Before Ghost Rider, there was the Tomb of Dracula. Debuting in the 70's and the beginning of Marvel's foray into horror comics; Tomb of Dracula began with longtime Spider-Man scribe Gerry Conway at the helm with the legendary Gene Colan providing the pencils. The series begins with Frank Drake, a living descendant of Count Dracula, inheriting Castle Dracula, and unwittingly awakening the vampire lord. Eventually, Drake has to make a big sacrifice, and the writing reins are soon taken over by Archie Goodwin, and later by Gardner Fox. It wasn't until Marv Wolfman took over the series that Tomb of Dracula really took off, as new characters like Rachel Van Helsing and later Hannibal King (in the last issue of this Essential title) are introduced that would have a huge impact on the series until it's end. What Wolfman is the most credited for with Tomb of Dracula, is the creation of the mysterious vampire hunter Blade, who makes his debut in the tenth issue of the series. Later on, there is a cross over with Werewolf by Night, and the first appearance of Dracula's daughter Lilith. Gene Colan's pencils are simply gorgeous, and when he's teamed with inker Tom Palmer, it's really something to behold, even in black and white. All in all, like many of Marvel's other Essential titles, Essential Tomb of Dracula is a deal for the price if you don't mind the brittle black and white pages, and it's the beginning of the best Marvel horror title you'll ever read.
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