By Brandon T. McClure
Universal Monsters: Dracula is the first in a line of new horror comics from Skybound Entertainment, a subsidiary of Image Comics owned by Robert Kirkman, that aim to reimagine some of cinema’s most famous monsters. Released in 2023, Universal Monsters: Dracula was collected in hardcover format in 2024 and written by James Tynion IV with art by Martin Simmonds. It reimagines the original 1931 Universal Studios film starring Bela Lugosi. Dracula has to be one of the most adapted works of fiction in the world, so finding new and interesting ways to tell this story can be difficult for a creator. But Tynion and Simmonds are more than capable of retelling this story in a way that feels both familiar and fresh.
Unlike other adaptations of Dracula, this comic does not readapt the 1897 Bram Stoker novel of the same name. It squarely sets itself up as a retelling of the 1931 film which immediately sets it apart from any other comic, film, or television adaptation. The biggest twist, however, is how it chooses to center the events of the film and its titular monster. Count Dracula is not a character, but a monstrous force of nature. Everything the reader learns of Dracula is through other people recounting events that the mysterious count was part of. Tynion frames him in the background, and only ever says one line of dialogue.
Tynion decides to focus the action around the human characters of the story, most notably Dr. Seward and Renfield. On paper, retelling the story of the film but removing the title character doesn’t seem like it should work. However, rather than causing the reader to question where the monster is, the reader is able to share in the dread that each character is feeling. The characters become more sympathetic as you watch them hopelessly try to fight something they don’t understand. The arcs of both Seward and Renfield are standouts with incredible payoffs, but the likes of Mina, Harker and Van Helsing also get plenty of moments that add depth to the story being thrust upon them.
The ending benefits from this change in perspective more than anything else in the book. The original 1931 film has a rather anticlimactic ending that ends with Van Helsing killing Dracula off screen in his sleep. It’s a fine ending, but it’s not the thing people remember about the film. But here, that same ending is filled with emotions ranging from dread to relief to sadness. It’s incredible how the same narrative beats can elicit a different emotional reaction.
Martin Simmonds is the true hero of Universal Monsters: Dracula, however. While Tynion frames Dracula as a force of nature, Simmonds brings that force of nature to the realm of dreams. His brush strokes create an ethereal effect that evokes the fluidity of a half remembered nightmare. His splash pages deserve to be framed as singular works of art. Some of the characters that are possessed by Dracula have haunting pale white faces, an effect that adds to the evocation of said nightmare.
The “Universal Monsters” are some of the most iconic in all of film history and none are more iconic than Dracula. Creating a story based on the original film that feels fresh is a daunting task, but this book makes it seem easy. It’s exactly the type of story that long time fans of monster movies, and new fans, would absolutely love. It’s a strong start to a new line of exciting comics that might have set the bar a little too high.
Universal Monsters: Dracula is available at your local comic and book story or at any online retailer.
