The Tomb of Dracula

Dracula sinks his fangs on yet another victim.


"The years have been long, and I am weary of them. I yearned for those things for which I once lived... The clouds across a glowing moon... The baying of night's children... And most of all, I yearn for that most pleasing taste... The sweet nectar of life itself!"
—Dracula in the first issue

A Bronze Age horror comic book from Marvel. It follows Count Dracula's exploits throughout Europe and America as he fights it out with vampire hunters and various monsters.

The original series ran for over seventy issues in the seventies. After its cancellation in '79, it was immediately followed by a black and white series that only had six issues.

There has also been two four-issue miniseries bearing the book's name afterwards; a Darker and Edgier tale titled Day of Blood! Night of Redemption! in 1991 (which resides in its own continuity) and the other one in 2004, which was mostly to show how badass Blade can be.

Series was also the basis of the Anime movie Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned.

Tropes used in The Tomb of Dracula include:

Dracula: "For 500 years I've defended what is mine agains insipid upstarts as you, Brand -- for 500 years I've clawed my way past the mindless minions who have ever sought to take what is mine. But never shall my lien be taken by one such as you. I am lord of evil, little man -- forever and always!"

  • The Beast Master: Dracula is shown to have power upon rats and wolves.
  • Big No: Cried out every now and then. First example being Cliffton's reaction when he sees freshly resurrected Dracula in the first issue.
  • The Blank: The one-issue villain Faceless Fiend, who was a man who lost his features when he was dropped into nuclear waste.
  • Blood Bath: Elizabeth Bathory was a very minor adversary of Dracula in the series. Originally intent to make Bathory his vampiric servant, her baths in the blood of virgins had made her immune to Dracula's control and so they briefly agreed to form an alliance. When Bathory finally betrayed Dracula, he ended up stealing her journals and turning them in to the authorities, which led to her being sealed in a room in her castle as punishment. Dracula later confronted Bathory in her cell and drained her of all her blood; she aged to death in seconds.
  • Bold Inflation
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: One issue has Dracula hypnotizing bunch of children to attack the vampire hunters.
  • Canon Discontinuity: The 90's miniseries.
  • Comic Relief: When the action moves to Boston, we're introduced to bumbling novelist Harold Harold and his ditzy co-worker Aurora.
  • Compressed Adaptation: Dracula: Sovereign of the Damned tried to fit the entire 70-issue comic into an hour and a half of film.
  • Covers Always Lie
  • Dem Bones: One of the issues had Dracula fight skeleton of a man who was moved from his grave for occult purposes and was seeking revenge.
  • Demonic Possession: Inverted with an angelic possession when Domini resurrects Janus with divine assistance.
  • Destination Defenestration
  • The Dragon: Vampirized Brand and later Juno to Dr. Sun.
  • Enemy Mine: Just when it seems that everything is finally over upon Dracula's death, Dr. Sun puts his plan into motion to conquer the world and the vampire hunters are forced to resurrect the Lord of Vampires to stop the doctor.
  • Everything's Deader with Zombies: Frank is attacked by "zuvembies" while visiting South America. Luckily, Brother Voodoo is there to help him.
  • Evil-Detecting Dog: Quincy's guard dog Saint.
  • Evil Knockoff: A vampire version of Blade is created.
  • Flaying Alive: Dracula rips the skin off from strip club guard's head in the 1991 miniseries.
  • Fur Against Fang: Dracula's fight against Werewolf by Night.
  • God Guise: One major story arc started as a result of Count Dracula appearing before a Satanic cult preparing a sacrifice to give to their dark master. Afterwards, Dracula says that he is in fact the Devil, and that the cult should serve him.
  • Hollywood Satanism: The Scion of Satan led by Anton Lupeski.
  • Hollywood Voodoo: One issue had a paralyzed man using this to exact revenge upon those who he felt had wronged him.
  • Hostile Weather: A storm is raging when Frank and company arrive at the Castle Dracula in the first issue.
  • I Cannot Self-Terminate: When Rachel is turned into a vampire by Dracula in Uncanny X-Men Annual #6, she asks Wolverine to kill her with a wooden stake.
