A while back I heard that a new four-part comic series was being released with a new take on THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. I pre-ordered them and read them as they came in the mail in two installments of two comics each. While it was great to see my favorite creature, the one that started my fandom and monstrous fascination as a child, the story arch for the series was only so-so for me. In trying to update the Creature into a contemporary story the Gill-Man became little more than an element in the background who (literally) only surfaced from time to time. In addition, the artistic reworking of the Creature with glowing eyes, red lips and sharp teeth was not the iconic look fans have come to love for decades.

But even with my disappointment with the Creature comics I learned that DRACULA had been released previously. I couldn’t track down all four issues at one seller so I opted for purchasing the set in a hardbound collection. To my pleasant surprise this series was very well done. It honored and drew upon the original film from 1931 in terms of story and look, but at the same time also included new material in a reworking of the classic.

The artwork is worthy of special note. It has the look of horror paintings, many of which carry the action and story forward without the need for dialogue, and the images capture the essence of horror that one is both repelled by and drawn too at the same time.

You can order your copy of the Universal Monsters comics from Image, Amazon, or your online comic retailer.