Descrizione
A.S.E. – GLI ALBI DEI SUPER – EROI EDITORIALE CORNO
DRACULA N. 1 – LA NOTTE DEL VAMPIRO
ALBO ORIGINALE DEL 1973
CONDIZIONI :OTTIME, COMPLETO DEGLI ADESIVI ORIGINALI ANCORA INSERITI ALL’ INTERNO, L’ ALBO NON E’ DI BUSTA
N.B. = Queste immagini sono attinte dalla rete a titolo puramente esemplificativo, gli adesivi di questo albo sono in condizioni assolutamente perfette ed ancora inseriti nell’ interno di copertina, non possiamo fornirne scansioni nè fotografie perchè significherebbe forzare l’ apertura del fumetto e rischiare di rovinarlo
GRANDISSIMA DISPONIBILITA’ DI TUTTI I SUPEREROI CORNO E NON
“Dracula“
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Featured Characters:
- Frank Drake (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Jean (Frank’s girlfriend) (First appearance)
Villains:
- Dracula (First appearance)
- Clifton Graves (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Burgeister (a villager)
- Danny (one of Frank’s friends) (Appears in flashback and main story) (First appearance)
- Drake (Frank’s grandfather) (Appears in flashback and main story)
- Fritz (a villager)
- Otto (a coachman)
- Paul (one of Frank’s friends) (Appears in flashback and main story)
- Abraham van Helsing (First appearance) (Appears in flashback and main story)
Locations:
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- Castle Dracula
- The Baron’s Inn
Synopsis
Frank Drake and his girlfriend Jesse have come to Transylvania
because a descendant of the legendary Count Dracula, Frank has inherited
the Counts former home, a castle located in the mountains of
Transylvania. Joining them is Frank’s friend and Jean’s former boyfriend
Clifton Graves. The trio are driving in from London and their car
breaks down along the way, as they push their vehicle, Frank notices
that Clifton has been acting increasingly strange since they left
England.
Arriving in a nearby village, they find that the people of there
are superstitious, believing in all the old tales of Vampire lore.
Seeing a coach to take them the rest of the way to Castle Dracula, they
only find a man named Otto, who doesn’t buy into the superstitions of
the people in town. Drake and his companions continue their journey
despite the warnings from the townsfolk to turn away. Frank is convinced
that he can use his inheritance to make Transylvania a tourist spot.
Arriving at the Castle on their last ten dollars, the trio are
dropped off where Clifton makes an unwelcomed pass at Jean. Looking at
the castle Drake recalls how he he blew the million dollars he inherited
along with the castle and reflects on the summer where he met Jean.
With no money to show for himself he would attempt to get loans from his
friends to no avail. However, when telling his friend Clifton about his
ownership of Castle Dracula, Clifton came up with the scheme to turn it
into a tourist trap. Drake would spend the next while researching into
his families past, and reading the diaries of his family and that of Van
Helsing as well. Convinced that the plan to turn Castle Dracula into a
tourist destination Frank agreed to go on this expedition.
With his recollection done, Frank and the others enter into
Castle Dracula, inside the group is accosted by a group of bats freaking
out Jean. The group splits up, while Jean considers how their travels
have changed both Frank and Clifton, Clifton explores another part of
the castle, hoping to exploit the situation and wondering what he ever
saw in Jean. Clifton ends up breaking through some old floorboards and
falls through to a lower level of the castle. Following the steps,
Clifton leads himself into the Castles tomb and finds the coffin where
Count Dracula’s Earthly remains are kept. Opening the coffin, Clifton
finds Dracula’s bones with a wooden stake jutting out of it’s chest.
While plotting to kill Frank to take over ownership of the castle,
Clifton removes the stake from the bones and begins to walk out of the
room.
Unfortunately for Clifton, he has unknowingly caused Dracula to
return to life, his flesh and blood reforming upon the stakes removal
from his skeleton. Dracula attacks Clifton who tries to kill the Vampire
King with rounds fired from his gun. They have no effect, and Clifton
is soon knocked out and tossed down a pit for Dracula to summon later.
