Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Dracula World Order #1Dracula: World Order – The Beginning #1
Independent
Brill, Zonjic, Ekedal, Shalvey & Hardman

If you were like me, you saw the cover and thought, "another vampire book?" or "Dracula again?" And if you did think that it's certainly a reasonable thought. What is different about this book that could possible make it special from all of the other vampire or Dracula books that have come to pass over the decades? The reason I read the book is because the book is entirely independently published (only available in select stores) and for that, I give Ian Brill (the creator), the highest possible praise. Then I read the book and was blown away by the content. Brill manages to take a well-worn concept and spin a new twist on it while making excellent use of the collection of artists that lend a hand in bringing this story to life. I couldn't have been more pleased with the comic and urge anyone looking for something clever or if they have the faintest interest in vampires to not miss out on this comic book.

Dracula is dominating the world. He's been busy the last few centuries and modern day Earth is taking more than a few hits from him. However, he is not unopposed. The book opens with what is some sort of coalition of vampires that seem to be tampering with people (or creatures) to make them into something more than just vampires. However, the Prince shows up and busts up the shop.

At this point the book launches into a story that was so engaging I found myself holding my breath until the ending. Basically, Dracula's son is out to get his father and he is building a team to take out the King. However, the deck is stacked against the Prince and he meets with resistance. By the ending we have an excellent build-up to a terrific cliffhanger.

The book mixes vampires with politics and espionage and throws in a dash of science fiction for good measure. The book is paced to perfection and adds in layers to the plot that go much further than just the son wanting to kill off the father. I read the issue several times and I found only two things to complain about. First, I wasn't entirely sure where the chapters were and that only really mattered for the art credits. Secondly, I don't know when the second issue is to ship. That's it. Perfect issue.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsBrill put together an amazing art team. The talent on the team manages to bring together a comic book that looks seamless despite the multitude of hands working on the book. The comic makes perfect use of color, especially the backgrounds of the pages, to set a mode and noir tone that is a match for the story. I loved the grittiness of the pencils cover to cover and found myself feeling the pull into the abyss as the story became darker and darker as it built to the conclusion. This is an excellent visual display that adds life to already terrific story.

Dracula might be everyone's cup of tea, but if you are looking for some reason to break out of super hero comics then this is as good a starting point as you will find. I can't remember getting this jazzed up over a first issue book since Chew and that was a completely original idea whereas this is a property I thought I knew very well. Turns out I didn't and Brill is showing me the light in this unexplored tunnel. Find this book and see if drags into the same place. Fantastic comic book all around.

5 out of 5 geek goggles