Monday, March 27, 2017

Anno Dracula: 1895 Seven Days in Mayhem #1

   Alternate histories can be a lot of fun, and so far, Anno Dracula: 1895 Seven Days in Mayhem looks like a good one.

   It posits a world where Dracula survived his encounter with Dr. Van Helsing, and returned to Great Britain where he seduced the Queen and became the Prince Consort - and the ruler of the most powerful nation in the world.

   The story by Kim Newman (based on his novel) is loaded with lots of familiar faces (and creatures), including several surprises - and the series apparently includes an appearance by a certain famous oriental villain - or at least his daughter (which is surprising, because I thought the rights were still held by his original publisher - apparently I'm wrong).

   It starts out with a bang - the world is united against Dracula's reign, and a vicious war breaks out.

   The focus is on four women - some vampires, some not - who fight either for or against the regime.

   The art by Paul McCaffrey is terrific - lush and expressive, vivid and brutal - this isn't a comic for kids.

   It's off to a rollicking start, and a worthy story in the vein of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen - if you liked that series, you're bound to like this one.

Grade: A

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