Dracula has returned and now he starts paying for his resurrection by the White Worm! Dracula The Return: Cult of the White Worm is a four issue limited series crafted by Dacre Stoker and Chris McAuley. It is published by Scratch Comics and the copy was provided by the zoop rewards. The comic is available to order at comic stores for November 13th. The first issue covered the end of Bram Stoker’s novel. This had the hunters; Jonathan Harker, Arthur Holmwood, and John Seward. Jonathan slashes Dracula and the vampire drifts into dust. Quincey Morris died in the battle. Also with them is Mina Murray, who was freed from Dracula’s control, and Abraham Van Helsing. The dust, though, is collected by Renfield. He takes it to the cult of the White Worm and Dracula has made his return!
“Chapter Two” features a cover by Mike Colins that has a closeup of a woman’s face, lit by spectral light, a finger tip of blood from her red lips with fangs! An epic cover! Stoker continues the story with McAuley with art by Chris Geary. Dark, foggy streets has a carriage move past a cemetary. It stops and we get a closeup of the rider, a woman in a gold mask, she is helped out by the driver. Then, the woman in black cloak tells him to wait until summoned. She walks away in fog, great effects by colorist Matt Soffe. The woman and the cold of the outside, seen in green, is watched by a man at a window in warm, almost hellish red. She has a door opened for her by a servant who says the countess is expected by the duke. Carmilla, who has taken off her cloak, revealing her evening dress. I love the name, Carmilla (1872) was a vampire novel by Sheridan Le Fanu that was published before Dracula (1897).
Carmilla is met by the duke and she asks if the plans of her uncle is made. Duke Spencer says the ball has been arranged. He brings up if her uncle was nobility. We get Carmilla next to broken panels of her uncle, Vlad II, and his battle agains the Ottomans. In his armor, he cuts into his enemies, Carmilla says she joined him, and we see the blood pour into her mouth! She tells the duke that they are from the Dragon’s blood and wants their blood to join the British Empire. Duke Spencer says the Privy Council, Prime Minister, and Prince Regent will attend the ball. We see a series of thin panels of Carmilla and the duke’s faces, she draws him in close to kiss him. His eyes widen and then we see Carmilla revel with her claws as blood pools from the duke’s neck! In the mist, Mina is running with Jonathan as they are being chased. This is also seen in thin panels. Dark wolves with red eyes pounce on them. Mina sees the wolf shift into the face of Dracula. In the darkness of the mirror, he says this is the fate of those who defy him!
Mina is startled awake. Jonathan sleepily asks what is the problem. Mina tells him it was a bad dream. She puts on a green dress and holds a letter. Mina goes to the lavatory and wearily wipes the steam from a mirror. A grinning reflection looks back at her and arms pull her in! Evil reflections are a horror movie trope. In darkness, Mina looks up to see the form of Dracula tell her that she will fulfill his revenge in days. The transformation is very quick. A closeup of the morning paper, “Lady in White Stalks Highgate!” Arthur Holmwood asks Professor Van Helsing if it is “her”, Lucy Westerna. We see Van Helsing’s eyes as he says it is impossile. They had struggled to stake Lucy with elder wood and he took her head which he had stuffed with garlic. Arthur brings up her dress and the missing children. He says Lucy has returned. Van Helsing tosses away the paper and then says dark powers are capable of the impossible. Arthur wants to know if it is Lucy.
We see the gloomy green of the cemetary as a lady in white walks through it. An older colleague discusses an invention to oxgenate blood to Arthur. He could use it to stop night terrors in his patients. Arthur cheers to it and then Jonathan bursts in the door. He says Mina is gone. She left behind a letter, an invitation by the Duke of Devonshire to a Grand Masquerade Ball. Jonathan says that Mina was having nightmares. The bearded gentleman says he knows the Devonshires and can get an invitation. Bait by Dracula to the hunters. In shadows, Van Helsing and Arthur watch as the woman in white brings along a little girl to the Westerna tomb. Closeup of Lucy eying the men behind her. Van Helsing asks if Arthur has brought his pistol with the silver bullets. They enter the tomb lit by torches. Van Helsing realizes that the lit torches means they are expected! Arthur notices a trianble symbol on the mauseleoum wall. The same as on Dracula’s forehead on the first issue cover!
Van Helsing presses against it, the symbol glows, and this opens stairs that they descend. A torch is held by Van Helsing. They are in a tomb of vampires that hiss! They rush away and find Lucy in white, pregnant belly?, over the child on a stone table. Van Helsing holds up a cross, but it has no effect on her. I get that the Cult of the White Worm has supercharged Dracula and his allies, but it seems strange that all of the weapons that can be used against the undead are useless. She says the family of Dracul are more powerful! Arthur is dragged under by the undead and fires his pistol. Van Helsing tries to drive them away with his torch. The pistol is emptied of bullets. Van Hesling is by himself! A gold devil mask of a host turns to see his guests. Masks are put on by Jonathan Harker. They are met by the host in the devil mask who says his name is Mephistopheles! The character in the form of actor, Henry Irving, was said to be an inspiration for Stoker in creating Dracula! A new villain, leader of the Cult of the White Worm?
Dracula in a coat, seen from behind, faces a mirror which he detests. The White Worm says he posseses its soul and enters the mirror which drains him. This is followed by the first chapter of “Sherlock Holmes and the Unholy Pact”, a supernatural murder for the famous detective, with an illustration by David Hitchcock. “The Devil Within” is a story told in black and white. It features Henry Irving, obsessed with his part as Mephistopheles, he is discovered by Bram Stoker in a devil’s mask. This is the new villain? In a mirror, Bram sees the figure of Death on a chariot. He tells Henry that he doesn’t like the smell of sulphur and we see a hellish vision of the cholera epidemic which sulphur was used to ward off the evil. On stage, at practice, Henry is troubled by his performance.
Henry strikes an assistant and almost raises a column prop to smash on him! He is stopped by Bram and shrugs him off to walk away. At a strange room of ancient artifacts, Henry tells Brother Perdurabo that he wants to give a defining performance. Brother Perdurabo gives him a book with a dark ritual that may give him the secret. He must make a sacrifice, an innocent soul, that will make his acting last for ages. Henry wants to know more from Crowley, as in Aleistar Crowley, the English occultist! The last part has an except, March 18, 1897 of “The Dairy of Dr. Henry Jekyll and Mr. Edward Hyde.” It is about the dangers of exploring the dark part of human nature. This is something that ties this comic together, it strays into evil with dark powers, no counter like Stoker’s novel. The ties to vampire lore and Stoker's life is interesting, but this comic can really pull you into its darkness. “Chapter Two” brings the beginning of Dracula’s revenge, but the evil feels limitless.
Four Stakes out of Five!
#DraculaTheReturn, #TheCultOfTheWhiteWorm, #ChapterTwo, #DacreStoker, #ChrisMcAuley, #ChrisGeary, #MattSoffe, #Carmilla, #MinaMurray, #JonathanHarker, #AbrahamVanHelsing, #ArthurHolmwood, #SherlockHolmesAndTheUnholyPact, #TheDevilWithin, #TheDiaryOfDrHenryJekyllAndMrEdwardHyde, #HenryIrving, #BramStoker, #DukeSpencer
No comments:
Post a Comment