Customer Reviews

Sword of Dracula

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Image Comics' The Sword of Dracula, a 2003 mini-series, is an unusual Dracula story with a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing, a tough-minded woman named Ronnie, battles not only our 15th century terrorist, but her own men who have no understanding of his powers or evil, and wonder why they're getting slaughtered.

The series sets us in the present time with a neo-military group known as Pollodorium with Ronnie at its head. After a skirmish at Dracula's castle (built of "blood wood"), they lose the first round and prepare for the second. As explained in the story, their original purpose was to route out vampirism in the US and other places, but Ronnie changed that. She wants to go for the Elder vampire, Dracula himself.

As the story progresses, we meet two fallen angels, Blood and Bone. These guys want an energy source, The Blue, and have recently escaped from their prison under the Dead Sea and want to again take over the Earth, with the help of their "son", Dracula, who is not too keen on sharing the planet with anyone else.

Ronnie is in the unenviable position of having to back up Dracula in taking back a stronghold held by the former angels (fallen angels Samyaza and Azazel). Zombies ensue!

Jason Henderson writes a pretty well-paced story. The only silly part is when the angels take the brain of Dracula and use him as a divining rod to find The Blue energy source. It's a bit goofy and reminds me of the old DC Comics' funky stories from the Silver Age.
Several artists switched off drawing the book with some success. Belk I think is the most successful with the black & white renditions, the realistic looks, the splash panels and the imagination of horror seen throughout, especially Book 4. The scratchiest art is in the first book by Dukeshire, which was not that impressive.

What's really great is the nod to the original Bram Stoker novel, Dracula, its involvement in the development of The Sword of Dracula, and even some commentary on the Universal films anothers, which it comments we get too much into, and not enough into what Stoker was doing with the character. That article appears in Issue 2, but you can also access its other appearance in [...], by Jason Henderson.

As I understand it, other publishers have taken the Sword of Dracula concept and ran with it, such as IDW Publishing and DigitalWebbing(dot)com.

Enjoy, worth picking up!

Other Jason Henderson Offerings:

Alex Van Helsing: Vampire Rising
Shadowland: Street Fighters
Alex Van Helsing: Voice of the Undead

In this age of vampire infatuation and revisionist writing, the story of Dracula is somewhat in flux. More and more books and movies now portray him as the romantic sympathetic hero and for many people that's good. But the vampire Dracula, who has been in our minds for a hundred year was "created" as a monster, and for many it is frustrating to find so few stories of him as an awe inspiring villain in this last decade.

Sword of Dracula, written by Jason Henderson, gives that and more.

Set in modern times, vampires have become a terrorist threat that threatens to consume the planet. And at the top is the vampire king, Dracula, who is determined to become king of the world and has powers over blood that are truly horrifying but also makes you crave to see more. But on his trail is Veronica "Ronnie" Van Helsing, whose struggle with the Vampire king is long and has left her determined to bring him down. But just as the two sides gather for battle, an even darker threat arises from the earth.

Sword of Dracula is action packed and leaves one wanting for more as the idea of a bloody battle takes on a new and much more twisted meaning.
The cast of characters is excellent.
Ronnie is a hero you admire, care for, and prey for as she goes up against creatures that slaughter hundreds as an afterthought. As well as her band of Commando friends whose job is to defeat the undefeatable.
Dracula is at his villainous best. He sees the world as his and is determined to make it so. And with his powers and armies at his command, he is very much a sword hanging over the world's head.
And I won't give it away but the other villains are frightening and a welcome addition to the vampire mythos.

If you want action, a struggle between good and evil, an evil yet amazing Dracula, as well some of the greatest vampire powers in print, this is the graphic novel for you.
The Story is ongoing in Sword of Dracula: Dracula War and Alex Van Helsing.
You can be sure I will continue reading.

As taken from the graphic novel:

Let them know
He is not a Romantic.
He is not Misunderstood.
He is King.
Dracula lives.

I've read a lot of glowing reviews of SWORD OF DRACULA. So glowing, in fact, that I think I must have read a different comic. SWORD OF DRACULA is mildly diverting, but I didn't find in it something worthy of all the mountains of praise that's been heaped upon it.

It's not bad, and in places has some interesting things to bring to the Dracula mythos, but the story doesn't have the propulsion it needs, and the artwork on the whole is a let-down. As a huge Dracula fan, I was expecting a bit more creativity and style.

Memorable quotes from Reviews for Sword of Dracula:
(See http://www.swordofdracula.com )

"One of the coolest reinterpretations of Bram Stoker's character in years...Imagine the grunts from ALIENS taking on those 28 DAYS LATER zombies, and you have some idea of the feel of this story... if you like horror comics, you'll love the hell out of this one. " --Cinescape

"An adrenaline rushed no-holds barred read that takes a great high concept and runs with it at full speed.... Sword of Dracula is a visually impressive, action packed tour-de-force that is a must read for any and all action-horror fans. Highly recommended." CHUD (Cinematic Happenings Under Development)


" Sword of Dracula is a vampire story told right... Dracula himself is everything you always thought him to be, and more." Comixtreme

"The most unique take on Dracula in over a century ... call this MAXIMUM DRACULA... cover to cover SWORD OF DRACULA #3 is the one issue you MUST buy! ...When Dracula goes into action, you see it AND you truly believe it! It's almost like a Hollywood blockbuster leaping off the page with each panel!"
-- ComicFanatic

"A daring re-envisioning of the legend of Dracula ... delves even deeper into the mythos of Dracula, painting what may be one of the most disturbing portraits of the monstrous icon to date ...a winning package through and through.
-- Mediasharx

"A very gritty, sophisticated, modern day action adventure epic - with the emphasis squarely on action and adventure. This is probably the best take on the vampire genre I've seen in a long time."
--SilverBullet

"Henderson's vision of Dracula is the real deal. Heck, for me, it's the best imagining of 'Dracula' yet. (It's like he tapped into some primal energy in creating this version.)"
The Kuala Lumpur daily, THE MALAY MAIL

"Image's Sword of Dracula is quickly becoming a hit, and it's no wonder why... Buffy ain't got nothing on this."
UndergroundOnline

"It's a guy's dream adventure, complete with female soldier lead to fantasize about!" --Comics Worth Reading.

"If you're missing action in modern comics as much as I am, this book is for you! Henderson and Scott prove that fast pacing can be as effective, if not more so, in story telling than the dirge-like pace of most modern comics. Dracula in S.O.D. is interesting in that he has powers to control blood. He can do strange, mystic things with blood, use it as weapon, turn it into a sword. This would look amazing in CGI." --Aint it Cool News.

"One of the best takes on Dracula since Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee! ...Think "Full Metal Jacket" meets "Dracula"! ...In almost 80 years of movie making, and even more years of storytelling, Henderson does something that no other creator/movie maker has done... With just this first issue, Henderson already has this Drac fan hoping to see this story on the big screen!" Comic Fanatic

"Good [comics are] like the proverbial needle in a haystack. Well I just read Sword of Dracula, and all I can say is that I think I've found a needle... This issue establishes Dracula in all his dark glory. ... It incorporates bits of myth and bits of history into a gory, blood-filled new legend. ... Scott draws Sword of Dracula as if born to the role... gritty and cinematic." --Comixtreme

"One of the most original takes on the Dracula legend that I've personally read... the art is gorgeous; intricately detailed and bursting with energy and style." --Silver Bullet Comics