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Cover: Frank Brunner & Tom Palmer

Tomb of Dracula #12

Name: Tomb of Dracula #12
Brand: Marvel
Availability: InStock

Sep 1973 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

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“Night of the Screaming House!”

★ 1st appearance — Safron Caulder

About this Issue

Tomb of Dracula #12 (cover-dated September 1973) marks the pivotal moment when writer Marv Wolfman later acknowledged he 'finally figured out what this book was about,' making the #12–14 story arc the creative hinge on which the entire 70-issue series turned. It is the second appearance of Blade (Eric Brooks), the dhampir vampire hunter who would eventually anchor his own franchise across comics, animation, and film, and it delivers one of the Bronze Age's most genuinely harrowing character moments: Quincy Harker being forced to stake his own daughter Edith after Dracula has transformed her into a vampire. The issue also introduces Safron Caulder, Blade's longtime companion and, in later continuity, the mother of his daughter Brielle — a character whose significance grew considerably decades after her quiet debut here.

writer Marv Wolfman · artist Gene Colan · inker Tom Palmer · colorist Petra Goldberg · letterer John Costanza · cover Frank Brunner, Tom Palmer

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $38

CGC 9.8 · 37 in census $1,610

CGC 9.6 · 47 in census $461

CGC 9.4 · 68 in census $240

CGC 9.2 · 42 in census $194

CGC 9.0 · 46 in census $194

CGC 8.5 · 61 in census $88*

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CGC 8.0 · 60 in census $88

CGC 7.5 · 47 in census $75

CGC 7.0 · 41 in census $67

CGC 6.5 · 40 in census $66

CGC 6.0 · 31 in census $65

CGC 5.5 · 17 in census $65

CGC 5.0 · 11 in census $50*

CGC 4.5 · 15 in census $48

CGC 4.0 · 9 in census $43*

CGC 3.5 · 9 in census $36

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $32*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $24*

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History

The issue was written by Marv Wolfman, penciled by Gene Colan, and inked by Tom Palmer — the stable creative trio whose lockstep collaboration began here and would last for the remainder of the series. Wolfman had taken over the book as scripter with issue #7 after early revolving-door writers (Gerry Conway, Archie Goodwin, and Gardner Fox), but by his own admission he was still finding his footing until the #12–14 arc crystallized his long-range character-first approach: he has described planning where each cast member would stand not just two issues ahead but a year or more in advance, letting plot follow character rather than the reverse. Tom Palmer, who had not inked issues #8–11, returned for #12 and stayed on as the book's inker through the end of the run, cementing the atmospheric shadow-heavy aesthetic that defined the series.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story title: 'Night of the Screaming House!' — cover-dated September 1973, published by Marvel Comics.
Second appearance of Blade (Eric Brooks), the dhampir vampire hunter created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan; his first appearance was in Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973).
First appearance of Safron Caulder, Blade's companion and — as later continuity established — the mother of his daughter Brielle.
Major character death: Edith Harker is abducted and turned into a vampire by Dracula; her father Quincy Harker kills her himself in one of the run's most emotionally brutal scenes.
Marv Wolfman identified the #12–14 story arc as the point where he 'finally figured out what this book was about,' marking issue #12 as the series' true creative starting point.
Full creative team first fully unified here: Wolfman (writer), Colan (pencils), and Tom Palmer (inks) — Palmer had not inked issues #8–11 and his return with #12 locked in the team that would remain for the rest of the 70-issue run.
The cover was illustrated by Frank Brunner, distinct from the interior art team.
The issue has been reprinted in at least 15 international and domestic editions, including Marvel's Essential Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 (2004, black and white), The Tomb of Dracula Omnibus Vol. 1 (2008), Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (2017), and Marvel Masterworks: Tomb of Dracula Vol. 2 (2022), as well as Marvel's 1996 Halloween Megazine.