Dracula #5

May 1993. £1.25.
40 pages. Full colour & B&W.
Dark Horse Comics International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Mike Mignola.
r: cover from Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #04 (Jan 1993).

Contents:

 2 Dracula Introduction text (uncredited) / Contents / Indicia

 3 Bram Stoker's Dracula, part five, w: Roy Thomas; p: Mike Mignola, i: John Nyberg, lettering by John Costanza, colouring by Mark Chiarello.

r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #4 (Jan 1993).

20 Bloodlines text feature compiled by Dave Hughes.

22 Vampirella - What Has Gone Before text introduction; illustrated by Mike Kaluta.

23 Vampirella Who Serves the Cause of Chaos?, part two, w: Archie Goodwin; a: Tom Sutton.

r: Vampirella (Warren) #08 (Nov 1970).

30 Transmission Vamp text feature by Adrian Rigelsford.

32 Werewolf! w: Larry Ivie; a: Frank Frazetta, lettering by Ben Oda.

r: Creepy (Warren) #01 (1964).

38 Positive Blood Type reviews of vampire books by Seamus Ryan.

39 Subscribe - Comics for the '90s (half page) in-house advertisement. / Exclusive Fangtastic Offer (half page) advertisement for Studio Three Jewellery Design.

40 Timeless Terror From Dark Horse in-house advertisement

Note: There is more information about the Werewolf strip at DocDave's Frazetta blog.

Mignola's depiction of the beastial Dracula is grotesque and eye-catching, capturing the film's design ethos perfectly, and making the cover really stand out. The cover lines, when placed upon such a strong image, are rather inconsequential - not to mention being extremely difficult to read.

From Jonathan Harker's journal: 2 October

We left London by train and crossed the English channel that night in stormy seas, no doubt from the passage of the Count's ship. He commands the winds, but we still have the advantage. By train, we can reach the Romanian port at Varna in three days. By ship, it will take him at least a week. From Paris, we traveled through the Alps to Buda-Pest. The Count must sail around the Rock of Gibraltar, where we have posted a look-out, and then on to the Black Sea port at Varna where we will meet his ship and burn it into the sea.

Ending with a rather downbeat, and very dark, installment, the strip follows every other adaptation in condensing the journey to Dracula's castle into as brief a space as possible. It is annoying that the colouring is so suddenly dark as the small band rushes to stop Dracula, as it appears to already be night - "We've got to kill him before the sun sets!" seems, therefore, to be a misplaced line. Its closing pages hammer home the differences here than in other adaptations of the novel, with a tearful Mina delivering the killing blow to the vampire.

"We want no proofs. We ask none to believe us. God be thanked that all has not been in vain - the curse has passed away."

Bloodlines further elaborates on the cinematic success of the film, and offers up ten copies of Redemption's videocassette release of >The Vampire Bat in a competition. A less impressive product given coverage is Scarlett, an attempt by DC Comics to attract the horror crowd - Tom Joyner and Keith S. Wilson's opening issue might have had interesting moments, but quickly faltered, though the piece is strangely quiet on the comic's contents.

Vampirella arrives at a scene of worship, with the cult members in full chant. Attacked by the monster she had seen before, Vampirella defends herself - and makes her presence known, drawing the cult members down on her in force. Chained to an altar, it seems that she will be given as a sacrifice to Nuberus, though Tyler steps in to prevent her death. He admits that his real name is Ethan Shroud, warlock of Old Salem, and first leader of the Companions of Chaos, and professes his love for Vapirella, for which she rebuffs him. The real Tyler returns to life to drag Ethan into the limbo from which he has ventured, and the Crimson Chronicles, which the cult used in their ceremonies, burns...

Dragging out the Van Helsing subplot with a single page of plot development is a touch luxuriant, especially when the strips are being dragged out here, but with such accomplished artwork there is little to gripe about. I have a soft spot for the character, having read through stacks of the Warren originals (back when they could be picked up for 50p each), and it is a joy to see them get another chance to shine here.

The 1977 Louis Jourdan-starring Dracula gets coverage in Transmission Vamp, with some amusing observations from Adrian Rigelsford:

With the current tidal wave of interest in all things Dracula-related, it would seem an ideal time to dig up this Count, but, alas, this does not look like it will ever happen. Apart from the odd clip turning up now and again (and a recent screening at the National Film Theatre), the long-requested release of the production on the retail video market seems [as] unlikely as it has for the past ten years or so, with clearance and rights ownership causing endless problems.

It would turn up on the fifth of April, 1993 on BBC Two, while this issue was still on the shelves. As amusing as it would be to imagine the BBC broadcasting the show deliberately, it is an odd coincidence.

Positive Blood Type (the puns, they keep coming) tackles Anne Billson's Suckers, Poppy Z. Brite's Lost Souls, and The Ultimate Dracula anthology from Dell, with remarkable restraint. Laying off the awful vampire puns altogether would have endeared me more, as it reeks of trashy US horror magazines of the seventies, not one of which retains anything remotely close to charm. Of the books listed, The Ultimate Dracula, with a P.J. Farmer story, sounds the most interesting.

#04

Dracula

#06

Dracula #4

23 Mar 1993 - 14 Apr 1993. £1.25.
36 pages. Full colour & B&W contents.
Dark Horse Comics International.

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Mike Mignola.
r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #?

Contents:

 2 Dracula Introduction text by Dick Hansom (? uncredited) / Contents / Indicia

 3 Bram Stoker's Dracula, part four, w: Roy Thomas; p: Mike Mignola, i: John Nyberg, lettering by John Costanza, colouring by Mark Chiarello.

r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #04 (Jan 1993).

