Reviews: Vampire Tales Vol. 2

VAMPIRE TALES VOL. 2 (Marvel, 2011; softcover)

Collects Vampire Tales Nos. 4-7 (cover dates April- October, 1974)

I was happy to see the series shift its focus back to Morbius, the Living Vampire after Issue 3. It seemed like they were hyping Satana to be the lead feature, and then nothing. She lasted two issues. The reprints from '50s Horror comics are weeded out, and the influx of talented creators really lift this series to heights of greatness.

Let me drop some names here: Writers on this series include Don McGregor, Doug Moench, Tony Isabella, Roy Thomas (who adapts Robert Bloch's The Living Dead), Steve Gerber, Marv Wolfman, and Chris Claremont. Artists include greats such as Tom Sutton, Esteban Maroto, Rich Buckler, Val Mayerik, Bob Brown, Tom Palmer, Pablo Marcos, Alfredo P. Alacala, and Howard Chaykin. Alfredo P. Alcala, a personal favorite of mine, turns in what must be his greatest work in Blood Death (Issue 6). I love his work on the DC Horror titles from this era (House of Secrets, House of Mystery, etc.), as his artwork really shines in the black and white phonebook format for those titles. Here, his artwork was intended to be seen in black and white, and he puts even more detail in each panel than he usually did. It's stunning, rich, atmospheric work, with so much texture and nuance that I could put it on my wall and stare at it like fine art in a museum.

The stories in this book are almost as good as anything in the Warren Magazines (Creepy, Eerie, etc.) of the time, and I am interested in seeing what the rest of the series holds. Vol. 3 is listed on Amazon.com but has not been officially solicited yet.