Graphic Novel Review – Dracula: The Company of Monsters (Vol 1) by Kurt Busiek, Daryl Gregory, Scott Godlewski (4/5 stars)
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/GraphicNovel
Size: 112 pages
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Release Date: February 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1608860449
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Dracula: The Company of Monsters series
Source: BEA
Rating: 4/5 stars
I picked up a finished copy of this graphic novel at Book Expo America (BEA). All in all it was an interesting graphic novel. The illustration was top notch and I enjoyed the storyline.
When a corporation discovers the corpse of Vlad the impaler, the CEO is determined to ressurect Vlad in order to have him carry out some of the companies dirty work. Drawn into this a young man named Evan who has been translating ancient documents and doing some of the experimental work leading up to Vlad’s resurrection. The graphic novel alternates between ancient times when Vlad ruled and current times where they are trying to force Vlad to work for the corporation.
I enjoyed this story; it is engaging and interesting. It was a neat idea to have Vlad resurrected solely to help a corporation succeed. It does takes some digs at corporate America, as the reader is left with a question about who the monster really is here. At times Vald seems more humane than the corporate gurus he associates with.
The illustrations was very well done and absolutely top notch. It matches the tone of the story well and it is easy to tell facial expressions and character identities. It is full color and very detailed, just very well done. This is definitely aimed at adults, there is a lot of violence.
Overall I think this is an interesting addition to the Dracula mythos and an interesting way to use Dracula as a character. Most of this book it setup, so I am really looking forward to reading the second book in this series. The illustration was top notch and the story creative and engaging. I definitely recommend this to Dracula fans out there and to people who are interested in seeing Dracula brought into a modern day setting.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