17 Bloodlines text feature compiled by Dave Hughes; photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

19 Vampirella Who Serves the Cause of Chaos? w: Archie Goodwin; a: Tom Sutton.

r: Vampirella (Warren) #08 (Nov 1970).

33 Inside Coppola's Dracula Untitled, part four, text feature by Gary Gerani & Dave Hughes; photographs by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

34 Salem's Slot review of Salem's Lot (1978) by Seamus Ryan; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

35 Subscribe - Comics for the '90s

36 The Galaxy's Greatest Heroes Return in... Classic Star Wars in-house advertisement

The hunt for Dracula begins, and, while Mina sees Renfield, the boxes of Dracula's home soil are purified so that they cannot be used by him. After venting his anger on Renfield for betraying him, Dracula visits Mina - who he convinces to drink of his blood. Knowing that the link between Mina and Dracula can be used to his advantage, Helsing hypnotises Mina.

Some of the colouring decisions make the art too dark in places, with reproduction struggling to cope with the almost-hidden figures on the first page, for example, though for the most part this is an artistic choice which sells the stylized mood. The page which doesn't quite work is when Mina is hypnotised, as the various blues blend into one another. For an adaptation which has, overall, been so strong, this isn't really a problem.

Bloodlines sets its sights on Academy Award nominations for the film, announcing that Bram Stoker's Dracula snagged a nomination in every category of the second Chainsaw Awards, run by Fangoria. The feature's brief, yet tantalising, coverage of Anne Rice's UK promotional tour doesn't state whether the interviews which weren't cancelled were for print or television - small details.

Night blankets a remote area of the rocky mountains, and, softly, silently snow has begun to fall. A cutting wind sends the flakes of white dancing and driving across the rugged landscape to pelt and sting a figure strangely out of place in these surroundings, a girl of unearthly beauty wandering through a winter night. A girl lost in a world not her own...

Vampirella suits the black and white presentation, though it has to be asked - was the finances stretched so tight that some colour could not have been added? After finding herself stranded on a mountain after a plane crash, Vampirella is rescued by Tyler Westron, who takes her to the safety of his retreat for the nervous rich. Vampirella discovers that Tyler is well aware of her alien origins, as she has talked while under sedation, and worse - he has had to amputate her wings. Telling her that he only wishes to aid her, Tyler convinces Vampirella to be patient.

And far from the isolated winter lodge, other events are forming that will in time touch the girl of Drakulon, for as the half-light of dusk settles gloomily over a graveyard in rural Michigan...

Conrad Van Helsing exhumes Kurt's corpse, and, seeing that it is drained of blood, puts a stake through the heart of his dead brother.

Vampirella may not be the most original series ever written, but the effect of so many influences upon this plot assists in creating a larger canvas upon which to paint her adventures. A cult which worships ancient gods, the isolated "hospital" where events play out, a staking in a modern cemetery, a strange monster kept caged in the basement - all of the elements are familiar, yet when woven together in this manner build into something greater than the pieces themselves.

It isn't perfect, however. There are panels which don't work, especially those in which close-ups of major characters don't look like those characters, and the ending trails off, when it should end on a more dramatic note.

No matter the film, reading of the rush to get a completed product in the can in time for its release date, and as Inside Coppola's Dracula makes clear, Bram Stoker's Dracula. had quite a few challenges to overcome. Most interesting of the comments, is mention of the deleted scenes:

Certain elements were lessened or dropped, others amplified. Early test screenings suggested that a little blood goes a long way. Some very sexy scenes were deleted altogether.

So... More deleted scenes than there was on the two-disc DVD release?

As a lifelong Stephen King fan, Salem's Lot always felt like a poor adaptation, whether in its film edit or as a mini-series. Seamus Ryan provides a brief recap of its development, first as a film, then as the eventual mini-series it became, and its sequel. There isn't enough to convince me to give it another chance, and I'm not sure why it is included. Had there been more a involved history of the book and its adaptation it might have been a really useful primer, though without a wealth of detail it merely points to the video's existence.

Stealth marketing at work.

03

Dracula

#05

Street Fighter II #10

Jun 1995. Cover price 95p.
40 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.

Edited by Dck Hansom.

Photo cover (uncredited).

Contents:

 2 Street Fighter II Presents the Official Movie Adaptation of Street Fighter credits. / What Has Gone Before recap (uncredited). Indicia

 3 The Battle for Shadaloo painting by Sonia Hillios.

r: cover from Street Fighter: The Battle for Shadaloo (DC) #nn (1995).

 4 Street Fighter, part two, w: Mike McAvennie, based on the screenplay by Steven E. de Souza, based on the Street Fighter video game series, produced by Capcom; p: Nick Napolitano, i: Bob Downs, lettering by Tim Harkins, colouring by Lee Loughbridge.

r: Street Fighter: The Battle for Shadaloo (DC) #nn (1995).

20 Street Fighter II poster

22 The Truth is Out There in-house advertisement for The X-Files.

38 Win the Book of the Movie of the Game competition to win Street Fighter novelisation by Todd Straser, based on the screenplay by Steven E. de Souza (Boxtree; 04 May 1995).

39 Patlabor Mobile Police in-house advertisement for videocassette.

40 Street Fighter. Unplugged. advertisement for Upper Deck trading cards.

Wisely placing Chun-Li (Ming-Na Wen) and Cammy (Kylie Minogue) on the cover, this is an overall more attractive proposition, while maintaining a strong link to the film. While there isn't a free gift this time round, the rather good cover to DC's original printing of the strip is included. Also included, finally, is a recap of prior events, though there's still no reader interaction. It is almost as if the title doesn't need to acknowledge the existence of its following, given how long it has survived already.

