Issue(s): Dracula Lives #3
Cover Date: Oct 73
Title: "Shadow in the city of light!"
Credits:
Gerry Conway - Writer
Alfonso Font - Penciler
Alfonso Font - Inker

Review/plot:
In the 18th century, a stonecutter named Jacques Dubois allies himself with the wizard Cagliostro. Jacques constructed a gargoyle, animated it with a potion from Cagliostro, and sent it after Dracula.

Dracula dispatched it with ease...

...and then threw the stonecutter into his own cauldron, assuming it would kill him.

In the present, Dracula is attacked by an unusually strong-willed woman named Helene Dubois, the granddaughter of the stonecutter.

It turns out that her grandfather is still alive, having been transformed into an immortal gargoyle.

He is under the impression that Dracula's death will end his curse. We will never find out if that is true or not (Dracula says not), because Dracula dispatches this gargoyle as easily as the first.

Cagliostro is not seen in this story, even in flashback, but this is the third issue in a row to mention Dracula's past rivalry with the wizard. There isn't an ongoing story in Dracula Lives, exactly, but there is a sense of continuity in that the events of the previous issue are mentioned and because of the continued references to Cagliostro. Marie Laveau's henchman Gaston discovered Dracula while he was investigating the fake Cagliostro in issue #1, and Helen got word that Dracula was headed to Paris from New Orleans after issue #2. This never does lead to a present day confrontation with Cagliostro, though.

This issue has a couple of other stories of interest, although they both take place prior to my project's start date and one of them may not be canon at all.

The first takes place in the immediate aftermath of Dracula's origin story from last issue...

...and shows him winning the title of King of the Vampires from its current holder, Nimrod the First.

It's implied in this story that vampires don't really have sexual urges any more.

The second story is a crossover with the Robert E. Howard character Solomon Kane. This story is not reprinted in the Essentials, probably for copyright reasons.

Kane may have sexual urges, but he's a Puritan who doesn't act on them, and that's before he finds out that the woman in question is actually a vampire.

Kane faces off against Dracula and beats him pretty soundly, although due to Dracula previously saving his life he feels obligated to let him go.

There is apparently a sequel to this in Savage Sword of Conan #26. I don't know much about Marvel's use of Solomon Kane; it looks like a fair number of his Marvel appearances were REH adaptations. He does seem to have been a regular back-up feature in Savage Sword of Conan, though. Since REH's characters Conan and Kull are part of Marvel continuity, i guess it stands to reason that Kane is as well, but he's definitely not as integral a part.

Quality Rating: C

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: This takes place not long after last issue, with Helene Dubois having waited for Dracula to travel from New Orleans to Paris. Dracula says it's been "days" since he last fed, probably due to the boat ride across the Atlantic. Now that Dracula is in Paris, it makes sense for him to be able to be in Europe for Tomb of Dracula #16-17.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Essential Tomb of Dracula vol. 4

Marvel couldn't reprint the Kane story because they lost the REH license, and Dark Horse, the current licenseholder, can't reprint it either because that's Marvel's copyrighted version of Dracula there. Those two Dracula/Kane stories are now in indefinite no-reprint limbo.

Darkhorse did reprint both Kane/Dracula stories in the "Saga of Solomon Kane" reprints (2009) volume so Mark's above comment is not completely correct. (Sorry Mark:-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Kane_(comics)#mediaviewer/File:Saga_of_Solomon_Kane.jpg