Universal Monsters: Calvalcade of Horror

    (Dark Horse, 2006)
™ and © Dark Horse Comics, Inc.

Wow! This compilation book is amazing.

“The Mummy,” “Frankenstein,” “Dracula,” and “Creature from the Black Lagoon” are presented together, as an all–day cinema, complete with whatever snacks you choose to bring to your comfy chair. Put on mood music. Turn the lights down. Your experience is about to begin.

This is all about mood. Tony Harris, Den Beauvais, Jonathan Smith, and Art Adams create an ambience using a variety of art styles. Dracula is done with dripping pastels, The Mummy is wrapped in ethereal imagery, Frankenstein glows with airbrushed beauty, and The Creature oozes a 1950s–style storyboard.

While the artists capture the ambience, the writers manage to convey the films accurately. Crisp dialogue fine–tunes the Universal monster experience. This was hard to put down. Dracula kept me in suspense; The Mummy with its outstanding presentation gave me chills; and Frankenstein was engrossing all the way to the burning windmill. The Creature had me yelling at my comic, “Don’t go there … you’re gonna regret it!”

Hardly sophisticated behavior, but I didn’t care. Neither will you. Monsters await.

— Tim Lasiuta
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