Dracula Lives #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeDracula Lives (Marvel UK) #2 is the second installment of Marvel UK's pioneering weekly horror anthology, which brought Marvel's 1970s monster renaissance to British newsagent shelves just one week after the series debuted on October 26, 1974. As a serialized reprint vehicle, the issue continued two foundational origin stories simultaneously: the opening chapters of Tomb of Dracula — introducing Frank Drake, Clifton Graves, and Jeanie to UK readers for the first time in this format — and the second installment of the Jack Russell / Werewolf by Night origin from Marvel Spotlight #2, bringing characters including Lissa Russell, Philip Russell, Laura Russell, and Gregory Russoff to a new transatlantic audience. The weekly format, which chopped 20-plus-page American stories into digestible British-sized segments, was a distinctive editorial approach that shaped how an entire generation of UK readers experienced Marvel horror continuity.
In "Dracula Shall Live Again!", Robert Walton IV leads a daring Arctic expedition to reclaim the frozen corpse of Frankenstein's Monster, recounting its terrifying origin to the cabin boy. Written by Gary Friedrich and Mary Shelley, with moody, atmospheric art by Mike Ploog, this 1974 Marvel UK tale blends gothic dread with a chilling sense of discovery. The cover by John Severin captures the frozen menace with stark, haunting detail.
On his eighteenth birthday, Jack learns of a family curse from his dying mother, setting him on a path of suspicion when he begins to suspect his stepfather of her murder. The weight of the past and the shadow of the unknown close in as Jack confronts the truth behind the bloodline he never asked for.
In "The Monster Lives!", Robert Walton IV leads a perilous Arctic expedition to reclaim Frankenstein's Monster, frozen in the ice for years. As the journey unfolds, he recounts the creature’s origins to the cabin boy, weaving a chilling tale of creation and isolation.
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Dracula Lives (Marvel UK) launched on October 26, 1974, as part of a third wave of Marvel UK weekly titles following Mighty World of Marvel and Spider-Man Comics Weekly (1972) and The Avengers (1973). The series was a reprint anthology published by Marvel Comics International Ltd. under the Marvel UK banner, designed specifically for the British weekly newsagent market. Its primary source material was the American monthly Tomb of Dracula, serialized in shorter page-count installments suitable for the weekly schedule, with backup strips drawn from Werewolf by Night's origin in Marvel Spotlight #2 — stories penciled by Gene Colan and Mike Ploog respectively. The GCD records that Marvel UK's editorial team adapted panels as new splash pages and added uncredited bridging script to smooth the serialized presentation.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Released November 2, 1974, as the second issue of Marvel UK's weekly horror anthology, published by Marvel Comics International Ltd.
- The lead Dracula strip continues the serialized reprint of Tomb of Dracula (1972) — written by Gerry Conway and drawn by Gene Colan — introducing Frank Drake, Clifton Graves, and Jeanie to UK readers in this chopped weekly format.
- The Werewolf by Night backup reprints pages 9–12 of Marvel Spotlight #2 (written by Roy Thomas, Jean Thomas, and Gerry Conway; penciled by Mike Ploog) in black and white, with an enlarged panel repurposed as a new title/credits splash page with added uncredited bridging script.
- The issue's Werewolf by Night segment contains material featuring Jack Russell's origin, with supporting characters Gregory Russoff, Laura Russell, Lissa Russell, and Philip Russell — all appearing in this serialized UK context for the first time.
- Abraham van Helsing, while a key character in the Tomb of Dracula mythology, appears in this run primarily through his legacy connection to Rachel Van Helsing; Danny Summers is among the ancillary characters from the Tomb of Dracula source issues.
- Dracula Lives (Marvel UK) ran for 87 weekly issues from October 1974 to June 1976, at which point it merged into the Marvel UK Planet of the Apes weekly; from issue #60 onward it was retitled Dracula Lives Featuring the Legion of Monsters.
- The series was structured primarily around Tomb of Dracula reprints for its lead strip, with Werewolf by Night as its recurring backup feature in its early issues, later expanding to other horror characters including Ghost Rider and Man-Thing.
- Unlike its American source material — which could include mature content in the black-and-white Dracula Lives! magazine format — the Marvel UK weekly was a newsagent comic aimed at a general British readership, presenting the color Tomb of Dracula material in black and white.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Marvel Spotlight #2 (1972), Tomb of Dracula #1 (1972), Tomb of Dracula #2 (1972), Frankenstein #1 (1973)
Key issues in Dracula Lives
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