Chun-Li introduces herself to Ryu and Ken, warning them that they have ten minutes to flee before explosives go off. Slipping away, she encounters Cammy, who informs Chun-Li she is still under arrest. Sagat discovers that Bison has paid him in money bearing the general's face, angering Bison with his refusal to accept the notes. Guile prepares to launch an all-out attack on the fortress. Blanka is freed from the process which is designed to turn him into the ultimate weapon in Bison armoury, immediately attacking those he discovers.

The story may be filled with holes, characters with paper-thin personalities, and a sense of realism slightly lower than in the average Simpsons episode, but there's one thing the film did well - the explosions are gloriously large and very, very loud. Transposing the film to a comic strip was never going to yield a high quality product, but the conclusion is simply awful. Rushing through the story, in order to get it done and over with as quickly as possible, isn't the best way to handle a problematic narrative.

This issue's lack of feature content is a problem - when the main attraction is so feeble, there is nothing left to latch onto in the hopes that improvements are forthcoming.

#09

Street Fighter II

#11

Street Fighter II #9

May 1995. Cover price 95p.
40 pages. Full colour.
Manga Publishing Ltd.

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Photo cover (uncredited).

Contents:

 2 Street Fighter II Presents the Official Movie Adaptation of Street Fighter credits. / Indicia

 3 Street Fighter, part one, w: Mike McAvennie, based on the screenplay by Steven E. de Souza, based on the Street Fighter video game series, produced by Capcom; p: Nick Napolitano, i: Bob Downs, lettering by Tim Harkins, colouring by Lee Loughbridge.

r: Street Fighter: The Battle for Shadaloo (DC) #nn (1995).

19 The Truth is Out There in-house advertisement for The X-Files.

20 Street Fighter II poster

22 Lock Up Your Sons! It's Tank Girl in-house advertisement.

35 100 Street Fighter Trading Card Albums to be Won competition.

36 Lights, Camera... Action! text feature (uncredited); photographs (uncredited).

38 Prepare to Face a Deadly New Life Form in-house advertisement for Manga Heroes #04.

39 Get Blown Away With Masamune Shirow's New Dominion Tank Police in-house advertisement for cideocassette.

40 Street Fighter. Unplugged. advertisement for Upper Deck trading cards.

It would be interesting to see sales figures for this issue compared with the previous issue, though (as that seems unlikely) I would hazard a guess that advance word-of-mouth on the state of the film adaptation would likely have hurt this issue some. Attached to the front, as an incentive to continue past reprints of the manga, there are some trading cards. They are very attractive trading cards, mind you, but with a focus on the film representation rather than comic art.

There's still no introduction, although reprinting the film adaptation would have been the perfect opportunity to start heavy promotion.

Chun-Li Zang reports, for GNT News, on the A.N. forces who are consolidating their hold on Shadaloo City. Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi are arrested, after attempting to cheat Sagat (by selling on toy weapons as the real thing), and placed in A.N. custody. When a fight breaks out in the yard, Colonel Guile gets the idea to use them in order to locate M. Bison's fortress.

Bison oversees Dr Dhalsim's research, which is progressing with Blanka's transformation into a perfect soldier. Ken and Ryu manage to get their hands on a truck, and with Vega's assistance make a break for the gate to escape the A.N. forces. Guile is shot in the escape, though Chun-Li manages to place a tracker on the truck before it disappears. Balrog discovers that the signal they are receiving is facing interference from another signal, and deduced that it is coming from the A.N. headquarters.

Sneaking in to the HQ, Chun-Li learns that Guile is alive, though she manages to escape before being confined. Zangief, meanwhile, makes acquaintance with Ken and Ryu.

This is a fairly representative adaptation, for good or bad, of the film, with art which manages to convey the mood and setting appropriately. It is rather a steep decline in quality from the art of the manga, but it has its own charm. The storyline may be ridiculous, even for a video-game tie-in, but the real problem is how quickly the strip blasts through each plot point, leaving characterisation behind.

Not the finest moment in film adaptations.

A two-page feature, though ostensibly concerning the film adaptation, makes note of the merchandising bonanza which had arisen from the success of the originating games, though shies away from a complete list of available items. It is rather surprising to see contemporary writing discussing the film in terms of its success, having accrued $30 million in its first 25 days, and its soundtrack album reaching tenth place in the charts.

A side-feature, The Bison Trooper's Guide to Shadoti, is an interesting attempt to create a language, Shadoti, for use in the franchise. It isn't, despite sounding so promising, nearly as useful as it might have been.

#08

Street Fighter II

#10

Total Carnage #4

Jul 1993. Cover price £1.50.
56 pages. Colour & B&W contents.
Dark Horse International.

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by John Bolton.
r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #02 (Dec 1992).

Contents:

 2 Dark Horse International Presents Manga Mania in-house advertisement.

 3 Total Carnage contents. / Indicia

 4 Army of Darkness, part four, What Has Gone Before recap; painting by John Bolton.

 5 Army of Darkness w: John Bolton (uncredited), from the screenplay by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi; a: John Bolton, lettering by John Costanza.

r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992).

15 Action Station text feature by Dave Hughes; photographs (uncredited).

17 Batman Vs Predator, part four, What Has Gone Before recap; art p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse).

