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Giant-Size Dracula #3

Dec 1974
Chris Claremont, Don Heck

Giant-Size Dracula #3 cover

Story Name:

Slow Death on the Killing Ground


Synopsis

Giant-Size Dracula #3 synopsis by Peter Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

A band of terrorists led by a blind woman invades a Scottish country home during a classy dinner and carries off Quincy Harker, killing everyone else. The leader, Elianne, wants the Montesi Formula which can destroy Dracula forever. Reason: In 1459, Lady Elianne Turac saw her father return from the wars, turned into a vampire by Dracula, killing his entire family before Elianne managed to pierce his heart with a spear; after this she sacrificed a child to the dark gods to gain immortality so she could seek revenge against Dracula. Her wish was granted but the dark gods took away all of her good qualities…and her sight. Now, in her skyscraper headquarters (she has grown wealthy as a drug lord), she is having Harker tortured but he says he doesn’t have the formula. She has her men take Harker to her country estate but on the way, Harker fights back and causes the car to crash. Dracula appears and hypnotizes him to learn about his female enemy, then prepares to kill his old enemy but Inspector Kate Fraser and the police arrive so Dracula flees….

Dracula finds a woman named Ruth Caulderon, a power engineer whom he takes into his power and sends her on a mission. Dracula invades the Saracen building (Elianne’s company) in search of his enemy but he is easily spotted by her security systems. Crosses light up in the lobby, garlic and holy incense gas explodes in the elevator, laser beams dot the floor, sonics cut into Dracula’s brain, leaving him helpless for an attack team to stake him. But then Ruth succeeds in her mission, turning off the power at Battersea Station thus shutting down the Saracen building. When the power comes back on, Dracula has slain the attackers and confronts Elianne, first electrocuting her mad scientist guy and then facing her. But even blind, Elianne’s hatred is such as to power her to fight with a silver sword. When the vampire gets the upper hand, Elianne’s second-in-command Stefan (who is in love with her) attacks Dracula who throws him out of the window. He then captures Elianne and kills her with a bite, planning to see her as his servant in three days….

Inspector Chelm and Kate Fraser arrive. Kate uses her psychic powers to read Elianne’s mind and, learning her history, stakes her to allow her to rest in peace….

“I Was a Vampire”
Writer: ? Art: Matt Fox. Colors: ? Letters: ?
Synopsis: A vampire falls in love with a beautiful woman and murders a doctor to gain a serum that can turn him into a normal man. He marries the object of his affections and it turns out she is a vampire and she kills him! Reprinted from UNCANNY TALES #6.

“The Wedding Present”
Writer: ? Art: Paul Reinman. Colors: ? Letters: ?
Synopsis: Ugly Harry is in love with cold-hearted nightclub singer Lila; when she is set to marry another man, Harry seeks a love potion from a witch doctor, but cheats the shaman out of his fee. Harry slips the potion to Lila and she agrees to marry him but the witch doctor shows up and transforms them both into ornaments atop a wedding cake! Reprinted from SPELLBOUND #22.

“The Mark of the Vampire!”
Writer: ? Art: Mac Pakula. Colors: ? Letters: ?
Synopsis: Frank suspects his brother Rudolph of being the vampire that has been terrorizing the city; he is torn between family loyalty and saving lives. Eventually Frank kills Rudolph but before he dies, Rudolph bites Frank, making him the new vampire in town! Reprinted from SPELLBOUND #22.

“The Man Who Changed”
Writer: Carl Wessler Art: Sid Greene. Colors: ? Letters: ?
Synopsis: Ugly Luther marries beautiful Dorothy but he is sensitive to people’s comments about his looks. He secretly has plastic surgery to make him handsome and returns home to learn Dorothy has had plastic surgery to make her ugly! Reprinted from UNCANNY TALES #6.


 

Review / Commentaries


Giant-Size Dracula #3 Review by (January 19, 2021)

Review: An interesting foe for Dracula: an immortal blind woman who has a 500-year vendetta against Dracula, having created a drug empire to fund her schemes, becoming one of the richest women in the world. Wow. And it’s taken you 500 years to find Dracula, Toots? Chris Claremont got a bit lazy and just jumped over why Drac has never seen this supposedly determined woman before. She is a halfway decent antagonist and Don Heck’s art is effective in delineating her total meanness. But she could have become an ongoing enemy who we have seen throughout Drac’s history instead of a done-in-one. There was a lot of lost potential here. Same as with Kate Fraser whose second and final appearance in a Dracula comic this is, with nothing much to do until the final page. Exciting and enjoyable issue—but it could have led to much more.

Comments: Main story takes place between TOMB OF DRACULA #25 and DRACULA LIVES #6. Kate Fraser was introduced last issue; her only later appearances are in MARVEL PREMIERE #3 (Blade) and CAPTAIN BRITAIN #5 and 8.



> Giant-Size Dracula comic book info and issue index

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Additional Credits
Letterer: Ray Holloway.

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