and Hammer teamed up and added ILM to finally do it right. Unlike many recent films,Adams did not chuck out the baby with the bath. He kept each mythos intact without additions or cheats. The only thing wrong with this book is that it did not last a hundred pages or more. It would have been worth what ever price they asked! "Monsters" is proof that Frankenstien,Dracula,and the Wolf Man are truely immortal. Hopefully we will be gifted with sequals. Or maybe even,More Monsters?! How about it,Neal? John Fischner
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neal Adams, Classic Monsters, What a deal !!!!!!!,
By John Patrick Fischner (Needville, Texas, USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy, MIND Of GOD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: NEAL ADAMS MONSTERS HC (Hardcover)
This book came out about the same time as the Van Helsing movie. If only they had adapted THIS story they might have had some hope of a good movie. The best monster mash since the HBO 97 House of Frankenstein mini series. Lots of fun for all us classic monster fans. this was obviously a labor of love for Mr Adams. All I will say is THANK YOU very much.
I leave the critics to stew in their unhappy juices. I had a blast with this book when I used it for Christmas presents last year. Now this one is for ME!!! Happy happy joy joy! JPF
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT ART...HUM-DRUM STORY,
This review is from: Neal Adams Monsters (Paperback)
I've been a huge Neal Adams fan for 30 years. He was the first comic book artist whose comics I actively sought out and collected. Like most of the great artists of the late 60's and 70's, Adams kept his runs on titles short but memorable. His work on the X-Men, Avengers, Green Lantern, and Batman are Silver Age classics. And I remember how happy I was to find Conan the Barbarian #37 with the Adams cover and art. He remains one of my all-time favorites.
"Monsters" collects into one volume for the first time a story that appeared in "Echo of Future Past" from Continuity Comics, Adams' own company. In his introduction, Adams expresses his love for monsters but laments that Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Frankenstein Monster never battled in those old Universal films although he did forget about "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein". The story opens as a young couple are running for their lives from a pack of ravenous wolves until a stately man upon horseback call the "dogs" off. Their rescuer is overjoyed to find out that the young man is Vincent, the nephew of Victor Frankenstein. Vincent explains that he and his fiancée had to escape from the villagers who killed his uncle after his monster went on a rampage. But they quickly find out their rescuer, Prince Vlad, AKA Count Dracula, is no friend. He kidnaps Vincent's fiancée, Ericka" and forces Vincent to make a new monster. He needs the monster to look after him while he sleeps, and is vulnerable, during the daylight hours. Vincent creates a new monster which immediately breaks free, goes on a rampage, and throws his beloved to her apparent death. But she finds herself bitten by a werewolf and it all climaxes in a battle royal. If my summary seems simplistic it's because that's exactly what the plot was. Adams' script is just a vehicle to get these three monsters together and at each other's throats. Granted, it's better than the horrendous "Van Helsing" film of 2004, but not by much. At least Neal's art is more pleasing to the eye than two hours of CGI effects. I found Dracula's explanation of why he needed a monster to watch out for him during the day to be a bit silly. I mean, a simple-witted member of the living dead doesn't seem like it would make the best watchdog. That's why vampires have human thralls, such as Renfield, to care for them. Adams stated in the introduction that he could not depict these monsters looking anything like Universal's copyrighted appearances. I can live with that but I'm not so sure I like my Dracula as a blond, with wavy hair and a Fu-Manchu-style mustache. He looked more like a character from a 1970's cop movie than "The Prince of Darkness". I enjoyed the book as a fan of Neal's art but the story left me a little flat. In addition to the story, there is also a small gallery of monster-related covers than Neal did for Marvel, mostly during the 1970's as well as some of his production sketches from films he worked on. Reviewed by Tim Janson
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