Transforming into a bat and flying to the upper levels of the
castle, Dracula happens upon Frank and Jean who have just come across
the portion of the floor that Clifton broke through. When Jean once more
panics at the sight of a bat, they are further shocked when said bat
suddenly transforms into Dracula himself. Both are astonished, and Jean
soon finds herself under Dracula’s hypnotic thrall and walks toward the
vampire, pushing Frank aside. Drake knocks Jean out and when Dracula
attempts to attack, Frank pulls out Jean’s silver compact. Silver being
one of a vampires many weaknesses, Dracula is forced to transform into
bat form to flee the sceen and find sustenance elsewhere.
Dracula does find it in a lone girl walking alone in the streets
of the village, and quickly feasts upon her before heading back to the
castle. When the girl’s body is found by villagers, they realize that
Dracula is back from the grave and organize a mob to torch the Castle.
When Dracula returns to the castle, he finds Jean sleeping in a
bed all by herself. When he attempts to feed upon her once more, he
finds that she is wearing a crucifix, which drives him back. This was
all a trap set by Frank, who reveals to Dracula their common ancestry,
and attacks Dracula further by showing him a mirror. Getting close
enough, Frank tosses Jean’s silver compact at Dracula, striking the
vampire’s brow. Although it causes Dracula pain, it only enrages him and
the vampire lord is soon upon Drake, with the intent to kill him.
Jean wakes up to find Dracula attacking Frank, just as the angry
mob of townspeople are approaching the castle with torches. Dracula
meanwhile, uses his hypnotic gaze to make Jean remove the crucifix from
her person and toss it out a window. As the townspeople light the castle
on fire, Frank revives to find Dracula feeding upon Jean. Trying to
stop Dracula, Frank uses the silver compact once more, forcing Dracula
to once again change into a bat and flee the scene. Drank picks up
Jean’s body and carries her out of the castle where he tells the
villagers that Dracula is gone. After the townsfolk leave, Frank sees to
Jean and is horrified to find her dead.
His tears are interrupted when Jean suddenly rises up, and
explains to Frank that because Dracula did not kill her, she was
transformed into a vampire instead. Seeing Dracula flying off, Jean then
follows after him leaving Frank to mourn over his loss.
Notes
- This issue is the first Marvel Comics appearance of Dracula. The character of Dracula is based on the literary figure featured in the eponymous 1897 novel Dracula
by Bram Stoker. Stoker in turn, based his vampire character on the
historical Vlad Tepes, a 15th century Wallachian prince known for his
brutality and his penchant for impaling his adversaries on pikes on the
perimeter of his castle.
- Dracula’s actual first appearance was in the seventh story in Suspense #7 entitled “Dracula Lives” (unpublished in italy). This issue was published in 1951 by Atlas Comics. Dracula’s appearance in Suspense #7 is considered part of Marvel mainstream continuity as indicated in his profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Horror, 2005.
- Dracula chronologically appeared last in a flashback sequence from Before the Fantastic Four: The Storms #3 (unpublished in italy). The events from that issue take place after Dracula’s apparent “death” at the hands of a Scotsman in Tomb of Dracula #15.
- Stoker’s original novel was adapted by Marvel Comics in Marvel Classics Comics #9 (unpublished in italy). Although written from an out-of-continuity perspective, all of the events portrayed in that issue are common to Marvel’s Earth-616 continuity as well.
- First appearance of Clifton Graves and Frank Drake. Both appear again next issue.
- First appearance of Jean; turned into a vampire in this issue.
In this issue, Jean becomes a vampire right away which is
contrary to vampire lore (not to mention later instances in this series
when characters are turned into vampires.) In Bram Stoker’s Dracula,
those who are fed upon by a vampire would rise from the grave three days
later as a vampire themselves unless they were killed before they had
been completely exsanguinated.