18 Batman Vs Predator, part four, w: Dave Gibbons; p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert, lettering by Adam Kubert, colouring by Sherilyn van Valkenburgh.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse).

30 Hard as Rothrock text feature by David Bryan; photographs (uncredited).

31 Mask, part four, What Has Gone Before recap; illustration by Doug Mahnke.

32 The Mask What Revenge Means to Me. w: John Arcudi; a: Doug Mahnke, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Mayhem (Dark Horse) #02 (Jun 1989).

38 Full Plastic Jacket (With Sleeve) text feature by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood; photographs (uncredited).

39 Grendel: War Child, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner.

40 Grendel War Child [chapter ?] w: Matt Wagner; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner, lettering by Kurt Hathaway, colouring by Bernie Mireault.

r: Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #?? (??? 1992).

55 Action! Adventure! Attitude! Amen! (half page) in-house advertisement. / Dark Horse Checklist (half page) titles on sale in July.

56 Year of the Dinosaur! in-house advertisement for Jurassic Park #01.

You can't fault the presentation, though with a John Bolton image it is difficult to create an unattractive cover. A muted contents page colour scheme continues the darkness which is promised, and the image chosen to adorn the recap page for Army of Darkness is as appropriate as ever. Bolton's art is in a class of its own, effortlessly bringing the film to life on the page.

Action Station features a momentary lapse of judgement from Hughes, normally reliable for presenting film news, in reporting the death of Brandon Lee. Under the heading "Exit the Dragon" (dude, seriously?) we get brief details of the incident. Then, as if the depressing fact that such a talented and charismatic person has died so needlessly weren't enough, we are urged to splash out on Showdown in Little Tokyo.

I shouldn't have to explain this, but I'll do so regardless.

Nobody gets to hawk videocassettes (or DVDs) of someone who has recently passed if they can only be bothered to devote a third of a page to the death. A full page gives the right to mention the release, but noting the label and price is simply tacky. It isn't quite as bad as attending the funeral in the hopes of shifting a few Crow t-shirts, but it isn't far off. Hughes shouldn't be picked out specifically for such a misguided approach, as at least three film magazines published insensitive and idiotic pieces in the aftermath of Lee's death.

Also mentioned is a proposed Die Hard sequel (initially dubbed Die Hardest in a startling display of originality) which sounds much like 1995's Under Siege 2, and the formation of a Terminator fan club.

The continuing Batman Versus Predator saga seems never-ending, and although there are a few interesting panels, the main problem is the entire lack of lethal danger in the Predator's rampage - not that random civilians are safe, but none of the Batman cast are possibly going to be killed off, rendering the entire story a pointless diversion. Had Commissioner Gordon or Alfred been sewered by the alien menace, then the story might have contained the necessary interest, but I'm struggling through the story with only minimal interest.

Cynthia Rothrock gets a page-long feature on her career thus-far, expressing the hope that a mainstream studio will pick her up for a major release. That she found it so difficult to break into US films says more about Hollywood than her talent - there are scenes in her films which, all these years on, are still incredible feats.

The Mask is as hilarious as ever, with a couple of perfect lines of dialogue to keep the strip from turning into purely visual comedy. Deprived of his mask, Stanley is thrown out of Katherine's apartment. I've always been impressed with the fluidity of the strip, moving from slapstick to drama without pause, and employing numerous visual tricks from cartoons, newspaper strips, and old comics.

Lee Brimmicombe-Wood's piece on Full Metal Jacket makes for interesting reading, highlighting some of the film's deficiencies well, though remains positive regarding the quality of film-making on display, but seems too easy a film to pick on. It really is an odd film to devote so much space to, as there were a great many lesser-known videos demanding attention at the time. By expending more words on an already heavily-reviewed film, the usefulness of his thoughts are diminished. I would much rather have obscure or disregarded films reappraised in a title such as this.

A title which is still, overall, extremely impressive.

#03

Total Carnage

#05

Total Carnage #3

Jun 1993. Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Colour & B&W.
Dark Horse International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Art Suydam.
r: Batman Versus Predator (Dark Horse) #01 [Predator cover] (Dec 1991).

Contents:

 2 Ever Had One of those Days? in-house advertisement for Total Carnage.

 3 Total Carnage contents. / Indicia

 4 Batman Vs Predator, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; art p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse).

 5 Batman Vs Predator, part three, w: Dave Gibbons; p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert, lettering by Adam Kubert, colouring by Sherilyn van Valkenburgh.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse) #01 (Dec 1991).

13 Action Stations text feature by Dave Hughes.

15 Army of Darkness, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; painting by John Bolton.

16 Army of Darkness w: John Bolton (uncredited), from the screenplay by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi. a: John Bolton; lettering by John Costanza.

r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992).

24 The Vast Action Hero text feature by Dave Hughes.

26 Mask, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; illustration by Doug Mahnke.

29 The Mask What Revenge Means to Me. w: John Arcudi; a: Doug Mahnke, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Mayhem (Dark Horse) #02 (Jun 1989).

35 Grendel, part three, What Has Gone Before recap; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner.

37 Grendel War Child [chapter] w: Matt Wagner; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner, lettering by Kurt Hathaway, colouring by Bernie Mireault.

r: Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #01 (Aug 1992).

47 Action! Adventure! Attitude! Amen! (half page) in-house advertisement. / Dark Horse Checklist (half page) titles on sale in June.

