By: Neal Adams Publisher: Vanguard Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 68 Publication Date: 2004-03 Studio: Vanguard
Product Description: An enraged village hungry for blood pursues Vincent, the nephew assistant of the now-dead Doctor Frankenstein, and his fiancee Erika. From out of nowhere, Prince Vlad rescues the terrified young couple. But Vlad is, in fact, "Dracula," and he has a sinister purpose. If he has an unstoppable creature like the Frankenstein monster, his safety will be assured. To get this, Vlad holds Erika for ransom. The monster is created then kills Erika but a werewolf's bite brings her back. The scene is set for a battle of pitiless monsters.
Every Old Thing Is New Again ^ Neal Adams Monsters
Neal Adams was recognised as an instant master when his rendition of Batman smashed his way into mainstream comics in the early 70s. His life- like portrayal of super heroes helped elevate comic art back into a respectable medium bringing passion and drama into charactors not taken seriously before. His influence cannot be overstated,ranking him with Ditco,Kirby,and Frazetta as the best of the best. "Monsters" was published during the time Universal was resurecting their Classic Monster Series on DVD. It is a totally original work that harkens back to those Gothic glories with Adams adding his personal flare for action and hyper-realizm. The panals flow like a story board. I found myself grinning ear to ear as I turned each page. I will say nothing of the story but this. This is the movie that "Van Helsing" SHOULD have been. The monsters did not need to be amplified into charicatures of themselves. They were treated with the same respect seen in their original screen versions. It was as if Universal and Hammer teamed up and added ILM to finally do it right. Unlike many recent films,Adams did not chuck out the baby with the bath. He kept each mythos intact without additions or cheats. The only thing wrong with this book is that it did not last a hundred pages or more. It would have been worth what ever price they asked! "Monsters" is proof that Frankenstien,Dracula,and the Wolf Man are truely immortal. Hopefully we will be gifted with sequals. Or maybe even,More Monsters?! How about it,Neal?
John Fischner
GREAT ART...HUM-DRUM STORY ^ I've been a huge Neal Adams fan for 30 years. He was the first comic book artist whose comics I actively sought out and collected. Like most of the great artists of the late 60's and 70's, Adams kept his runs on titles short but memorable. His work on the X-Men, Avengers, Green Lantern, and Batman are Silver Age classics. And I remember how happy I was to find Conan the Barbarian #37 with the Adams cover and art. He remains one of my all-time favorites.
"Monsters" collects into one volume for the first time a story that appeared in "Echo of Future Past" from Continuity Comics, Adams' own company. In his introduction, Adams expresses his love for monsters but laments that Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Frankenstein Monster never battled in those old Universal films although he did forget about "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein".
The story opens as a young couple are running for their lives from a pack of ravenous wolves until a stately man upon horseback call the "dogs" off. Their rescuer is overjoyed to find out that the young man is Vincent, the nephew of Victor Frankenstein. Vincent explains that he and his fiancée had to escape from the villagers who killed his uncle after his monster went on a rampage. But they quickly find out their rescuer, Prince Vlad, AKA Count Dracula, is no friend. He kidnaps Vincent's fiancée, Ericka" and forces Vincent to make a new monster. He needs the monster to look after him while he sleeps, and is vulnerable, during the daylight hours. Vincent creates a new monster which immediately breaks free, goes on a rampage, and throws his beloved to her apparent death. But she finds herself bitten by a werewolf and it all climaxes in a battle royal.
If my summary seems simplistic it's because that's exactly what the plot was. Adams' script is just a vehicle to get these three monsters together and at each other's throats. Granted, it's better than the horrendous "Van Helsing" film of 2004, but not by much. At least Neal's art is more pleasing to the eye than two hours of CGI effects. I found Dracula's explanation of why he needed a monster to watch out for him during the day to be a bit silly. I mean, a simple-witted member of the living dead doesn't seem like it would make the best watchdog. That's why vampires have human thralls, such as Renfield, to care for them.
Adams stated in the introduction that he could not depict these monsters looking anything like Universal's copyrighted appearances. I can live with that but I'm not so sure I like my Dracula as a blond, with wavy hair and a Fu-Manchu-style mustache. He looked more like a character from a 1970's cop movie than "The Prince of Darkness". I enjoyed the book as a fan of Neal's art but the story left me a little flat. In addition to the story, there is also a small gallery of monster-related covers than Neal did for Marvel, mostly during the 1970's as well as some of his production sketches from films he worked on.
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