By d. emerson eddy — This week we go deeper into comics' Dracula version of Plato's allegory of the cave with an adaptation of an adaptation. Originally published by Topps Comics, collected here by IDW, of the comics adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's film adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, brought to you by Roy Thomas, Mike Mignola, John Nyberg, Mark Chiarello, Digikore Studios, and John Costanza. I consider Coppola's film to be a masterpiece of '90s moody goth energy with a stunning performance by Gary Oldman and gorgeous old school cinematography techniques. The film is a great adaptation in its own right, making it more interesting to see adapted again into another medium.

And, quite frankly, this adaptation is incredible. The artwork alone from Mike Mignola, John Nyberg, Mark Chiarello, and Digikore Studios is worth it. While it would be difficult to reproduce the feel of the film techniques, we instead get Mignola's penchant for moody, inky blackness and shadow fitting perfectly with the ominous shapes of Dracula's horror. It's complimented fully by the lovingly restored colors of Chiarello, who chooses a bold, solid color palette, similar to the approach he used also on Mignola's Hellboy. The bits of color perfectly balance out the shadows of the line art.

I also find it fascinating how the art approaches the likenesses for the characters, giving us an accurate depiction of the feel of the actors, their costumes, and their characters, but not of realistic portrayals of what they actually look like. Instead of seeing, say, Tom Waits, we get the idea of Tom Waits as Renfield. Mignola's depictions capture the essence of the actors' performances and I think that translates very well into the comics medium, making the iconography of the characters another piece in the overall method of storytelling.

Roy Thomas himself is old hat at adapting Stoker's novel, having started an adaptation in black and white with Dick Giordano in Dracula Lives in the '70s (finished later in 2004 and coloured by June Chung for Marvel). Some elements of the novel were already pared down for the movie, and a few more still for the comic, but the core is still unmistakably compelling. Coppola's version played up more of Dracula's history and incorporated a tragic, twisted love story with Mina, which is central here. Just as the epistolary nature of the novel kept intact, allowing for John Costanza the opportunity to incorporate some various forms of cursive and a typewriter-style typeset.

The film version of Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of my very favorite adaptations of Stoker's novel and this comics adaptation from Thomas, Mignola, Nyberg, Chiarello, Digikore Studios, and Costanza is quite its equal, working both as a faithful adaptation of the film and as another entertaining retelling of the classic tale. The artwork is a treat in itself, also available in a black and white version published earlier also by IDW. The story is timeless and it doesn't get much better told than this.

Classic Comic of the Week: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Bram Stoker's Dracula
Writer: Roy Thomas
Penciller: Mike Mignola
Inker: John Nyberg
Colorists: Mark Chiarello & Digikore Studios
Letterers: John Costanza
Publisher: IDW Studios
The comics adaptation based on the film from Columbia Pictures (Sony) and Zoetrope Studios returns with all-new colors. Mike Mignola is one of the most popular comic book artists of the past thirty years, known for such important works as Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Cosmic Odyssey, and, of course, Hellboy. Considered to be among Mignola's greatest works, Bram Stoker's Dracula was his last project before Hellboy launched and was originally released as a full-color four issue adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie.
Release Date: July 17, 2019
Price: $7.49
Buy It Here: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

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d. emerson eddy is a student and writer of things. He fell in love with comics during Moore, Bissette, & Totleben's run on Swamp Thing and it has been a torrid affair ever since. His madness typically manifests itself on Twitter @93418.