Cult of Dracula #1

Cult of Dracula #1

Source Point Press 2021

Created & Written by Rich Davis

Illustrated by Henry Martinez

Coloured by Trevor Richardson

Lettered by Ed Dukeshire

Special Agent Malcom Bram arrives at the House of the Rising Sun. This secluded compound is the home of the secretive Ordo Dracul and the scene of a horrendous crime coined, "The Cult of Dracula Mass Suicides." Mina Murray leads a documentary film crew to uncover the secrets of the mysterious cult by interviewing its enigmatic leader, Robert Renfield. Neither investigator is prepared for the gravity of the truths they will uncover.

The opening here is certainly one that you will never forget. It is everything that you want in an opening and then some as this kind of brutal carnage that we see with very few spoken words let’s the readers’ mind and imagination do most of the deductive work. Thus ensuring that there is an investment and engagement in the book from the first page and moving forward. The only thinking that i wonder about is whether the opening is in the past, present or future. When we get to the main story I have to say how the main characters are incorporated into the story is pretty brilliantly handled. I was and wasn’t expecting this to be this closely tied into the Bram Stoker version in any way, shape or form.

I like the way this is being told, with the exception of where/when the opening takes place. Otherwise how we see the story & plot development through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented so that they constantly move everything forward. The character development is interesting because all we’ve seen thus far is are a few exchanges that introduce the cast without giving us too much to go on. It works though because the interest and intrigue factor are raised and we want to see and know more about them. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the cast, the setting and some ultra violent promises we’re dying to see more by the last page.

I think the way that this is structured is well done as the layers within the story emerge and start to guide the reader through a myriad of moments that will seem to have an impact down the road. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow is delightful.

The interiors here are really rather solid. The linework that we see is nicely laid down and with the varying weights we see some great detail work being brought about. The work does have a very indie comic book style feel to it and I look forward to seeing continue to grow as an artist. I am very impressed with the way we see backgrounds being incorporated into the book and how they work within the composition of the panels. They not only enhance the moments but they also provide some great depth perception, a sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a strong eye for storytelling. The colour work here is fantastic! How we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcases a great eye for how colour works. Also i love that we see John’s pants as purple and have green highlights because that is precisely what I expect to see. The work is really good here and I am digging what we see.

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Source Point Press is home to some fabulous new storytellers, see creators. They take a chance on folks when others don’t and it’s a good thing too because this deserves to be on stands and in your hands. This is a spectacular first issue that sets the stage for what’s to come and it will keep you on your toes and guessing what is in store for these folks.