My Rating
“Death of a Monster!”
Note: This is a crossover story tied in with “Tomb of Dracula No.18 (1974)”. You should read the Tomb of Dracula first – per all the references from Marv Wolfman in this issue.
High above Castle Dracula, a helicopter descends toward a nearby clearing. Inside the cabin, Frank Drake and Rachel Van Helsing struggle to recover from an attack moments earlier by Dracula in vampire bat form. As the last living descendant of Dracula, Frank now understands the true power of the undead lord—and the frightening limits of his own mortality. If they survive the landing, Dracula must be stopped at all costs!
Down below, a savage beast charges toward Dracula, who has just transformed back into his human form. Not even the vampire lord’s supernatural reflexes can fully prepare him for what comes next. The werewolf Dracula fought the night before has changed. With the aid of the sorceress Topaz, the beast now retains Jack Russell’s memories and human intellect. This time, Dracula isn’t battling a mindless animal driven by instinct. Jack knows exactly who his enemy is. The vampire lord digs in as the two monsters prepare for a brutal rematch beneath the shadow of Castle Dracula.
Will Frank Drake and Rachel Van Helsing land their helicopter in time to join the battle raging across the Transylvanian landscape? Can Topaz find a spell capable of unlocking Baron Grigory Russoff’s mysterious diary? And what terrible secret lies behind the origins of the Russoff family curse? Collect the series to find out!
Review
The battle of the ages is nigh! Well, at least the year 1974, that is. During this era in Marvel Comics history, writer Marv Wolfman had become something of the Rock of Gibraltar in the Bullpen. Marv was one of the major writing forces behind Marvel’s growing line of horror comics, which certainly came in handy when it was time for a good old-fashioned crossover. These monsters didn’t have to remain trapped inside their own little corners of the Marvel Universe. Jack Russell could stumble into another supernatural nightmare just as easily as Spider-Man could swing into the path of Daredevil.
Let’s not forget Mike Ploog. No other artist could have done better on this title than him. Ploog’s Werewolf isn’t some clean-cut superhero who happens to grow a little extra hair during the full moon. This thing looks dangerous! Jack becomes a hunched, snarling beast with claws, fangs, and enough wild hair to make you believe he probably smells like a wet German shepherd. That’s exactly how Werewolf by Night should look. Ploog’s artwork gives the entire book that dark, strange atmosphere that made Marvel’s Bronze Age horror titles so much fun.
Werewolf by Night #15 represents everything I enjoy about Marvel’s horror comics from this period. Wolfman understood how to mix superhero-style action with monsters, curses, and plenty of good old-fashioned Gothic weirdness, while Ploog knew exactly how to bring it all to life. More than fifty years later, these early adventures of Jack Russell remain entertaining as hell. If you’re interested in Marvel’s classic horror era, Werewolf by Night deserves a place near the top of your reading list.
I give this issue four out of five stars!
