tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post483383636300393364..comments2024-03-25T05:26:47.764-04:00Comments on The Peerless Power of Comics!: Father Be Damned--The Vengeance Of Dracula's Daughter!Comicsfanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-40413379814171933922018-09-23T06:40:37.586-04:002018-09-23T06:40:37.586-04:00M.P., excellent points, as usual. I think if Supe...M.P., excellent points, as usual. I think if <i>Super-Villain Team-Up</i> had followed the format you suggest and been a little more subtle in its pacing (which happened on occasion), it might have made for a more interesting read.<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-76642643499058953952018-09-22T19:12:49.367-04:002018-09-22T19:12:49.367-04:00I think comics about about supervillains have the ...I think comics about about supervillains have the potential to be as or even more compelling than ones in which the protagonist is a good guy. D.C. has done some interesting things in this regard.<br />I think it's because such a comic might call for a bit more moral complexity than your standard hero story. The main character might triumph, and then again, he might not. Often he's up against somebody even worse than he is.<br />I remember one very funny letter in ToD supposedly written by Drac himself (who actually wrote it, I don't know) where he describes having drinks with Dr. Doom. Doom snidely points out that Drac doesn't even appear all that much in his own comic sometimes. Drac says, "Funny guy. I'm glad his comic got cancelled."<br />Remember how great Acts of Vengeance was? I wouldn't wanna hang around those guys, for fear of getting vaporized or experimented on, but it's fun to read about 'em.<br /><br />M.P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-66651088065262227302018-09-21T20:04:24.242-04:002018-09-21T20:04:24.242-04:00I think it all depends on how the book and/or stor...I think it all depends on how the book and/or story is handled, Big Murr. Villain protagonists are nothing new in Marvel lore; aside from Dracula, there are a number of such examples that have succeeded because more than their villainy was explored. Dracula is admittedly of a different variety than, say, Dr. Doom, Norman Osborn, the Hellfire Club, the Thunderbolts, et al., in that he is a fiend in every sense of the word, and his first resort in dealing with any situation that could potentially become a problem will be to engage in cold-blooded murder, the more sadistic the better. Yet in TOD we've seen there is more to the character--nothing to redeem him, no, but a great deal to hold our interest and demonstrate that this is a complex individual who thrives on an existence as one of the living dead (and damned). I doubt that any TOD reader is actually rooting for Dracula--but his reasons for his actions are often fascinating to see unfold (if reprehensible), and he is a steadfast object around which the book's many other elements orbit.<br />Comicsfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10064955427593820783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4142199900369238852.post-55733877749101826472018-09-21T10:28:22.777-04:002018-09-21T10:28:22.777-04:00The best aspect of Tomb of Dracula was that Gene C...The best aspect of <i>Tomb of Dracula</i> was that Gene Colan (with the superb partnership of Tom Palmer) found his perfect title. Colan's work on superhero titles like <i>Daredevil</i> always left me flat. Then he did <i>Dr. Strange</i> and I sat up straight and paid attention. When he went to <i>Tomb of Dracula</i>, well, bravo! Bravo, indeed!<br /><br />Beyond the art, <i>Tomb of Dracula</i> never appealed to me. All those years ago, my younger self had great trouble coming to grips with a flat-out monster being the protagonist of a comic. I only paid attention to the character when he crossed into the regular Marvel Universe, which only frustrated me even more. The fact Dracula could walk away from tussles with the Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange (though the Master of the Mystic Arts did singe the vampire's pencil thing moustache pretty good) and eventually Thor only raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels. (What Drac did to the X-Men only came to my awareness long after the actual publication. The mutants had fallen well off my radar by then)<br /><br />That early confusion of a villain being the protagonist still lingers as a reflex to this day. Seeing Venom get his own movie made me swallow my gum.Big Murrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03311467081145732439noreply@blogger.com