Graphic Novel Review: "Bram Stoker's Dracula"...Again...

Now we’ve all read Bram Stoker’s DRACULA or at least know the story really well. Vampire buys a home in London. Vampire terrorizes a bunch of people in London. Vampire hunter from out of London comes to kill vampire and make London safe again. Nothing new here but the story has transcended time from generation to generation captivating readers (and even film viewers) time and time again no matter how old the story is and like the vampire Dracula himself his story is as immortal as time. Is it little wonder that Fernando Fernandez’ adaptation of the classic novel doesn’t really offer anything new yet is still as captivating as the immortal Dracula himself regardless of the current time.

Although the story offers nothing new it is Fernandez’ lush visuals and colors and make his adaptation stand out amongst all the others. Originally published in 1984 but brought back to life in 2005 by Del Rey Books Fernandez’ DRACULA has such striking visuals due to the realistic painterly style that you can’t help but to stop and take notice. This is one of the reasons why I picked up the book in the first place. Having already read the novel and other adaptations several times before I really wasn’t interested in another version until I opened the book and was awestruck by the artwork inside. I’ve never read anything else Fernandez has done but I will definitely be on the look out for more.

This over-sized graphic novel is short but the story is lush and Fernandez crams a lot of info in the text in case he happens upon the odd person who has not read or know the story. Fernandez did pick one of the better stories to adapt enabling him to reach a far wider audience then something more original (this graphic novel caught my eye). Although I’m not a big fan of the vampire genre those that are will enjoy this book and even the casual gothic horror lover will love this book and should add it to their collection.