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Review: Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

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Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

When it comes to characters whose stories have been told throughout the decades no one truly rivals Dracula. His story, which is based on a real person, is so regaled with lore it can be difficult to know what is true. There are a ton of legends connected to Vlad the Impaler. His most known is his connection to being the most famous vampire. Just about every country in the world has a vampire legend.

One of my favorite interpretations was Luke Evans’ inspired, yet rarely seen or talked about, Dracula Untold. It gave viewers, a different look at the ruler. Unfortunately, the movie never spawned a sequel but left an indelible portrait of this vaunted figure. In a similar retelling of this icon, Roy Thomas and Esteban Maroto give us Dracula, Vlad The Impaler, giving readers a dense look at the legend.

We are introduced to Dracula, as the world knows him, as he serves as our narrator, though his origin story. As we find Vlad the Prince of Wallachia, and the son of Vlad the Dragon, a ruthless tyrant who ruled Transylvania with an iron hand. He and his brother would travel to Galllpoli with their father on a conquest, which lead to them being wards of the sultan of Turkey. The sultan would eventually kill his father and install Vlad as the new regent, but make him beholden to Turkey.  He would eventually get revenge on those who betrayed his father, and would grow weary of the hold the sultan, leading him to wage war with the Turkish Empire. He was soon turn to supernatural means to gain victory, a path which leads him to be even more ruthless than his father , becoming what world knows him now, Dracula . By book’s end, he is eventually defeated, only to brought back from the dead by his son years later.

Overall, Dracula, Vlad The Impaler is an excellent graphic novel that gives readers a more multifarious look at this legend. The story by Thomas is engrossing. The art by Maroto is simply, legendary. Altogether, one of the best telling of this classic monster. It’s one that is sure to inspire new tellings.

Story: Roy Thomas Art: Esteban Maroto
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW – Bookshop

Preview: Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

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Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

(W) Roy Thomas (A/CA) Esteban Maroto
In Shops: Apr 07, 2021
SRP: $15.99

Dracula is one of the most well-known characters in the world. Now, read the story of the man who inspired the legend in this graphic novel available again for the first time in almost 30 years.

A prince of Wallachia and son of Vlad Dracul (The Dragon), Vlad Dracul the Younger (Vlad Dracula) is taken hostage as a young man by Sultan Mehmed I to ensure his father’s loyalty. When his father is killed at the hands of traitorous nobles in his own land, he assumes the crown and wages a cruel war to regain his lands and avenge his father. Throughout his life, he continued the fight to retain his kingdom, committing acts that would later lead to the formation of the famous character created by Bram Stoker. Originally published in the 1990s, it is now presented for the first time in black and white to showcase the beautiful art of Esteban Maroto.

Dracula, Vlad the Impaler