48 Dark Horse International Presents Manga Mania in-house advertisement.

If anyone questions how much affect changing the colour scheme of a page can have, then they need look no further than the third page of this issue in comparison with the previous issue. While the subdued tone of the second issue - the use of red enlivens proceedings, as if the title has had a shot in the arm. More care has been taken with the colour balancing on Batman Versus Predator, save for the final page. The brighter look is refreshing, and while the muddy final page is a slight setback, it is an iconic image to linger on.

After treading water for two issues, Action Station finally gets a chance to shine, unencumbered by promotional concerns, with a glimpse at a very odd moment in Hollywood history. Columbia's decision to arrange for an advert for The Last Action Hero to be shot into space, in a joint promotion with AT&T and NASA, is... Strange. It is the kind of film promotion Peter Dragon would have considered, and one can only ponder how much Bolivian marching powder was consumed while brainstorming that one.

The other item of note is that, amusingly, Steven Seagal's films aren't popular in Pakistan. Was he ever really in the same league as Stallone or Schwarzenegger? Tom Cruise is reported to have had three flops in a row in the Asian market, and Mickey Rourke is very big in Europe. THIS is the kind of weird, informative information which the feature should have been running from the start, and is a welcome change.

Army of Darkness hits its stride, with some of the film's most memorable lines, as Ash is hailed as a saviour. I challenge anyone reading not to smile at the line "this is my boom-stick," which has to be one of the best quips in a film full of great dialogue.

As this was very much a nineties title, there's a feature on Schwarzenegger. Not that he needed further promotion, but at least it is kept to two pages.

Setting out to resolve all his outstanding grudges, Stanley's brand of vigilante "justice" takes The Mask from being a parody of superhero tropes into horror territory. Much funnier than either the film or cartoon adaptation, the strip's sense of twisted logic is a delight to behold.

It may be due to the manner in which the strips have been fitted in to the title, or some cosmetic tweaks, but this issue feels as if it is finally delivering on the promise of its name. A sense of confidence in the material is clear, and even the self-promotion (for both Total Carnage and Manga Mania) seem to have more attention paid to their composition than Dark Horse has so far shown.

#02

Total Carnage

#04

Dracula #3

02 Mar 1993-22 Mar 1993. £1.25.
36 pages. Full color contents.
Dark Horse Comics International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Mike Mignola.
r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #03 (Dec 1992).

Contents:

.2 Dracula introduction text (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia

.3 Bram Stoker's Dracula part three, w: Roy Thomas. p: Mike Mignola, i: John Nyberg, lettering by John Costanza, colouring by Mark Chiarello.

r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #03 (Dec 1992).

31 Inside Coppola's Dracula Of Magic and Monsters, part three, text feature by Gary Gerani.

33 Bloodlines text feature compiled by Dave Hughes.

35 The Galaxy's Greatest Heroes Return in... Classic Star Wars in-house advertisement

36 Total Impact. Total Mayhem. Total Carnage. in-house advertisement.

The printing of the strip isn't as assured as before, with several pages appearing slightly faded in comparison with the first two issues, though as it is a remarkably well-paced and designed adaptation there is little which can seriously hamper enjoyment of proceedings. It is remarkable how well action scenes from the film are replicated, and the handwritten diary entries add a certain gravity to scenes. Mina's diary entries, however, are in type, diminishing some of its credibility.

Gary Gerani covers the classic techniques which Coppola utilized in bringing the film to creation, though frustratingly does not address the pioneers of classic silent film techniques - with so little room to cover everything, there are increasingly blatant omissions in the text. We are given three (small) images from the storyboard, which are uncredited, without only serves to remind us of all the areas uncovered in this micro-history of the film.

In a mightily impressive gesture of cooperation, Dave Hughes covers other horror comics in his Bloodlines feature, starting with Innovation's The Vampire Lestat. It isn't often that comic publishers reach out and highlight other publishers material, although 2000 A.D. have occasionally done so. Marvel's Morbius the Living Vampire, Eclipse's revival of the classic pulp character The Spider: Reign of the Vampire King, along with I Am Legend, and Fantaco's Vampyr! get mentioned, though it is far from a history of horror comics.

Naturally, and depressingly, there is no mention of the great Dracula adaptations to have featured in British comics over the years.

Ellen Datlow's A Whisper of Blood anthology is highlighted in a small column of its' own, albeit without a cover image. While it hasn't bothered me thus far, the amount of blank space surrounding these features is beginning to be noticeable - had better use been made of the few pages given over to the text features there could have been more visual accompaniments to strengthen the words.

Solid and classy horror entertainment.

#02

Dracula

#04

Total Carnage #2

May 1993. Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Colour & B&W.
Dark Horse International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by John Bolton.
r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992)

Contents:

 2 Forbidden Planet advertisement.

 3 Total Carnage contents. / Indicia

 4 Batman Vs Predator, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; painting by Arthur Suydam.

r: cover from Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse) #03 (Feb 1992).

 5 Batman Vs Predator, part two, w: Dave Gibbons; p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert, lettering by Adam Kubert, colouring by Sherilyn van Valkenburgh.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse) #01 (Dec 1991).

15 Action Stations text feature by Dave Hughes.

17 Army of Darkness, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; painting by John Bolton.

18 Army of Darkness w: John Bolton (uncredited), from the screenplay by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi. a: John Bolton; lettering by John Costanza.

r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992).

26 Raimi Knights text feature by Seamus A. Ryan.

28 Mask, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; illustration by Doug Mahnke.

29 The Mask Who's Laughing Now? w: John Arcudi; a: Doug Mahnke, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Mayhem (Dar Horse) #01 (May 1989).

