Gene Colan’s Tomb Of Dracula Artist’s Edition

Tomb of Dracula by Wolfman, Colan, and Palmer has long been considered one of the best Marvel Comics of the 1970s. Colan’s atmospheric artwork was the perfect companion to Wolfman’s dark and foreboding stories—together they formed a classic series.

This Artist’s Edition collects six fantastic stories, plus an incredible gallery section.

IDW Publishing, January 17, 2018
ISBN 978-1-68405-217-2
12″ x 17″, 144 pages

0:00 Intro
0:25 Night of the Blood Stalker (issue 25)
0:59 Madness in the Mind! (issue 28)
1:37 Flight of Fear (issue 36)
2:22 The Vampire is coming! (issue 37)
3:02 Let us be We in Unholy Matrimony (issue 46)
3:37 A Song for Marianne! issue (issue 48)
4:12 Gallery
5:03 Unpublished Pencil Pages

A wonderful collection of Colan and Palmer’s Tomb Of Dracula work, with six complete issues (25, 28, 36, 37, 46, 48), a gallery of cover and additional pages spanning the series, plus an informative introduction by Marv Wolfman and a one page bio of Colan to close it out.

Scans, for the most part, are clear; some slight softness here and there. There’s a significant amount of tape on the pages, instead of the normal glue for additions like page numbers and text replacement. Any text under tape is showing as blurry. Page colour varies from off white to yellow and light brown. There are a lot of blue pencil margin notes, but because of printer trimming we don’t get to see what they are. Also some red and blue ink notes. Blacks vary greatly between no gradients and heavy gradients. Lots of Zip-A-Tone. Love the text ads that run along the bottom of every other page of issue 25.

The included unused pencil pages are a real treat for Colan fans, filled with expression and atmosphere. The lettering is modern and appears digital; I wonder if it was added for this volume?

Dahlk’s design brings a horror feel to the work through his stellar choices of colour and pattern. Not only the black and blood red but the repeating use of pattern on its own and within images. And the blood splatter on the cover is a great touch.

Production is IDW excellence: sewn binding of thick matte paper stock. Almost every page lays flat after smoothing the center. The books comes shrink wrapped in a cardboard base with a colour sticker showing cover and UPC.

REVIEW FROM https://aeindex.org/reviews/gene-cola...