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Posted on Jul 16, 2004 - 03:46 AM by Admin |
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As the first Sword Of Dracula miniseries nears its conclusion, writer Jason Henderson is pulling out all the stops! Ronnie Van Helsing teams up with Dracula! An army of vampires! A horde of zombies! A brand new artist! And John Kerry! That’s right. John Kerry! Strap yourselves in for the most exciting, unbelievable issue of Sword Of Dracula yet!
I’m going to learn my lesson one of these days. Just when I claim that writer Jason Henderson has stunned me and written one of the most incredible comics I have ever read, he trumps me with the very next issue! If you thought the first four issues of Sword Of Dracula were amazing - to borrow a phrase from Bachman Turner Overdrive - you ain’t seen nothing yet!
The fun thing about Sword Of Dracula is that Henderson seems to be playing a game of “One-Ups-Man-Ship” with himself! Look at it this way. Already, Henderson did something no other writer, movie maker or creative mind has done in over a century by giving us the most original take on Dracula since Bran Stoker put pen to paper. Most writers would be satisfied to sit back, relax and bask in that glory. Not Henderson. Henderson is out to trump himself!
In addition to reading like “Dracula Meets Blackhawk Down”, Henderson has shown us a side of Dracula rarely seen. Henderson’s Dracula is the baddest bad guy of all! That is…until his “kin folks” show up! Henderson threw everyone for a loop by revealing that Dracula is a descendant of angels! And not only are these angels unhappy with their long lost relative, they aren’t bright, feathery cherubs! These two fallen angels have control over flesh and bone…and they aren’t afraid to use it!
With an object called “The Blue” in their possession, these angels have decided to create their own little hell on Earth in Dallas. (I’ll refrain from the Dallas Cowboys jokes…) In the previous issue, while the angels were sitting up shop, Dracula was imprisoned in an ingenious Henderson creation called The Cage back at the Polidorium’s. Suddenly, “Dracula Meets Blackhawk Down” included a more terrifying version of Hannibal Lecter from “Silence Of The Lambs”!
Henderson kept the adrenaline pumping and the shocks flying fast and furious when Ronnie Van Helsing received an urgent call from her brother, informing her that the worst was yet to come. To save Dallas and the world, Ronnie did the unthinkable: she freed Dracula! If you thought that shocker was something…again borrowing from B.T.O., you ain’t seen nothing yet!
I hope you are sitting down while you are reading this, because Henderson does the unthinkable in the latest issue of Sword Of Dracula: archenemies Ronnie Van Helsing and Dracula team up! Go back and read that again. Ronnie and Dracula team up!
In hopes of defeating a greater evil, Ronnie and Marcus go rogue from the Polidorium and make a deal with the devil - almost literally - in order to save Dallas and the world! Targeted by a soft missile filled with holy water, Dracula is made a surprising offer that he can’t refuse! But, as we all know, Dracula has plans of his own, involving another ingenious display of his amazing control over blood!
Before Ronnie’s new team can arrive in Dallas, the authorities discover that the fallen angels Samyaza and Azazyel have been busy building an army of their own inside the transformed Reunion Tower. Meanwhile, the Polidorium convene a meeting, wondering why their top agent has set Dracula free and apparently joined forces with him!
When Ronnie’s team arrives in Dallas, Dracula soon begins to lead the operation by calling in the “reinforcements”! Forget the National Guard! Dracula receives the aid of the North Texas Contingent of vampires! And if that doesn’t stack the odds in Dracula’s favor enough…he raises hundreds of flesh hungry zombies from the grave! It’s starting to look like Ronnie has bitten off much more than she can chew…and you can only imagine what kind of battle awaits us in Sword Of Dracula #6! Let’s get ready to rumble, indeed!
Oh, I also mentioned that John Kerry makes his comic book debut, didn’t I? What role does the Presidential candidate play in this book? Let’s just say that during his days in Vietnam, Kerry made an incredibly shocking discovery!
Henderson does another stunning job with this issue. It has been amazing to me - both as a fan and a professional reviewer - to watch this strong writer grow even stronger with each new issue. And, let me be the first to tell you, THIS is the strongest issue of Sword Of Dracula yet!
Once again, Henderson shows us a Dracula with powers that are just incredible. We get to see another creative use of Dracula’s control over blood. However, the thing that impressed me the most was the power Dracula possesses which allows him to raise hundreds of the undead! Tell me when Hollywood has ever shown us a Dracula THIS powerful! It’s easy to see with this issue alone why Sword Of Dracula has been optioned as a major motion picture!
Henderson also continues to tease readers with past events in this wonderful universe he has created. Henderson already has me yearning for a Guns Of Frankenstein miniseries, but there is even more to be explored here! Ronnie and her family, Dracula’s past, the fallen angels, the history of the Polidorium and even John Kerry’s Dracula experience! Henderson has created an intriguing universe filled with endless possibilities guaranteed to bring horror fans, action-adventure fans and Comic Fanatics back for more!
It seems to be a pattern for this first Sword Of Dracula miniseries: a new artist for every two issues. Enter new artist Terry Pallot! Pallot is no stranger to comic books, nor to Henderson. Pallot has been illustrating comics for over a dozen years - including many Star Trek comics - and most recently joined forces with Henderson on the critically acclaimed Soulcatcher from Moonstone.
Pallot brings another interesting style to Sword Of Dracula. A lot of Pallot’s work maintains the “flowing action style” that previous artist William Belk brought to this book. Pallot also provides some truly jump-out-your-seat scares when it comes to this artist's illustrations of the living dead! While Pallot excels at illustrating characters - especially Badi and Ronnie - what impressed me the most in this issue was Pallot’s take on Dracula. Pallot gives us a Dracula that looks bestial, ferocious and extremely powerful! This may be my favorite take on Dracula yet!
Fans of Sword Of Dracula and fans of horror and action-adventure movies will simply devour Sword Of Dracula #5. Jason Henderson has pulled out all the stops and it shows from beginning to end! Vampires, zombies and John Kerry! How in the world will Henderson top this one?! I don’t know, but you can rest assured he will when this miniseries comes to a colossal conclusion in Sword Of Dracula #6!
Image’s Sword Of Dracula #5 hits spinner racks Wednesday July 21, 2004 with a retail price of $2.95. For more information about Sword Of Dracula, visit Sword Of Dracula.Com or talk to Jason Henderson on his forum, Henderson’s Hideout!
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