"Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2" Announced for 2025
DC Comics Justice League and Legendary's Monsterverse will crossover once again with a planned June 2025 release of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2.
According to Legendary Comics' Robert Napton and writer Brian Buccellato, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong 2 will take the action "to Legendary’s Monsterverse, as the Super-Villains of the DCU attempt to weaponize the Titans, with the DC Super Heroes in hot pursuit to thwart their plans. Readers will be treated to “titanized” versions of DC Super Heroes, plus the return of Legendary Comics’ Colonel Shaw, and new Titans, including Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra." (DC Comics)
While recreating a deceased celebrity via CGI or hologram technology often feels exploitative, doing so in comic book form is far more palatable. Legendary Comics' new Dracula graphic novel adapts Bram Stoker's influential 1897 novel with Bela Lugosi - who famously portrayed the titular character in Universal's classic 1931 film adaptation - as the Count. It was done in full cooperation with Lugosi's estate, which is particularly interesting since the landmark Lugosi v. Universal Studios suit paved the way for the Celebrity Rights Act.
Lugosi was a prolific actor, with over 100 film credits to his name, but his portrayal of Dracula left an indelible mark on pop culture; the actor's distinctive Hungarian accent has even become synonymous with the character. Similarly, Stoker was an accomplished writer but only experienced mild success during his lifetime. The two horror titans are forever found by Dracula, and the graphic novel pays tribute to Lugosi's legacy while staying true to Stoker's novel.
Tasked with adapting Stoker's masterpiece is Robert Napton, Senior Vice President of Publishing at Legendary Comics. El Garing's stark, black-and-white illustrations bring the words to life, with art direction and additional art by Kerry Gammill. Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith handle lettering and design. Lugosi's son, Bela G. Lugosi, and granddaughter, Lynne Lugosi Sparks, serve as executive consultants to ensure the actor's estate is properly handled, but it's apparent from the high quality of the work throughout the book that Lugosi was in caring hands.
The hardcover tome begins with an introduction by Lugosi Sparks. It serves as a mini biography and also explains how the graphic novel came to be, from Gammill planting the seed for a comic in 1999 to a serendipitous run-in with Napton getting the ball rolling before work officially began in 2016. Stoker's great grand-nephew, Dacre Stoker, provides an afterword in which he digs into the author's confluence of influences that likely inspired his writing of Dracula.
Broken up into seven chapters, the 200-page graphic novel tells the tale of the ancient Transylvanian vampire's move to England to spread his curse before being confronted by his archenemy, Professor Abraham Van Helsing, in a prototypical battle between good and evil. Like the novel, the story is told in an epistolary format; largely framed as journal entries from Jonathan Harker, who first discovers that the Count is a vampire and becomes his prisoner, and his fiance, Mina Murray, who is bitten by Dracula.
The graphic novel brings to life all of the Gothic atmosphere and striking imagery from the book. From the goose bump-inducing, full-page reveal of Dracula that concludes the first chapter, Garing and Gammill perfectly capture Lugosi's suave likeness as the Count: his gleaming eyes, bushy brows, slicked-back hair, sinister scowl, and piercing fangs. Unbeholden to censors, budgetary restrictions, or technological limitations, the comic showcases both the carnage and the fantastic elements of the novel. While never gratuitous, it's more graphic than the 1931 film.
Dracula is an ambitious experiment that yields fruitful results. I would love to see Legendary Comics give similar treatments to other actors known for horror adaptations, like Boris Karloff in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Lon Chaney in Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, Claude Rains in H. G. Wells' The Invisible Man, or Vincent Price in any of Edgar Allan Poe's works. The fascinating approach introduces comic readers to classic monsters, influential literature, and iconic performances all while giving longtime fans a fresh but faithful perspective on the well-trodden material.
Legendary Comics Sinks Its Teeth Into Bram Stoker's Dracula!
#BramStokersDracula #Dracula #BelaLugosi #LegendaryComics #ElGaring #RobertNapton #UniversalMonstersUniverse #ClassicMonsters #UniversalMonsters
Legendary Comics Sinks Its Teeth Into Bram Stoker's Dracula!
Bela Lugosi is back as Dracula!
Bram Stoker’s Dracula Starring Bela Lugosi
Illustrations and Color by El Garing
Lettering and Design by Richard Starkings and Comiccraft’s Tyler Smith
Adapted and Edited by Robert Napton
Dracula Logo by Brian Hoffman
***** Five Stars
Hello Monster Fam! This month we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of Dracula starring Bela Lugosi! Back in November,…
X-Force/Youngblood #1, August 1996, written by Eric Stephenson and Robert Napton, penciled by Stephen Platt, Dan Fraga, Richard Horie, Ching Lau, Michael Linchang, Mark Pajarillo, and Andy Park
A graphic novel based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula will be published on October 6 via Legendary Comics. It features the likeness of the definitive on-screen Dracula, Bela Lugosi, as the titular character.
Dracula features artwork by El Garing, who also illustrated the cover, with Kerry Gammill serving as art director and Richard Starkings as letterer. Robert Napton wrote the adaptation.
The 200-page hardcover edition is available to pre-order for $29.99 on Amazon. The synopsis is below, along with a preview image.
In the late 19th century, Dracula, an ancient Transylvanian Vampire, moves to England to find fresh blood and spread his evil contagion. There he encounters two women, Lucy and Mina, who become the targets of his dark obsession. Aided by a group of brave men, Professor Van Helsing arrives on the scene and takes on the Vampire Prince in the ultimate battles between the forces of light and dark!
Reviewed: Big Finish's Doctor Who Short Trips - The Shattered Hourglass
Reviewed: @bigfinish's #DoctorWho Short Trips - The Shattered Hourglass
The latest Big Finish Short Trip The Shattered Hourglass is another great example of finding a whole story from a throwaway line of dialogue in a Doctor Who television episode. But I can’t say which one, as it leaves a properly big grin on your face once you realise which episode it’s taken inspiration from.
It begins at the Time Agency, the institution that Captain Jack Harkness once worked for…
