Friendly Neighborhood Vampire

Spidey Super Stories #14 teamed up the web-slinger to a vampire who had made cameo appearances in previous issues of the series. Physically resembling Blacula from the 1972 horror film, this mid-mannered vampire was in fact the nephew of Dracula. The story delivered a subtle message against prejudice. J. Arthur Crank, president of the Better Neighborhood Club, wanted the vampire out of town. Spider-Man, however, was more interested in stopping wanted criminals.

Spider-Man: Unless your vampire does something wrong … I can't touch him.

While investigating strange occurences in the area, Spider-Man discovered that the evil inventor known as the Mad Thinker had been using using the vampire's attic as a secret hideout. Since the vampire slept until sunset, he was unaware of the Mad Thinker's activity.

Spidey Super Stories. Vol. 1. No. 14. Dec. 1975. "Haunting Season." Jean Thomas (writer), Winslow Mortimer (penciler), Mike Esposito/Tony Mortellaro (inkers), A.J. Hays (editor), John Romita (art director).

A Question of Canon

Revisions to the Comics Code in 1971 loosened the restrictions on horror comics, allowing Dracula to star in his own series set in the world of superheroes. How beholden, however, was the Dracula from superhero comic books to the text from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel? Tomb of Dracula #49 (Oct. 1976) broached this subject, as this version of Dracula adamantly distanced himself from the literary depiction a century before.

Dracula: That foolish novel Stoker half-based on my diary? Bah! He turned what I am…the power I possess, into a children's story. A mere fable based half on lies.

This same year, interestingly enough, Marvel Classics Comics #9 (1976) featured an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. The title character's appearance in the adaptation closely resembled his appearance in Tomb of Dracula and other contemporary comics.

Monstrous Alignments

The Defenders encountered their share of monsters. As such, recent posts about the alignment system from Dungeons & Dragons prompted me to look up the alignment of various creatures as described during the formative years of the game. In doing so, I consulted a softcover introductory rulebook for D&D (1974) and the hardcover Monster Manual (1977) for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

Although there was general agreement between the two publications, I was surprised to see different alignments listed for several monsters. With Aragorn in mind, I saw in the introductory rulebook that Pegasi were Lawful Good and served only Lawful Good characters. Meanwhile, the Monster Manual entry for Pegasus listed the winged horses as Chaotic Good and willing to serve characters of any good alignment.

While reflecting on Dracula, I found another example of varying interpretations of alignment. The Vampire entry from the introductory rules listed Lawful Evil as the monster's alignment while the corresponding Monster Manual entry began, "The most dreaded of the chaotic evil undead is the night-prowling vampire." These different perspectives about certain monsters showed the subjective nature of the alignment system, especially when describing those with nuanced or complex behavior. I imagine that I'll revisit the topic of alignment again with respect to the Defenders.

Defending Dracula

Daimon Hellstrom made a curious decision in Defenders #95. To ward off a horde of vampires, he cast an ancient spell to cause the sun to rise. Dracula was among the vampires present and, a moment before the spell took affect, Hellstrom privately warned Dracula to flee.

The other Defenders understandably wondered why the Son of Satan spared the Lord of Vampires. Hellstrom explained that Dracula had negotiated a temporary truce with heroes and deserved mercy.

Hellstrom: For all his sins, Dracula is a man of his word.

The decision, however, may have had less to do with the ethics of Dracula and more to do with Hellstrom's need to find compassion within himself.

For background, Dracula was not on favorable terms with Daimon Hellstrom's father. Satan took vengeance against Dracula by ridding him of vampiric powers in Tomb of Dracula #64, forcing him to live as a normal human for several issues. To Dracula, temporarily becoming a mere mortal was far worse than the plight of a vampire.

Tomb of Dracula. Vol. 1. No. 64. May 1978. "Life After Undeath." Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Gene Colan & Tom Palmer (illustrators), Denise V. Wohl (letters), Francoise M. (colors).

Mental Block

In Dr. Strange #59 (June 1983), the master of the mystic arts learned that Dracula was again at large. The disturbing news jogged the sorcerer's memory of his initial encounter with Dracula in Dr. Strange #14 (May 1976).

Seven years in real time elapsed between the publication of those two issues, but characters within the world of comics tend to experience time at a slower rate. According to Dr. Strange's account in #59, barely two years had passed since he met the Lord of Vampires in #14.

Yet only after summoning the all-seeing Eye of Agamotto from his mystic amulet did Dr. Strange recall a more recent encounter from Defenders #95 (May 1981), when Dracula had invaded the Sanctum Sanctorum under the influence of the Six-Fingered Hand. How could Dr. Strange have forgotten such a pivotal event? The sorcerer suspected that Mephisto was responsible for obstructing his memory and numbing his awareness of Dracula.

Defend Comics

This year Free Comic Book Day lands on Saturday, May 3, 2014. The book that looks most interesting to me this year is Defend Comics, by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Created in 1986, the CBLDF is non-profit organization dedicated to protect the First Amendment rights pertaining to comics and graphic novels.

Sample pages from Defend Comics illustrate topics surrounding the freedom of speech, including the history of the Comics Code.

As an aside, the original version of the Comics Code from 1954 banned many themes associated with horror and fantasy literature. Note the following item under General standards—Part B:

Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.

The revised Comics Code from 1971 loosened those initial restrictions:

Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, or torture, shall not be used. Vampires, ghouls and werewolves shall be permitted to be used when handled in the classic tradition such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high calibre literary works written by Edgar Allen Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world.

This revision allowed for a hero billed as The Son of Satan, the transformation of the original Cat into Tigra the Were-Woman, and a storytelling genre that would become the bedrock of the Defenders.

Vampire Trouble

The guest appearance of Dracula in Defenders #95 was largely symbolic, drawing attention to aspects of different members of the team.

As a physician turned sorcerer, Dr. Strange found himself delivering some discouraging news. As a belated side effect of the serum that gave Nighthawk super powers combined with the mystic bonds that had restored him to life when he joined the Defenders (#14), Nighthawk now suffered paralysis during the day. Only after dark did he return to health.

Under the circumstances, it was easy to draw comparisons between Nighthawk's nocturnal inclinations and those of a vampire. Defenders #95 even described Nighthawk as swooping down like a man-sized bat as he flew over to greet his teammates. But the vampire parallels ended as soon as Count Dracula himself showed up that evening to do battle against the Defenders.

Although Gargoyle had only recently joined the team (#94), there were no doubts about his allegiance to the side of good. While other Defenders stood dumbstruck over Dracula's arrival, Gargoyle was the first to fight back.

The magic of Daimon Hellstrom revealed that Dracula was not acting of his own accord. Demonic forces had compelled him to hunt down the heroes. Casting out the evil spirits returned the legendary count to his usual blood-sucking self, while readying Hellstrom and the other Defenders for an inevitable final conflict against the netherworld (Defenders #99).

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 95. May 1981. "The Vampire Strikes Back!" J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin and Joe Sinnott (artists, assists by Giacoia & Milgrom), Diana Albers (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Al Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (editor in chief).