35 Killing Games text feature by Dave Hughes.

36 Grendel, part two, What Has Gone Before recap; illustration by Patrick McEown & Matt Wagner.

37 Grendel War Child [chapter] w: Matt Wagner; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner, lettering by Kurt Hathaway, colouring by Bernie Mireault.

r: Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #01 (Aug 1992).

47 Subscribe! Comics for the '90s in-house advertisement.

48 Timeless Terror from Dark Horse in-house advertisement for Dracula #06.

A John Bolton cover can improve any title. Inside, Batman Vs Predator improves, with clearer reproduction assisting the story, though there are still spots where the darkness of the strip causes problems. Some oddities in colouring, with the oval logo on Batman's chest briefly appearing red, is exactly the kind of minor annoyance which can jolt me out of the story, but isn't enough to spoil the mood which has been building - the final-panel appearance of the Predator is a great way to conclude.

Dave Hughes' Action Station covers National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 rather positively, and there's a reference to Isobar as well, for those who like tormenting themselves with the prospect of one day actually seeing the film. Point Break snags the first Video of the Month title, with James Cameron's aborted Spider-Man adaptation getting passing mention - it is almost as if the feature existed for the sole purpose of teasing people with films which were never made.

The quote - in boxout - from Columbia TriStar president J. Edward Shugrue made me smile, and justifies the existence of the feature by itself. Comedy gold.

Army of Darkness finally gets moving, with Ash getting his hand on his chainsaw - then using it to great effect. Maintaining Bruce Campbell's likeness remarkably well, the artwork throughout is fantastic, and easily better than the official film poster - as pointed out in the following article... Seamus A. Ryan covers the evolution of the Evil Dead series from its 16mm origins through to Army of Darkness' release, though the breakneck pace of the article sips over much of the juicy detail.

The Mask, suffering the worst case of Witzelsucht ever seen, is a joy. There's more violence in the handful of pages here than in the rest of the issue combined, yet the underlying humour ought to be able to override any objections. Hughes' second feature, on the relative merits of the Batman Returns versus Predator 2 games, is little more than a free plug for the Predator game, and lacks even rudimentary side-by-side analysis.

Grendel suffers the most from being chopped into segments, and there's not a great deal of progression from where it left off in the first issue. It is slightly mystifying that use wasn't made of the shorter material which ran in Dark Horse Presents, which would have fitted the format perfectly, and which (for the most part) were filled with solid storytelling and great art.

#01

Total Carnage

#03

Dracula #2

09 Feb 1993-01 Mar 1993. £1.25.
40 pages. Full colour contents.
Dark Horse Comics International.

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Painted cover by John Bolton.

Contents:

.2 Dracula introduction text (uncredited). / Contents / Indicia

.3 Bram Stoker's Dracula, part two, w: Roy Thomas; p: Mike Mignola, i: John Nyberg, lettering by John Costanzac, colouring by Mark Chiarello.

r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #02 (Nov 1992).

20 Bram Stoker's Dracula glossy full color film poster.

35 Inside Coppola's Dracula The Players, part two, text feature by Gary Gerani.

37 Bloodlines text feature compiled by Dave Hughes.

39 Subscribe - Comics for the '90s

40 Even in Your Dreams, You Can't Escape... Aliens in-house advertisement.

John Bolton's cover injects a cinematic feel to the title's appearance, utilizing a visual cue from Nosferatu, which was based upon the same source novel. It's slightly in-jokey, but he gets away with it thanks to sheer skill. There's an introduction to the adaptation, covering the basics, which is a delight to see, before the adaptation resumes. Truly excellent artwork from Mignola, and despite drenching the pages in black, this never looks muddy or difficult to read - even images coloured dark blue seem to be balanced.

The work really benefits from a larger page size, and is much more attractive than the Topps version.

I'm not entirely sold on the inclusion of the film poster (which has a decidedly rough and ready appearance), but it shouldn't be the primary reason people would want to pick this issue up. It isn't a brilliant design, using far too many filters over the selected images, and the much more effective red logo poster is likely to be better remembered after all these years. Still, it is free...

Inside Coppola's Dracula, Gary Gerani's text feature, covers the cast selection with an eye for minor details. As there isn't much room to play with, he wisely gives a brief account of the preparations Coppola made to get his actors prepared, then moves on to individual pieces on Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Tom Waits, and Sadie Frost. It is a very varied cast, and the disparity in the quality of each performance isn't addressed, but we do get an insight into why they were selected.

Following this, Dave Hughes' Bloodlines, which is general vampire news rather than focusing on Dracula, feels slightly out of sequence. While there are plenty of reference guides to Dracula, relating the important points in the character's history, there hasn't been a proper step-by-step history which takes in everything. By skipping straight to then-current cinematic outings, much of the interesting and odd footnotes are brushed aside.

Can't we get comics which contain features which challenge magazines and websites for their quality of research? It isn't difficult to pull together a truly important and worthwhile history on a character as comprehensively covered as Dracula.

The mention of Cure, a film about AIDS which Coppola was hoping to direct after Dracula is another in a long list of films which never appeared, though yet had people excited at the prospects. It is one which still sounds interesting, and hopefully hasn't been completely forgotten. I've always been interested in medical-themed films, and it has much promise.

Worth picking up for the cover alone, but Mignola's work demands attention.

Dracula #1

Dracula

Dracula #3

Dracula #1

19 Jan 1993-08 Feb 1993. 8⅜"x11¾". £1.25.
36 pages. Paper cover, full color contents.
Dark Horse Comics International

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Mike Mignola.
r: cover from Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #02 (Nov 1992).

