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The Batman & Dracula trilogy is a group of three graphic novels written by Doug Moench and penciled by Kelley Jones. The stories—Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (1991), Bloodstorm (1994), and Crimson Mist (1998)—were published by DC Comics as a part of the Elseworlds line of comics. Moench created the concept for the first installment sometime after Jones, of whom Moench was a fan, finished the Deadman series Deadman: Love After Death (1989—1990). Its popularity resulted in DC commissioning sequels.

Set outside the DC Universe canon, the trilogy begins with Batman discovering Count Dracula and his minions feeding off the homeless of Gotham City. Batman becomes a vampire to gain the necessary strength to defeat Dracula, and does so by impaling him to a tree. He finds himself unable to control his desire for human blood and brutally murders the Joker before forcing Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner Gordon to stake him. The stake is later removed during a crime wave and Batman slaughters almost all his old foes, after which survivors Two-Face and Killer Croc attempt to get rid of him once and for all.

The Batman & Dracula books were among the earliest and most popular titles of the Elseworlds line, with each listed on the Diamond Comic Distributors bestsellers list. Journalists have praised the books for their story and artwork. Since the trilogy's conclusion, several other DC comics have featured stories set within Batman & Dracula's world, and the vampire Batman has appeared in some non-comic book media.

Publication history

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The Batman & Dracula trilogy was written by Doug Moench and penciled by Kelley Jones.[1] Moench previously wrote Batman and Detective Comics from 1983 to 1986.[2] Jones had recently redesigned Deadman for the limited series Deadman: Love After Death (1989—1990)[3] and illustrated seven issues of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman (1989—1996).[4] The books were published by DC Comics under its Elseworlds imprint, which was designated for comics that took place outside the DC Universe canon.[1] The initial installment, Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, was an early Elseworlds book;[5] the first, Batman: Holy Terror, had only been released a few months earlier.[1]

According to Jones, Red Rain was produced after he finished Love After Death. Editor Archie Goodwin had been impressed by Jones' work on the series and wanted him to draw a Detective Comics cover to see his take on Batman. The image Jones produced—which depicted Batman diving down with a "weird cape" and surrounded by bats—impressed Goodwin and Dennis O'Neil, the editor of the Batman family of comics. O'Neil wanted to use Jones' art for a Batman book and had been talking to Moench, who was also a fan of Jones. Moench contacted Jones and told him about the concept he had made for an Elseworlds story in which Batman fights Count Dracula. Jones initially thought it was "the dumbest thing [he] ever heard", but changed his mind after Moench sent him the outline for it, which Jones called "out of the park wonderful."[6] The original title was Glory in Scarlet before being changed to Red Rain.[6]

Red Rain was released in December 1991.[1] It was first available as a 90-page,[6] hardcover graphic novel that retailed for US$4.95.[7] It proved popular, so DC commissioned Moench and Jones to produce a sequel.[1] Jones said that he was offered the sequel alongside another Elseworlds story, Batman/Dark Joker: The Wild. He worked on them back-to-back.[8] The sequel, Batman: Bloodstorm, was published in January 1994.[9] A third and final installment, Batman: Crimson Mist, was released in December 1998.[10] On December 19, 2007, a collected edition comprising all three books, Tales of the Multiverse: Batman - Vampire, was released.[11] A second collection of the trilogy, Elsewords: Batman Vol. 2, was released on October 5, 2016.[12]

Titles

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Batman & Dracula: Red Rain (1991)

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Batman investigates a series of murders of homeless people of Gotham City whose throats have been slashed. He discovers that a family of vampires led by Count Dracula are the culprits behind the murders. A rogue vampire, Tanya, choses to help Batman. Batman, after a vampire bite, acquires the necessary strength to stand up to Dracula's minions while still retaining his humanity. Tanya informs Batman that vampires created by Dracula are powerless against his abilities and mental powers.

Determined to destroy Dracula's minions, Batman lures them into the Batcave. Tanya and her followers distract them while Batman detonates multiple explosive charges, destroying Wayne Manor and killing the vampires. Batman then confronts Dracula and impales him on a tree. This act costs Batman his humanity as Dracula drains the last of his blood before his death. Batman tells Alfred Pennyworth that he is now immortal.

According to North American comic distributor Diamond Comic Distributors (DCD), Red Rain was the fourth most-ordered graphic novel of 1991 and the year's 17th bestselling graphic novel overall.[7]

Batman: Bloodstorm (1994)

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  • Writer: Doug Moench
  • Penciler: Kelley Jones
  • Inker: John Beatty

The Joker leads the remaining vampires of Dracula's horde. He convinces the vampires to follow his orders after pointing out their inability to think beyond their next victim since Dracula's death. Although they manage to take control of most of Gotham's major crime families, a team consisting of Batman, Catwoman (who became a werecat), Commissioner Gordon, Alfred, and their vampire hunters made up of Gotham City Police Department detectives eventually destroy the vampires. Gordon, Alfred and their team stake the former crime lords during the day while Batman and Catwoman confront the last vampires in a warehouse.