  • I Hate You, Vampire Dad: Lilith.
  • Immortality Immorality: When there's vampires about, there's also people wanting immortality from them. First example in the series is the aging model Ilsa Strangway, who seeks to rejuvenate back to her younger appearance.
  • Impromptu Tracheotomy: Drake hits Dracula in throat with a stake in the 90's miniseries.
  • Interrupted Suicide: After the death of vampirized Jeanie, Frank attempts to kill himself by jumping off from a bridge. However, Rachel and Taj stop him.
  • Man On Fire: One woman is burned to death in the 90's miniseries.
  • Murder by Mistake: Janus' death.
  • Off with His Head: When Smirnoff confronts Dracula to turn him into a vampire in the 90's miniseries, Dracula simply rips off his head and kicks it away like a football.
  • Oh Crap: There's a collective Oh Crap moment when the combined forces of the vampire hunters and Anton Lupeski attempt to defeat Dracula, and Anton accidentally shoots Dracula's infant son Janus. Dracula is not pleased.
  • Pet the Dog: Dracula has his moments of helping and caring for others than himself.
  • Phlebotinum Overload: How Dracula is defeated in 90's miniseries.
  • Questioning Title: Title of the third issue; "Who Stalks the Vampire?"
  • The Renfield: Dracula turns Cliffton Graves into his slave for the first dozen issues. His servitude ends when he is caught in an exploding cruiser at the sea.
  • Role Called: The title was extended into The Tomb of Dracula: Lord of Vampires! halfway through during the book's run in seventies (which also throws in an Excited Show Title! for good measure).
  • Scotland Yard: Featured on some of the issues set in England.
  • Silver Bullet: One of the means to fight vampires.
  • Skunk Stripe: Mrs. Strangway has a white stripe on her hair.
  • Smite Me Oh Mighty Smiter: After his son's death, Dracula climbs up a building to scream his plea of death to heavens.
  • The Speechless: Taj, whose throat was damaged when vampires attacked him and his family in India.
  • Staking the Loved One: Quincy is forced to stake his daughter Edith after Dracula has turned her into a vampire.
  • Stuffed Into the Fridge: Happens quickly to Frank's girlfriend Jeanie early on. Same fate later falls on Quincy's daughter Edith.
  • Summon Bigger Fish: The satanist try to summon a big monster to kill Dracula, what they get is the Silver Surfer.
  • Super Smoke: Dracula can turn into a mist. He usually does it to dodge projectiles and to escape from tricky situations.
  • Super Window Jump: Dracula has a knack for jumping in and out of windows.
  • Take Over the World: Dr. Sun's primary goal. Dracula will also adopt such plans if he learns the method to do so.
  • Talking Is a Free Action: Just because there's a fight going on, doesn't mean that Dracula can't gloat and boast at the same time.
  • Thriller on the Express: One of the issues with Dracula on-board a train.
  • Time Travel: The black surfaced mirror that appears in the early issues has the power to send its user back in time when proper incantations are used. Dracula attempts to kill professor Van Helsing in past through it.
  • Torches and Pitchforks: Angry mob from a village near Dracula's castle burn the place down in the first issue.
  • Transformation Sequence: Dracula is shown turning into a bat every now and then.
  • Vampires Are Sex Gods: Dracula assaults attractive women in nearly every issue, and when he bites them the act is typically described in sexual terms.
  • Vampire Bites Suck
  • Vampire Detective: Features Hannibal King, the very first.
  • Vampire Hunter: Most of the good guys.
  • Vampire Invitation: True to the legends, Vampires can't enter inside someone's home unless they are invited.
  • Villain Protagonist
  • Virgin Power: Fallen vampires can be resurrected with the tears of those of virginal purity.
  • Weakened by the Light: Vampires can't stand sunlight.
  • Wham! Line: "...it went through my husband. And it hit Janus! That bullet killed our son!
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?: One anthology issue featured a short story where a man tricks Dracula to help him to end his immortality.
  • Worf Effect: Taj, The Big Guy of the vampire killers, suffers from it fairly quickly.
  • The X of Y: The comic's title. Doubled up later when the Role Called subtitle is added.
  • You!: Dracula's response when he's greeted by resurrected Cliffton Graves.
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