Larry's Library

Still reading through Marvel’s awesome ’70s series Tomb of Dracula. I just finished #22 (1974). This large panel is a stunning example of Gene Colan’s Dracula.

This single panel took about 50% of a single page (which was somewhat unusual at the time as the general style was lots of smaller panels with six or more on most pages). I love the facial expressions on both characters as well as the ornate gold details of the ceiling/wall area above and behind them. This issue is a bit of a departure story-wise as Dracula ends up in the role of hero as he protects the girl from an evil ghost that haunts the mansion she’s inherited (and Dracula covets for himself). In my opinion the definitive Dracula isn’t Bela Lugosi, Peter Cushing or even Gary Oldman -it’s the Gene Colan drawn version from this series!