- "As they always say – the nice guys really do finish last."
- ―Harold H. Harold
| "The Vampire Conspiracy!" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Tomb of Dracula | |
| Title: | "The Vampire Conspiracy!" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 56 |
| Cover price: | .30 |
| Cover date: | May, 1977 |
| Publisher: | Marvel Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Marv Wolfman |
| Writers: | Marv Wolfman |
| Pencilers: | Gene Colan |
| Inkers: | Tom Palmer |
| Cover artists: | Gene Colan |
| Cover inker: | Tom Palmer |
| Cover colorist: | Tom Palmer |
| Cover letterer: | Irving Watanabe |
| Colorists: | Michele Wolfman |
| Letterers: | John Costanza |
| Editors: | Marv Wolfman |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Tomb of Dracula #55 |
| Next: | Tomb of Dracula #57 |
"The Vampire Conspiracy!" is the title to the 56th issue of the Tomb of Dracula comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The story was written by Marv Wolfman with artwork by Gene Colan and inks by Tom Palmer. The cover art illustration was also composed by Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. The story was colored by Michele Wolfman, and lettered by John Costanza. It was edited by Marv Wolfman. This issue shipped with a May, 1977 cover date and carries a cover price of .30 cents per copy (US).
Synopsis[]
Harold H. Harold sits down at his typewriter and continues working on what he feels will be his masterpiece novel, "The Vampire Conspiracy". While the story is fiction, it is populated with characters that Harold knows personally, including Harold himself.
- The Vampire Conspiracy
- Harold H. Harold is the leader of the Harold Supernatural Slayers. At the behest of a woman named Aurora Rabinowitz, Harold and his friends, Frank Drake and Rachel van Helsing investigate the haunting of Aurora’s inherited estate, Hellion House. Aurora tells Howard about strange happenstances taking place in the haunted mansion including ambulating empty suits of armor. Having researched the history of the manse, Harold informs Aurora of the mansion’s dark two-hundred year history.
- Elsewhere in the house, Satan, having taken the form of a large black cat, commands his servant Dracula to route out the unwelcome guests. Dracula attacks Rachel van Helsing and turns her into a vampire. Frank is forced to quickly end Rachel's undead existence.
- Harold meanwhile, as a master of the martial arts, easily defeats both Dracula and Satan. He pushes Dracula backwards onto an upended sharpened stake, destroying him. They burn the house to the ground and Harold shares a passionate embrace with Aurora.
Completing his novel, Harold pulls the last page out of the typewriter and drops the complete project into the mailbox. Aurora drives up and Harold asks her out on a date. She humbly declines, citing that she already has plans. As they drive off Harold mutters, "As they always say – the nice guys really do finish last".
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
- Aurora Rabinowitz (Fictionalized version from Harold H. Harold's novel)
- Frank Drake (Fictionalized version from Harold H. Harold's novel)
- Rachel Van Helsing (Fictionalized version from Harold H. Harold's novel)
Villains
- Dracula (Fictionalized version from Harold H. Harold's novel)
- Satan (Fictionalized version from Harold H. Harold's novel)
Minor characters
Organizations
Races
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Notes & Trivia[]
- 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.
- "TOD 56" serves as a shortcut to this page.
- This issue carries the approval stamp of the Comics Code Authority.
- The cover of this issue carries the badge of "Comicdom's Number 1 Fear Magazine".
- This issue is reprinted in black and white in Essential Tomb of Dracula, Volume 3, published in November, 2004 and in full color in Tomb of Dracula Omnibus, Volume 2 in December, 2009. It is also reprinted in the Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection, Volume 5 from December, 2021.
- This is the final issue of the series with Marv Wolfman as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics. Going forward, Archie Goodwin will serve as Editor-in-Chief.