Catwoman is killed, taking a crossbow bolt for Batman, after defeating the vampire who made her what she had become. Enraged at the loss of the only person able to control his bloodlust, Batman subsequently drains the Joker of his blood. Horrified by what he has done, Batman stakes the Joker to ensure he cannot come back as a vampire. He then convinces Gordon and Alfred to stake him so that he cannot commit any further murders.

DCD estimated that Bloostorm was the fourth most-ordered and fourth bestselling graphic novel of 1994.[13] By May 1995, it was still among the top 15 most preordered graphic novels.[14]

Batman: Crimson Mist (1998)

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  • Writer: Doug Moench
  • Penciler: Kelley Jones
  • Inker: John Beatty

Gotham is in the grip of a crime wave. Alfred removes the stake from Batman in an attempt to provide Gotham with a savior once again. Driven mad by the decay of his body and his longing for blood, Batman begins draining and decapitating all of his old enemies. Two-Face and Killer Croc escape this fate and form an alliance with Gordon and Alfred to kill Batman, as both acknowledge that the man Batman once was would not wish to go on killing his opponents in this manner. Having tracked Batman to his new lair in the Batcave, Alfred lures him into the main part of the cavern, and they trigger explosives to expose Batman to the sun.

During the struggle, Two-Face and Killer Croc attempt to kill Alfred and Gordon after Batman is nearly fatally injured, but Alfred sacrifices his life to give Batman the strength needed to save Gordon. Having killed Killer Croc and Two-Face by impaling Croc on a stalagmite and sticking arrows into both sides of Two-Face's head, Batman convinces Gordon to trigger the trap, and the roof of the Batcave is destroyed. Gordon is crushed by falling rubble, and Batman walks into the sunlight, hoping that, in death, he finally finds the peace that he has been unable to find since his demonic transformation.

According to DCD, Crimson Mist was the third most-ordered and third bestselling graphic novel of November 1998, with sales estimated at 7,694 copies.[15] It also charted as the fifth most preordered graphic novel of September 2001, with estimated sales of 6,009.[16]

Reception

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The Batman & Dracula books were among the most popular Elseworlds titles.[1][17] Nerdist's Rosie Knight described the series as a cult classic.[18] Reviewing Red Rain, IGN's Hilary Goldstein found that no other Elseworlds story featuring Batman was able to top it. He praised its unexpected plot twists, Jones' art style (which he said made the story feel like "a horrible living nightmare"), and encouraged readers to buy it. Goldstein's only criticism was of the cover: although he thought the illustration of Batman crawling from a grave was superb, but noted that it took up less than a fourth of the cover. He also wrote that Bloodstorm and Crimson Mist were inferior to Red Rain; he said they were enjoyable but felt they were "clogg[ed] up" with existing Batman enemies.[19]

Goldstein and fellow IGN writer Joshua Yehl went on to rank Red Rain the sixth greatest Batman graphic novel, offering particular praise for Jones' powerful art.[20] Similarly, Screen Rant's Danijel Striga called the trilogy the eighth best DC story set in an alternate reality. He found its concept of turning Batman into a vampire simple yet clever, and described it as "tak[ing] Batman's already dark world and mak[ing] it pitch black."[17] Comic Book Resources's Brian Cronin named Red Rain the eighth best Elseworlds story.[21]

Legacy

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Since the trilogy's conclusion, Batman & Dracula's world has been explored in other DC comics.[22] Jones illustrated a story by Peter Johnson set in the trilogy's universe in Infinite Halloween Special #1 (December 2007). Titled "Red Rain: Blood Lust", it tells the story of the vampiric Batman brutally murdering Dick Grayson's parents and is narrated by the Mad Hatter.[23] In Countdown to Final Crisis (2007—2008), the series' events are described as taking place on the 43rd alternate version of Earth in the DC Comics multiverse. For this series, Johnson and Jones produced another story that features a team of superheroes traveling to Earth-43 to search for Ray Palmer. There, they encounter the trilogy's characters.[22][24]

