Tomb of Dracula #1

This is probably my favorite comic book that I ever bought. I picked it up in late March of 1972, when I was 13 years old, at my regular haunt for comics and books; Chichester's drugstore on Vineville Ave. in Macon GA. It was my usual Saturday trip to stay overnight at my Grandma's house, as regular readers of this blog already know. She had given me some money to go get our supper, so on the way back to her house I picked up our traditional bag of Krystal cheeseburgers.

While we ate we watched "Kung Fu," then I remember that that the CBS Saturday Night Movie that weekend was "Colossus: The Forbin Project." I enjoyed it, and in fact only recently found it on a bare-bones DVD which I snapped up. It was neat to see it again for the first time in over 30 years.

After the movie I settled down in "my" room, which was her guest bedroom where I had my stash of things I collected in a box in her closet, for safe keeping (from my stepdad). I spread out the comics and magazines, and spent the next several hours reading before I got too sleepy. The one that made the biggest impression on me was "The Tomb of Dracula," as the atmospheric and creepy artwork (by Gene Colan) really seemed almost like a Hammer movie.

The foggy exteriors of the castle and surrounding graveyard, the feral face of the count, his powerful movements, all made for a dramatic and exciting new horror comic experience. No other comic had made such an impact on me up till that time, and because the memories associated with it are so vivid, I still enjoy taking it out and reliving those times every so often. There actually was a bad thunderstorm late that spring night, and I shivered as the rain pounded down outside with lightning and thunder, perfect conditions for reading this comic. I almost felt as if I was living it!

Below is a scan of the very copy I bought all those years ago, and kept in good shape. I'll be posting it in two parts, as there are a lot of pages. Enjoy!

Will Dracula get the girl? Tune in next time to Monster Memories for the exciting conclusion!