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Marvel: Tomb of Dracula Re-opened - Local Hero - 07-22-2004 Posted 22/07/04 Source Newsarama October will see a classic return at Marvel, with a new Tomb of Dracula miniseries getting underway. We spoke with writer Robert Rodi to learn what the vampire hunters are doing in the new millennium. Tomb was originally developed by editor Axel Alonso and Bruce Jones, prior to Jones signing his exclusive contract with DC and leaving the project without about one issue in the can in terms of art. “Axel asked if I'd like to step in -- not to finish the series per se, but to write my own series using the same concept he provided Bruce as a springboard,” Rodi told Newsarama. “The only caveat was that I should try to use as much of the first-issue art as possible - which was a pretty generous offer, so I said yes. In the end, I used most of the extant first issue, revamping some characters and having a few pages redrawn accordingly, plus some restructuring and reshuffling of pages and even panels, and of course rewriting the whole thing from scratch. So I now feel fully invested in it -- this baby's mine. And starting with the second issue, I deviate pretty significantly from where I understand the series was headed before.” As to where the series is headed, think The Matrix with vampires. “Dracula has called in the troops from all four corners of the globe, to come hunker down in Transylvania -- you'll discover why in the first issue,” Rodi said. “And what we'll establish is that there are different breeds or tribes of vampires, with different abilities and customs. But they're all, of course, lethal, amoral, blood-crazed, and nasty as a three-keg hangover.” And – they’re being hunted. Despite it’s gothic horror name, Tomb of Dracula was always about the hunt for Dracula by a variety of individuals. The new incarnation is no different. As to who’s on the team? Don’t think too hard… “Blade’s here, of course,” Rodi said. “As well as a posse of other vampire hunters from different parts of the globe, each possessing a different skill sets -- a Japanese weapons experts, a Native American sorcerer, a Vatican researcher, etc. Heading up the operation is a new character, Noah Van Helsing. Noah's got a very interesting backstory, but we won't be getting to it right away.” The lines are drawn early in the first issue, as its revealed that an event – a scary, ugly, and potentially apocalyptic event that happens once every 1,000 years is coming down the pike. Safe to say, Dracula sees the advantages in surrounding himself with hundreds of subservient vampires. While the world has changed since the first Tomb of Dracula haunted the halls of Marvel, but newer doesn’t necessarily mean better. “That's one of the dichotomy we'll be dealing with here – the tech available is worlds beyond what we could've imagined thirty years ago - and in fact our vampire hunters go for broke in this respect; but is it really any more effective against the supernatural?... We'll all find out together.” In closing, Rodi made it clear – if readers give him the thumbs up, he’s in for the long run. “This is Dracula we're talking about. You never close the book - or the coffin lid - on Dracula.” - GlennWalker - 01-26-2005 Shameless plug - check out my review of this at Pretty-Scary <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.pretty-scary.net">http://www.pretty-scary.net</a><!-- m --> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.pretty-scary.net/modules.php?name=News&new_topic=11">http://www.pretty-scary.net/modules.php ... w_topic=11</a><!-- m --> Glenn Walker