For Convergence (2015), Len Wein and Jones produced a storyline in which Swamp Thing arrives in the world of Batman & Dracula[25] and meets the vampire Batman. The story explores the emotional cost being a vampire has on Batman,[26] depicting him as horrified of what he has become. He and Swamp Thing team up to fight destroy as many of the remaining vampires as possible and manage to kill the queen vampire; every vampire becomes human again except Batman, who cannot revert since he was bitten by Dracula. Batman and Swamp Thing watch the sunrise together and Batman expresses how beautiful he thinks it is before turning to dust.[27]

Knight and ComicsAlliance's Elle Collins both thought adapting Batman & Dracula into a film was a good idea,[18][28] with Collins listing actors she thought should play the roles of each character.[28] The vampire Batman is playable in the 2013 video game Infinite Crisis.[29] In addition, in 2017 Mondo released a statue of a vampire Batman called "Batman Red Rain". The figure depicts Batman looming over a graveyard and has an interchangeable arm holding a stake. It is not directly modeled after Jones' artwork, but rather is based on a Mondo poster by Francesco Francavilla that was inspired by Red Rain.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Manning, Matthew K.; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1980s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Written by Batman alumnus Doug Moench, and illustrated with the shadowy pencils of Kelley Jones, Red Rain chronicled the clash between Batman and the legendary Dracula. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Manning, Matthew K.; Dougall, Alastair, ed. (2014). "1980s". Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 145. ISBN 978-1465424563. When Gerry Conway parted ways with the Caped Crusader, a new regular writer was needed for both titles. That honor fell to Doug Moench. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Martin, Brian (August 2017). "Where the Action is...Weekly". Back Issue! (98). Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing: 66–67. Where all previous artists had shown the character looking exactly the same as he had in life as Boston Brand, Jones' depiction took a distinct turn at Albuquerque as his Deadman looked like a human skeleton wrapped in the familiar costume.
  4. ^ Burgas, Greg (January 7, 2013). "Comics You Should Own – Sandman". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 10, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Collins, Ellie (October 11, 2016). "Mondo's 'Batman Red Rain' Statue is Out for Blood". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Greenfield, Dan (July 23, 2015). "The Kelley Jones Interviews: Red Rain". 13th Dimension. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "1991 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops". The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  8. ^ Chudolinski, Michal (May 17, 2013). "Interview: Kelley Jones". Gotham in Rain.
  9. ^ Moench, Doug; Jones, Kelley (January 1994). Batman: Bloodstorm. DC Comics. ISBN 1563891859.
  10. ^ Moench, Doug; Jones, Kelley (December 1998). Batman: Crimson Mist. DC Comics. ISBN 1563894955.
  11. ^ "Tales of the Multiverse: Batman - Vampire". DC Comics. December 19, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  12. ^ "Elsewords: Batman Vol. 2". DC Comics. October 5, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  13. ^ "1994 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops". The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  14. ^ "May 1995 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops". The Comics Chronicles. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  15. ^ "November 1998 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops". The Comics Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  16. ^ "September 2001 Graphic Novel Sales to Comics Shops". The Comics Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Striga, Danijel (July 31, 2016). "DC Comics' 15 Best And Strangest Alternate Histories". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Knight, Rosie (August 25, 2017). "7 DC Elseworld Stories We'd Love to See on the Big Screen". Nerdist. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  19. ^ Goldstein, Hilary (June 16, 2005). "Batman & Dracula: Red Rain Review". IGN. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  20. ^ Yehl, Joshua; Goldstein, Hilary (April 9, 2014). "The 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels". IGN. p. 3. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  21. ^ Cronin, Brian (April 15, 2013). "The Greatest Elseworlds Stories Ever Told!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  22. ^ a b Johnson, Peter (January 2008). "Red Robin". Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Rain (1).
  23. ^ Johnson, Peter; Jones, Kelley (December 2007). "The 13 Stories of Halloween". Infinite Halloween Special (1). DC Comics.
  24. ^ Phillips, Dan (November 7, 2007). "Countdown: Search for Ray Palmer - Red Rain #1". IGN.
  25. ^ Schedeen, Jesse (April 23, 2015). "Convergence: Swamp Thing #1 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  26. ^ Schedeen, Jesse; Logsdon, Mike; Lake, Jeff; Hunt, Levi (May 20, 2015). "Comic Book Reviews for May 20, 2015". IGN. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  27. ^ Wein, Len; Jones, Kelley (July 2015). "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes!". Convergence: Swamp Thing (2).
  28. ^ a b Collins, Elle (October 21, 2016). "Cast Party: Who Should Star in a 'Batman & Dracula: Red Rain' Movie?". ComicsAlliance. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  29. ^ Menendez, Alex (July 24, 2013). "A Game Where You Can Play As Vampire Batman Could Be eSports' Next Hit". Kotaku. Retrieved June 29, 2018.

See also

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