The Death of Dracula is a trade paperback collection published by Marvel Comics and features stories involving the vampire lord known as Dracula, culminating with the supposed "death" of Dracula. C'mon guys... you know that nobody ever REALLY dies in comics, right? This volume reprints issues #54-55, and issues #59-63 of the original Tomb of Dracula ongoing series, as well as the Death of Dracula one-shot special from 2010. Original Tomb of Dracula stories were written by Marv Wolfman with artwork by Gene Colan. This volume shipped in May, 2011 and carries a cover price of $19.99 per copy (US).
He is the legendary Lord of the Vampires. Dracula. Who would dare attempt to overthrow him? Only Dracula's son, Xarus, a ruthless and clever upstart with the bold ambition to unite all the world's vampire sects under one flag. But Xarus's older brother, Janus, isn't sure he likes the idea of a new regime and seeks allies to oppose Xarus. The ultimate battle for control of Earth's creatures of the night unfolds, with the future of the vampire race - and possibly the Marvel Universe - at stake. Plus: In a classic tale of sorcery and slaughter, witness the birth of Janus, conceived by magic! And when Janus is killed and revived as an adult, the war between father and son for control of all vampires begins!
A grand convocation of all the vampire sects is held in Greece. Janus Tepes sits silently in attendance as his father Dracula speaks about their aims for consolidating power. Dracula's other son, Xarus, shocks everyone when he impales his father with a wooden stake and cuts off his head. Xarus quickly establishes control, anointing himself as the new leader of vampire-kind. He admonishes the old world traditions of older vampires, and promises to lead the sects into a prosperous new future where they will hold dominance over humanity.
From the start, Xarus struggles to keep all of the sects in line, and manipulates events in order to weed out those who won't support his initiative, even to the point at putting several sects at crossed swords with another.
Taking Janus aside, he shows him the "way of the future". He has special pendants of highly sophisticated technology that bends light around the wearer, rendering a vampire immune to the effects of the sun.
Dracula was created by Irish author Bram Stoker. He is the titular antagonist of Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, which was inspired by an actual Wallachian nobleman known as Vlad II, aka Vlad the Impaler.