Free cover-mounted badge.

Contents:

.2 Dracula Introduction text by Dave Hansom? / Contents / Indicia

.3 Bram Stoker's Dracula part one, w: Roy Thomas. p: Mike Mignola, i: John Nyberg, c: Mark Chiarello. Lettering by John Costanza.

r: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Topps) #01 (Oct 1992).

31 Inside Coppola's Dracula Inspiration part one, text feature by Gary Gerani.

33 Bloodlines text feature compiled by Dave Hughes.
35 Bram Stoker's Dracula Official Jacket advertisement
36 Even In Your Dreams, You Can't Escape... Aliens in-house advertisement.

There is more to Dracula than the source material and Mignola's stunning artwork. The extremely dark artwork is an iconic adaptation of Coppola's films, worth reading in its own right. The high watermark of adaptations may be Nestor Redondo's classic take on the character, but it hasn't dated well; Mignola's work has a timeless feel which revels in gothic flourishes and pitch-black shadows. Each page contains details which don't necessarily add to the narrative, but add to the tone and mood in delicious ways.

Likenesses aren't Mignola's strong point, and he uses that fact to his advantage by finding the most powerful images for each scene, swapping faithfulness to the source material for artistic expression. This first issue isn't all about the comic, though...

Gary Gerani's text feature on the inspirations for the film takes many well-known facts as a starting point, but doesn't go digging for obscure elements. A great problem when dealing with popular characters is that the majority of adaptations will be largely unknown to the casual reader, and without a list of films and television movies of note, or even a list of notable novels featuring the Count, this feels like a promo piece to get readers interested in seeing the film instead of placing it in a historical perspective.

Dave Hughes notes the success of the film at the Box Office in the US without pointing out how it is performing in other territories, which is slightly annoying. Even a great US take can result in a mediocre profit if the rest of the world shrugs their shoulders. The release of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on video is mentioned, though this seems more like contractual duty than a real love for the film, before getting to the releases which actually matter.

Dracula: The Film and the Legend, released as a tie-in to the Coppola film, really was impressive at the time. The competition is rather stingy, with only five copies being offered to readers, but at least its importance to the overall marketing for the film was acknowledged. The Illustrated Vampire Video Guide is also recommended by Hughes, though problems with the guide aren't covered. It would be interesting to see how many of the books he was pushing have managed, in his estimation, to hold the same level of quality all these years later.

And no, the Illustrated Guide isn't the greatest book about vampires on the big screen.

No comic is ever going to have text articles which even come close to a comprehensive background of the character for one simple reason: space. A list of comic appearances alone is staggeringly long, but taking into account television, film, theatre, and audio adaptations, the sheer amount of information which would need to be conveyed is immense. Had the historical article been allocated six pages in each issue, and beginning with the publication of Stoker's book, Gerani might have had a decent stab at crafting something with lasting importance.

Similarly, with so few words to play with, Dave Hughes didn't have much hope of anything other than cursory observations about the works covered.

A truly great adaptation, printed on excellent paper stock, and with a nice badge thrown in for gratis. The accompanying material may be weak, but this is far from a disappointing package.

Alien3 #1

Aug 1992. Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Full colour contents.
Dark Horse Comics International.

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Arthur Suydam.
r: detail from cover to Alien³ (Dark Horse) #01 (Jun 1992).

Contents:

 2 Grendel Returns! in-house advert for Grendel mini-series.

 3 Alien³ Contents. / Introduction by Dick Hansom. / Indicia

 4 20 Things You Should Know About Alien³ text feature by Dave Hughes.

 6 It's Competition Time!! (half page) / Comics & CD's (half page) advertisement.

 7 Alien³ w: Steve Grant; p: Christopher Taylor, i: Rick Magyar, lettering by Jim Massara, colouring by Mat Webb.

r: Alien³ (Dark Horse) #01 (Jun 1992).

24 Alien³ Movie Special Poster No 1 photo.

37 The Plastic Forces of the Imagination text feature by Dave Hughes, with grateful thanks to Barry Jones.

40 Aliens Vs Predator II w: Randy Stradley; a: Chris Warner.

r: UNKNOWN.

42 Trouble Comes in ³s text feature by Dave Hughes.

45 "A Bit Awry" Stephen Norrington interview by Dave Hughes.

47 Forbidden Planet advertisement.

48 Alien³ advertisement for Halcyon plastic model kit.

While there are teething troubles with the then newly-formed Dark Horse International's production values (the interior of the cover being printed in B&W, and the poster being blank on the opposite side), this is another high quality release. While the comic content primarily derives from the US mini-series, there's enough feature content to offset notions of this being a quick cash-in. Alien³ is notable for the distinction of being the first limited series to receive national distribution in the UK.

20 Things kicks proceedings off with facts about the film which offers up some details which might have slipped past film magazines. It is worth reading for a hilarious image of a dog clad in an Alien costume, which shows why it was such a bad idea. The main attraction, however, is the adaptation of the film, which follows events of the film, though there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to capture likenesses of the cast.

Models of the Aliens have always been popular, and The Plastic Forces of the Imagination does a decent job of highlighting Halcyon's process of bringing the figures into being. Information on the company itself is, unfortunately, absent. While we learn that the company was founded in 1987, we don't learn when. Was it in the summer? Before Christmas? It's a small detail, but it is bothering me now. Likewise, the size of the company isn't mentioned, leaving readers with the impression that it is five guys with a lot of time on their hands.

