This comic was unlike the other issues I’ve read for the Marvel Firsts series, in that most of those #1s seem designed to create interesting characters that we can root for – who we want to see again and again. The dynamic is interesting, but like I mentioned before – it doesn’t quite go anywhere, and here’s why I think that is. He goes into the castle with his current girlfriend and her ex, a former friend of Frank’s who is very obviously trying to set him up. The narrative focuses on Frank Drake as he travels to Transylvania to sell Dracula’s castle, which is the only remaining asset of any value from his family inheritance that he hasn’t already blown. But – and stay with me here – that might be the point. This puts the reader in the characters’ shoes as they first encounter the fearsome vampire – which is a helpful tool, because while the story is interesting, the characters are unlikable because of their self-centered and vapid motivations, as well as the narrative inconsistency of their actions. Instead of trying to fully recreate Dracula, the novel Dracula exists within the reality of this story, and plays a part in the lead character’s motivation. In their take on Bram Stoker’s legend… well, the character is just that: Bram Stoker’s legend. There is no colorist credit, though, and a bit of further research shows that there was another uncredited creator at work here: Roy Thomas, who reportedly plotted this issue with Stan Lee. The Tomb of Dracula #1 is written by Gerry Conway, drawn by Gene Colan, lettered by Jon Costa, and edited by Stan Lee who gets top billing for his role on the book. Let’s see how the most famous vampire of all time fares in the Marvel Universe. First up is a character whose status as a literary icon far precedes his appearance in comic books, Marvel or otherwise: Dracula. I’ve sporadically continued my Marvel Firsts series over the last year or so, but this February, I’m diving headfirst into Marvel’s history to see where some of its most iconic characters got their starts.

This month, I’m going heavy with the throwbacks.

Tomb of Dracula by Gerry Conway