Monday, May 25, 2009

Trade Marks: Stoker's Dracula

I was fortunate enough to pick up this handsome hardcover at a 50% off sale quite some time ago. I never got around to reading it for one reason or another, and I'm quite happy that I waited until I could sit down and really focus on the material. The origins of this volume is somewhat legendary, as two creators were invited to finish a half-completed project begun nearly 30 years earlier. I've got mostly positive things to say about it. Thomas does a commendable job of extracting the salient aspects of Stoker's sometimes clunky narrative. I find the character development a bit weak - but that's the way it is in the source material. Giordano was and still is a good fit for this story. His art lacks the drama of a Gene Colan - but that's not a bad thing here as it is a fairly quiet story. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was no discernible shift in quality after the 30-year intermission. If anything - the book improves slightly in the second half. I'm not normally one to go nuts for a hardcover volume - but this one is worth the extra cash. It's very attractive, has some great background pieces and a wonderful red bookmark. I'd love to see that in more hardcovers. Overall Grade: A-

1 comment:

Rob McMonigal said...

I loved this one when I read it from the library, and was happy to find it for a steal a little while ago. I keep trying to get friends to read it, but they don't believe me at how good it is.