The biggest mis-step is the presentation of Aliens Vs Predator II, which is given two b&W pages. This would be fine if the story was to continue in the next issue, where in fact it continues in the third issue of Aliens. Nobody should be forced to buy two titles in order to understand a story, especially a strip drip-fed in such meagre installments, reinforcing the belief that a separate title for the film adaptation was a mistake - most readers familiar with the Aliens title would have gladly accepted the film adaptation appearing there.

Trouble Comes in ³s covers the troubled production, with insights into some corners of production which explains what ended up on screen. It isn't in-depth as it as should be for a dedicated title, but the problem here is that the piece is broken by a one-page interview with Stephen Norrington. The habit of positioning the tail of an articles apart from the body of the work is annoying every time I see it.

As an early title for the company this isn't a perfect way to showcase material, but there are enough elements alredy present to encourage reader interest.

Total Carnage #1

Apr 1993. Cover price £1.50.
48 pages. Color & B&W.
Dark Horse Comics International

Comics With Attitude!

Edited by Dick Hansom.

Cover by Simon Bisley.
r: cover from Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #01 (Aug 1992).

Free cover-mounted rub-on tattoo.

Contents:

.2 Contents Page / Indicia

.3 Batman Vs Predator w: Dave Gibbons; p: Andy Kubert, i: Adam Kubert, lettering by Adam Kubert, colouring by Sherilyn van Valkenburgh.

r: Batman Versus Predator (DC / Dark Horse) #01 (Dec 1991).

17 Action Stations text features by Dave Hughes.

19 The Evil Dead Army of Darkness w: John Bolton (uncredited), from the screenplay by Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi. a: John Bolton; lettering by John Costanza.

r: Army of Darkness (Dark Horse) #01 (Nov 1992).

25 The Mask Who's Laughing Now? w: John Arcudi; a: Doug Mahnke, lettering by Pat Brosseau.

r: Mayhem (Dark Horse) #01 (May 1989).

31 Seagal Has Landed! text feature by Dave Hughes.
32 Everybody's Kung-Fu Fighting text feature by Dave Hughes.

33 Grendel War Child [chapter 41] w: Matt Wagner; p: Patrick McEown, i: Matt Wagner, lettering by Kurt Hathaway, colouring by Bernie Mireault.

r: Grendel: War Child (Dark Horse) #01 (Aug 1992).

47 Subscribe - Comics For The '90s

48 The Galaxy's Greatest Heroes Return in Classic Star Wars in-house advertisement.

A rub-on tattoo is a rather juvenile gift for a mature readers title to bear. If it had a voucher for a free tattoo - at selected tattoo parlours - then the tone of Total Carnage might feel more solid, but I'm reminded too greatly of gifts given with Buster or The Dandy. Boasting a rather remarkable Simon Bisley Grendel cover is a massive step towards the title redeeming itself, and my confidence is further boosted by a very handsome contents page.

Batman Versus Predator begins with a championship fight between "Bull" Bersaglio and Marcus King. One viewer, enjoying a beer at home, is drawn outdoors by a noise from his dog and murdered. Alex Yeager, a criminal Bruce has managed to get close to through his business dealings, invites him to a victory celebration. Marcus King, the Heavyweight Champion, is disturbed when relaxing with his lover, and a monstrous figure easily dispatches the boxer.

Quickly removing himself from the event, Bruce rushes to the Plaza Hotel. Learning that two guards were killed, and King violently murdered, Batman pays a visit to Bersaglio in order to determine if the act was reprisal for his humiliating defeat in the ring. Batman is being watched throughout his investigation, though he doesn't know it yet.

This should have been better than it turned out, given who is involved. Detailed and interesting linework, some unusual layout choices, and compelling characters... all let down by too-dark printing, with the lower half of page 11 being incredibly difficult to read. It doesn't help that so much of the story is coloured in browns and blues, which make this strip a very unpleasant reading experience.

Dave Hughes' Action Station film feature makes much mockery of Lethal Weapon, and - showing how long ago this appeared - mentions the Corman Fantastic Four film as being in production. We all know how it turned out - yet, somehow, still manages to be more entertaining than Josh Trank's attempt. If only the font had been smaller, or more space made available, then the film news might have been worth including, but it doesn't dig deep enough to be more than moderately interesting.

The Evil Dead franchise has appeared in comic strip form before (in Samhain), and had enough of a following to make it worthwhile reprinting, but once again the printing doesn't do justice to material at hand. Once we get past the recap of events leading to Ash being stuck in 1300, the long march in captivity is recounted. It really isn't worth including this in such small chunks, as there is no way to get dragged into the story when it doesn't even get to a big scene in its alloted page-count. Despite all that, it is much better than the previous story, and John Bolton should be applauded for faithfully capturing the likeness of Bruce Campbell.

The Mask is an odd choice for inclusion, although here the big moment in the progression of the story is allowed to occur before being shortened. We get to see the titular character, though not his personality or behaviour. It is a frustrating tactic on the part of Dark Horse to present this material in bite-size installments. Who's Laughing Now? is, however, the real treat in this issue, with a final-panel payoff which acts as an origin (of sorts) for The Mask and an enticement to pick up the next issue.

We also get a Steven Seagal feature, for anyone interested. Not being a fan of The Seagull (save for his appearance in Executive Decision), it isn't long enough to convince me of his "talents," nor irreverent enough to make me smile.

Grendel is a fascinating series, and it is great to see the character getting some exposure. The opening installment of War Child here is more than enough proof that the character can stand alongside the more established characters as an example of top notch entertainment. It might, perhaps, have benefited from a text introduction to set readers up for the story, laying out the history and main players.