“The Fear Within!” / IL TERRORE DI DENTRO
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Featured Characters:
Villains:
- Dracula
- Clifton Graves
- Jean (Apparent Death)
Other Characters:
- Bart (a bar patron)
- Carl von Harbou (Dracula’s former assistant)
- Ellie (a bar patron)
- Gort (a valet)
- Remo (a bar patron)
Locations:
-
- London
- Big Ben
- Guinness Tavern
Synopsis
Frank Drake has returned to the burnt out ruins of Castle Dracula
with a valet named Gort, hoping to get revenge on his immortal ancestor,
Count Dracula who had succeeded into changing Drake’s lover Jean into a
vampire. Taking Gort into Dracula’s tomb, he explains to the
man-servant the events that led up to Dracula’s resurrection and the
vampire lords subsequent escape after he turned Jean into a vampire and
the local towns folk had lit Castle Dracula ablaze. Hearing cries for
help, Frank and Gort find Clifton Graves trapped in a pit and help him
out. Brought up to speed, Drake explains the first part of his plan to
get revenge against Dracula: stealing the vampire lords coffin.
While down in the village below, Dracula stalks and kills another
girl to feed upon her blood. Afterwards, Dracula pays a visit to Carl
Von Harbou, a man who, as a boy years ago had been a loyal servant to
Dracula prior to his recent death. Dracula asks Von Harbou to help
conceal his pale skin tone in order to more easily pass as a normal
human. With the process done, Dracula then feeds upon Von Harbou,
revealing that he knew that it was Carl — as a boy — who betrayed him
to the men who killed him last.
Days later, Frank Drake and Clifton Graves arrive in London,
having brought Dracula’s coffin with them, Drake ready and confident
that Dracula will come to them and that he will be ready to stop his
murderous ancestor. That night, Drake is visited by Jean who attempts to
tempt Frank into becoming her next victim. When they are interrupted by
Clifton, Clifton is too drunk to realize that Jean is really a vampire
until Frank pulls out a crucifix, causing Jean great pain.
Listening from below, Dracula has faith that Jean will succeed in
killing both Drake and Graves, and walks off when he spots another girl
to make his next victim. Following her into a pub, Dracula uses his
power to charm the woman until he is interrupted by the man’s boyfriend
Remo. When Remo attempts to pick a fight with Dracula, the vampire
easily overpowers and leaves with the girl. Luring her into a dark
alley, Dracula feeds upon her, her screams drawing Remo and the other
bar patrons who stand in utter horror as they witness Dracula
transforming into a bat and flying away. Dracula returns to his hide out
where he boasts over Drake’s error in planning: Having Dracula’s coffin
is not fatal to the vampire at all, it’s not the coffin but the dirt
inside which Dracula needs to be able to sleep and laughs as this will
lead to Drake’s defeat.
Back at Drake’s apartment, Frank has tied up Jean, who continues
to try and convince Clifton that Frank has gone crazy. Clifton, still
jealous over the fact that Frank had won Jean’s love away from him
decides to betray Frank in order to get Jean back and drugs Frank’s
coffee. With Frank knocked out he unties her as Dracula arrives to
reclaim his coffin. As they go into the other room to take the coffin,
Frank revives and enters the room with a crucifix in hand.
Dracula sends Clifton to attack Frank, the struggle takes the
crucifix out of Dracula’s sight long enough for the lord of the vampires
to attack his ancestor, knocking the holy symbol away. With Frank
preoccupied with Dracula, Jean then turns on Clifton. Managing to
struggle from from Dracula, Frank sees that Jean is about to feed upon
Clifton and grabs a broken table leg and rams it into her back.
Realizing that the dawn is rising, Dracula decides to retreat and
transforms into a bat and flies away.
With the sun rising, Jean begins to disintegrate, he final words are her
pleas to Frank that she does not want to die this way. Her pleas are
useless as she eventually burns up in the sun leaving Frank to weep for
her passing.
Notes
- Final appearance of Jean; destroyed in this issue. However,
with the resurrection of all the worlds Vampires when the Montessi
Formula was broken, it’s entirely possible that Jean has been
resurrected. - In this issue Dracula states that it’s the dirt within his
coffin that is the important, not the coffin itself. In Bram Stoker’s
mythos, a vampire can only sleep in a coffin filled with dirt from the
vampires homeland. This bit of vampire lore is predominant in early Tomb
of Dracula stories, however it is soon ignored. This is probably due to
the fact that such a condition would be a restriction to the story
telling potential of the character.
