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Daughter of Dracula
Redbud Studios |
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With a title like Daughter of Dracula, you would expect this new graphic novel by writer Ron Fortier and artist Rob Davis to be a classic horror send-up filled with dark castles and a menacing creature of the night nestled at the center of the story. It certainly has those traditional horror hallmarks, but it also has something you might not expect... a tender love story. These seemingly disparaging elements come together smoothly in what the creators describe as a "gothic horror romance story". In my eye, this proves to be an exceedingly good description for an unexpectedly emotion filled story.
Before I get started with my review, I would like to open with a bit of disclosure and thanks. Though we've never actually met face to face or even spoke on the phone, I consider Ron Fortier a personal friend. He is, without a doubt, the original founding father of Comic Related's growing creator community and a constant mentor (with over 500 titles to his credit) to many creators who hang out in our forum. He's helped this site grow in more ways than I I can describe and I want to take a moment here and thank him for his help and dedication to what we're building.
I purchased Daughter of Dracula at the time of it's release because it was a project put together by a friend (plus it didn't hurt that it had a kickingly sexy cover). At a couple points since that purchase, Ron has asked me to share with him my thoughts regarding the graphic novel. I've chosen to share them here as I think this book deserves a full send up and it is my hope that it will find a host of new readers through the words that I write.
Daughter of Dracula is the story of how Baron Von Richthoven, better known as The Red Baron of WWI, and Countess Marya Dracula. This is the story of how they met, feel in love and what grew out of that relationship. It is also the story of how Marya sought out and obtained the object of her desire very much in line with the Dracula mythology and the taking of what is needed. Here love and conquest aren't all that exclusive and that is one of the themes that drives the story.
When I turned the first page of Daughter of Dracula, I expected an adventure that would toss me back to an earlier age of horror storytelling. I knew going in it had a love story at its center, but I also expected great tragedy as I know my history as it relates to Baron Von Richthoven. That is to say, I know he didn't die of old age.
That World War I history quickly become one of the things I found utterly fascinating about this story. The tale isn't tucked away in some alternate reality scenario but rather follows the actual events of the Red Baron's life. Ron weaves his story within the constraints of that timeline tying in the meeting and subsequent events seamlessly with the real world history. The story begins prior to WWI and runs the length of WWI ace's life.
A central theme of this story is love versus the supernatural. Desire verses power. The story asks which is stronger, the love Marya feels or the hunger which is central to her existence? Can a vampire know love? Without giving too much away, the answer is a resounding... (okay, that actually would be giving too much away ... you'll just have to read and find out).
The story is told in black and white. I think this was a very good choice as it set my mind into that more classic Universal horror film feel (as represented by Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy and others) from the very start. The blacks and grays lend a feel to the book which help the narrative set a tone for which I think both artist and writer were aiming. It adds the occasional haunting quality which draws the mind back to the films it credits.
Speaking of the art, the artist of Daughter of Dracula, Rob Davis outdoes himself with this book. He took the project on as a sideline venture completing one page a week. The graphic novel is one hundred and eight pages long. Over the course of those one hundred and eight weeks, there isn't a variance in the feel of the art. It has a consistency that would have the reader believe it was drawn all at once.From scenes on horseback, to WWI air combat sequences to gothic castles to the more adult oriented sequences, Rob pulls it all off with a grace and artistic depth that earned my complete respect. His ability to not only provide solid art, but consistently deliver detailed and quality work over a wide range of subjects was nothing short of impressive. The book looks great, whether you're looking at the cover (by Mark Maddox) or any page between
The title is listed as being for mature readers. It deserves that designation, but the more sexual elements of the novel are not gratuitous in the least and were actually, I feel, necessary to the story. At points these were like an exclamation point on the emotion already welling across the page. Well done!
Another point which struck me about the novel was the humanity of the characters. Many times, when telling a vampire tale, it's very easy to loose yourself in the mythology and let that drive your story. Here I saw Marya as much as a woman as a "creature of the night". You could feel her pain, her fury, her hunger, her longing and her love within the story. The Red Baron was equally real as the dashing pilot driven by the love of this woman and the patriotism for his country and his cause.
There weren't any automatic villains. There weren't any automatic heroes. Here, we had a tale of two people falling in love and seeing that love tested by the supernatural and the looming, continued treat of war. This level of feeling is a credit to the writing skills of Ron Fortier.
I would honestly recommend Daughter of Dracula. It shared emotion, adventure and a bit of horror bringing all the elements together in a tight, well organized presentation. Even better, it was a great story which I enjoyed.
Learn more about Daughter of Dracula by visiting airship27.com
and homepage.mac.com/robmdavis. You can discuss the graphic novel
in Ron's official forum and purchase it by visiting Indy Planet.
