Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1 Review

 

Writer: James Tynion IV

Artist: Martin Simmonds

Letterer: Rus Wooton

Cover Artists: Martin Simmonds & Mark Chiarello

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $6.99

Page Count: 56

Release Date: October 29, 2025

 

When a ship arrives in port, the authorities find RM Renfield among the dead. He seems disturbed, and they don't know what happened on board. So, they place him under Dr Seward's care. Renfield causes a stir in London. But while he becomes the topic of conversation in Dr Seward’s house, another man further excites London society. How will these newcomers transform Dr Seward's life? And is Renfield a murderer, insane, or just unbalanced? Let's grab our crucifixes and garlic, leap into Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1, and see!

 

Story

As Dr Seward speaks with Mr Renfield, the twitchy solicitor tells him he has been reborn. He sees the world differently now. Like any convert, his master has shown him the way. Or, as an evangelist would proclaim from the pulpit, there is power in the blood. Confined in his cell, Renfield captures any insects he finds and devours them. But when the doctor asks about animals or humans, Renfield insists he doesn't drink their blood. Those belong to his master.

 

While Renfield's conversation and circumstances are extraordinary, Dr Seward treats him like any other patient. Others cannot restrain their fascination. In Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1, Londoners hunger for any scrap of news about the strange man. When another man capitalizes on local interest, John Harker, Dr Seward’s prospective son-in-law, invites him to entertain the members of his club. Mina, the doctor’s daughter, pilfers her father’s notes on Renfield. She shares what she learns with her companion. Like Mina’s fiancé, Lucy thrills to the mystery and romance associated with the strange solicitor.

 

James Tynion’s retelling of the 1931 film divides the point of view between each of the characters. Yet Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1 is a contest between two combatants. Renfield brags that he has become something more than Human. Yet when Dr Seward leaves, Renfield bemoans his lowly status and pleads for his master to uplift him. While the doctor employs psychiatry in Renfield's case, the doctor retreats from the society he yearns to enlighten.

 

Art

After a close-up of a fly, Renfield's insects resemble dark spots akin to freckles, moles, or melanomas. While a halo of light adorns Dr Seward's head, Renfield's face shines like a beacon. Darkness surrounds his eyes. The radiant energy inside Renfield obscures his nose and emphasizes his teeth.

 

Dr Seward discusses Renfield's case while John Harker stands before a window in his three-piece suit, holding a teacup. As Lucy and Mina sit on a couch, shadows on the wall conjure Renfield aboard the doomed ship. In John's club, all eyes turn toward Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Pressing his fingertips together to form a church roof, his round glasses glow. Below his handlebar mustache, Van Helsing's lips form a wide smile.

 

Martin Simmonds’ brushstrokes suggest the spirits Van Helsing believes in are changing the air's density. The stippling surrounding the characters enhances the Black-And-White filmic quality of Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1. People's thoughts merge with reality to conjure dreamy collages. These reveal how Dracula can assume any shape, including bats and wolves.

 

Rus Wooton fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation. The words swell for raised voices, and threaten to burst balloons when Renfield calls for his master. Words from a scientific text fill the background as Dr Seward takes notes of Renfield's raving. And after a rough night, a sound effect overtakes a panel when the occult power Dr Seward doesn't believe in invades his home. Thanks to Image Comics and Skybound for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Dr Seward believes that science can explain any mystery. But as the British doctor treats an unknown condition with scientific methods, an agent of the Catholic Church warns of the power of the occult. Like the ruined abbey next to his home, Professor Abraham Van Helsing's beliefs belong to the unenlightened past. Instead, the professor’s rising popularity threatens to usher back the dark ages of superstition in Universal Monsters: Dracula Black & White Special #1.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

 

For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.