Issue(s): Tomb of Dracula #55
Cover Date: Apr 77
Title: "Requiem for a vampire!"
Credits:
Marv Wolfman - Writer
Gene Colan - Penciler
Tom Palmer - Inker

Review/plot:
Ok, last issue i wondered why Dracula didn't ask the obvious question about the appearance of his son (compare to the "demon" from Tomb of Dracula #52). This issue we find that he does indeed suspect something but can't bring himself to think it.

Dracula's strained relationship with Satanist Anton Lupenski continues. Dracula reveals that his reason for getting involved with the church is because he wants his own religion so that he can control people without having to resort to vampiric mind control, which dulls their wits. Lupenski thinks to himself that Dracula has to die not just because he's afraid that Dracula knows he's a traitor, but because Dracula's world conquering plans will result in his death regardless. His goal is for Dracula to die, allowing Lupenski to take over the Church while Dracula becomes a martyr.

To set things up, Lupenski establishes the baby, not Dracula, as the focal point of the Church's worship. The baby is named Janus.

Dracula sees it happening and does what he can to stop it.

And the machinations continue after that. Domini provides a detailed background of herself for the first time, saying that her father always kept her isolated until she rebelled and joined the Satanists, who subsequently forced her to do horrible things. And she professes her love for Dracula. But things are left open when a vampire minion of Dracula's finds Lupenski forging silver bullets, and when he goes to inform Dracula he finds that only Domini is there. Domini takes the message and we see her making a difficult journey through the snow to confront? inform? Lupenski.

That's how the issue ends, leaving her motives and loyalty up in the air. Readers had to wait two issues before seeing any more on this front thanks to the Harold H. Harold special next issue.

Meanwhile, Quincy's group gets together and wonders what the heck they were thinking by not finishing Dracula off when they had the opportunity last issue.

I love the idea that these guys are worried about the legal ramifications of burning down a Church of Satan to kill a vampire. I didn't think these guys cared about operating within the law or even what happens to them after Dracula is dead. They are hunting the Lord of the Vampires, a mass murdering immortal evil. You wouldn't think going to jail afterwards would be a big deal for them. They've also been shown to have friends highly placed in the UK and US governments, so... not sure what the problem is.

We do see them working on a new plan. It involves Harold H. Harold infiltrating the Satanists but for once nothing goofy happens.

The political machinations between Dracula and the Satanists continue to be interesting if you accept the fact that Dracula doesn't just vamp all the high level Satanists just to be sure. I feel like the Dracula of 30 issues ago would have done that and also tried to kill the baby. That's part of the story, but it's a little weird watching it unfold. The vampire hunters seem similarly unmotivated at this time. But this is just a bridge issue building things up.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: I am placing issue #57, which continues the conversation between Lupeski and Domini, directly after this issue, and allowing the standalone Harold H. Harold issue to remain at publication time, meaning that the issues will be out of sequence.

References:

• Dracula is also worried because he hasn't had much luck with offspring. He brings up his daughter Lilith and their relationship of mutual loathing. There's no specific reference, but we saw Lilith's origin in Giant-Size Chillers #1.
  
• Domini talks about her own family, saying "You've seen my father, Dracula", a reference to Tomb of Dracula #47.
  
• A vampire minion spies on Lupenski for Dracula. We saw Dracula order him to do so in Tomb of Dracula #53.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Essential Tomb of Dracula vol. #3

I could accept Drac not wanting to kill or vamp Lupeski but there's no reason why he can't just take control of his mind, either by hypnotism or by draining his blood. Yes, there's the mind control dulls-their-wits excuse but (a) Danny Summers was mind controlled and he still had enough of his wits to lead Frank into a trap that he only escaped due to the intervention of Brother Voodoo and (b) it's not clear why he needs Lupeski to have his wits anyway.

I have always been troubled by Aurora's attraction to Dracula. I realize that vampires have a very sexual subtext but she is not one of his thralls or under his hypnotic power. The woman must have had a fetish.