Written by Bram Stoker
Adapted by Roy Thomas
Illustrated by Mike Mignola
and John Nyberg
Published by IDW Publishing
Titans of the comic biz join forces to bring Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the funny pages. Unfortunately, the best part about this comic adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola’s gothic vision is that we are all spared from Keanu’s attempt at a posh accent.
Scribe Roy Thomas (Marvel guru), artist Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and inker John Nyberg have joined forces to adapt the surreal classic of ‘90s horror to the page.
A classic among horror hounds, Dracula is a fan favorite due to the surrealistic nature of the film mixed with an amazing turn from Gary Oldman as the Dark Prince.
And while the film has its flaws, over the years it had found its audience through the passion of vision the filmmaker lends to the overall story.
Sadly, this will probably not be the case for the comic book.
It must be said that adapting a feature film into a comic is no easy task. Fans of the film are likely to pick out every detail, holding the artist and writer accountable if a favorite scene is altered in any way. However, if a comic stays completely true to the source material, that might also cause the story to falter as the attempt in storytelling is conveyed in a clumsy manner due to the lack of key elements.
A proper book adaptation must find a way to handle the lack of music or voice inflections of the character. It needs to convey the emotion on the film reel to the page. This can be done through good writing, detailed imagery and the artist and writer’s invocation of a character onto the page.
And this is exactly what Bram Stoker’s Dracula is lacking. Thus, the story becomes lost in the translation.
The heavy-handed nature of the art and inking doesn’t render the beauty and lushness of the original film. The dream-like sequences that create the atmosphere for the movie are awkwardly construed in the comic, lost in panels that seem formless and confusing.
The problem with the comic is that it depends heavily on the reader having seen the film rather than offer a distinct take on the story that would allow the comic to stand on its own. The lack of detailed art makes the story difficult to follow and seems more of a storyboard for the film than a comic book.
For example, in the film the train ride Jonathan Harker takes to visit Dracula slowly builds to a terrifying crescendo thanks to spooky exposition, a brilliant score and nightmarish visuals. In the comic, the same scene is portraying in a somewhat bulky manner due to the heavily inked images which lack the design elements and artistry needed to the portray emotion of the scene.
Overall, if one hasn’t seen the Coppola film, the story would be hard to follow. Emotional interest in the characters and the overall passion of the story is lost in the black smudges and overstuffed panels. The story itself is muddled due to the lack of finesse needed to portray the tragedy of the tale.
It is a true shame, as the vivid colors, dramatic characters and cartoonish nature of the violence makes the tale of “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” a perfect candidate for comic adaptation. Perhaps it will again get an attempt, but for now, skip this version. There are better vamp comics out there.
