Dracula: The Return Review – Welcome to the Stokerverse!

Dracula The Return is the brainchild of Dacre Stoker, the great-grandnephew of Bram Stoker and Chris Mcauley. Together, they have created the Stokerverse, which promises to be a rich setting within which we will see the events directly proceeding Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula. Be advised, Fellow True Believers, that this is not an all-ages book, as it contains scenes of brief nudity and some graphic violence.

Despite the title and titular character, I see this first issue as more of an introductory anthology for the Stokerverse. It tells the story of Dracula’s journey through the underworld on a quest to return to the world of the living once more, as well as two enticing backup stories of disturbing supernatural horror that illuminate the aftermath of Dracula’s horror on the streets and undercity of London.

After an informative introduction about Bram Stoker from his descendant, Dacre, we are treated to a six-page short story detailing elements of Vlad Dracul’s traumatic youth, followed by his induction into the fabled Sholomance high up and deep into the mountains of ancient Wallachia. During his time there, it is revealed that he acquired much of his magical ability, mainly the control of animals and the weather, before he made his dread transition to an undead emissary of the Devil himself! In my opinion, these six pages alone could be expanded into at least one novel. I would love to see Dacre pen something appropriate, perhaps even in the literary style of his ancestor.

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The story opens on the climax of the final battle between Dracula and his pursuers, just after Quincey Morris has been mortally wounded. Homewood and Harker deal the final blows and the curse of the undead is lifted from Mina.

 From there, we follow Dracula as his spirit descends into the nether realm. He fights through visions of his past and must convince his supernatural masters that he is worthy of being returned to Earth. As he does so, his loyal followers, The Cult of the White Worm, prepare a ritual for his resurrection. As the book’s title is Dracula The Return, it is no spoiler to reveal that the culmination of this first chapter is the reformation of Dracula’s physical body.

On the final page, we see Van Helsing, Harker, Homewood, and Mina traveling back to London, intimating that Dracula’s return took some time, and Mina senses that Dracula has been reborn. Can it be that he is not yet through with them?

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The art from Chris Geary, David Hitchcock, and Si Chinook is disturbingly gritty with harsh contrasting colors from Matt Soffe that work together to deliver a sense of dread and doom. The journey through the underworld, in particular, is not for the faint of heart or overly sensitive reader. This theme is held throughout the book including the two backup stories and it is hard to say which of these three tales is the most macabre.

The story has a solid plot built effectively upon the foundation laid down by Bram Stoker over a century ago. Dacre Stoker and Chris Mcauley successfully continue and expand upon the ideas, characters, and events begun in Stoker’s seminal works. They have interwoven elements of Bram’s world and introduce us to new and mysterious characters who seem to be firmly rooted in the source material and ancient history.

I recommend this book and encourage you to purchase not only the print version, but the digital edition because it includes the additional prose pages that I would say are required reading to get the most out of this story, setting, and characters.

Keep reading indie comics!

Excelsior!

What do you think about Dacre Stoker’s Dracula: The Return? Leave a comment and let us know.

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