| Title | : | Batman Dracula: Red Rain |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1563890364 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781563890369 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 90 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1991 |
| Awards | : | Harvey Awards Best Graphic Album of Original Material (1992) |
Batman Dracula: Red Rain Reviews
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I’m stunned once again by how much Batman work Doug Moench got in the ‘90s considering what a shockingly bad writer he is. Was there really no-one else capable enough - was he the best of a bad bunch?
Red Rain is the first of the Batman: Vampire trilogy Moench did with Kelley Jones. It’s an Elseworlds book (meaning it happened somewhere in the Multiverse outside of DC canon). Dracula comes to Gotham, turns some people into vampires, Batman fights the vampires and Dracula.
Jaysis the commissioning editors were lazy back then! Batman fights Dracula? Yeah why not, let’s green light everything Batman-related! Batman takes a dump? Can we make it a two-parter? He has to break out the Bat-plunger!
Red Rain should be more fun than it is but it isn’t. It’s soul-crushingly shit aka the Doug Moench Special! The story and characters are so flat and unexciting. Dracula is like the traditional Count except he’s slightly younger. You know Batman will beat Dracula and he does. The usual stake stuff. There’s no imagination or wit here. Predictable plotting, boring dialogue. It’s less than 100 pages long but it’s such a depressingly bad comic it took me several attempts to get through it.
I’m not much of a Kelley Jones fan either. His Batmobile is pitiful – it looks like a carnival bumper car. Was he going for comedy? – while his Bruce looks weirdly proportioned like we're seeing his reflection in a warped mirror. And his Alfred is awful. The poor guy looks like he’s got two golf balls stuffed in his cheeks at all times (mouth cheeks that is)!
I actually have the rest of the Vampire trilogy but after Red Rain, I don’t think I’ll put myself through the torture that will inevitably be the rest of the series. This baby’s being donated to the charity bookshop! You want to read a good Batman comic? Stay away from the ones with Doug Moench’s name on the cover! -
Batman vs. Dracula should be a fun and exciting Elseworlds. It's a natural pairing. But the way it's written is so flat and uninspiring. It's a by the numbers story. Dracula isn't any more impressive than any other nameless vampires that appear in the book. Kelly Jones draws everyone as such weird caricatures. Everyone looks as if they are standing in front of a fun house mirror. Meh. I wasn't impressed with these Doug Moench and Kelley Jones pairings in the 90's. Nothing about that was changed now.
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Batman & Dracula: Red Rain is an alternate reality story set in the Elseworlds line of DC Comics, which simply put means that this story is apart from the respective canons of the characters. It is an amalgam of Batman Gothic and Bram Stoker’s world of Dracula where Gotham is visited by the literary Count. Doug Moench came up with the concept which really seems consistent with both mythologies. In some ways, Batman and Dracula are dichotomous. They are opposites that are distinct forces: one force for good, the other force for ill. Those dichotomies are easy to make when one considers that Batman has a code which overtly states that he does not kill. He will make you poop your panties, but he will not kill. Dracula’s whole existence turns on killing, feasting on the blood of others. In order to survive Dracula MUST kill. Batman and Dracula are also analogous. Not only have they both adopted the same motif of the bat as a predator, but they work in darkness and shadow. Batman calls out to the evildoers from the shadows. He scares them and makes them paranoid. Dracula thrives in shadow as well. He materializes out of a dark mist, approaching in secrecy, flying through the night cloaked in the guise of a bat, ready to corporealize when it is time to feed. The artwork by Kelley Jones is perfect, very Gene Colan ala Tomb of Dracula. A really great Graphic Novel.
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This story has aged very well. Still one of the better Batman stories.
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A good book. I think the story and artwork favor Dracula, and horror comics. I do like a couple of reversals in the book.
Batman has based his crime fighting on the fear and supposition of criminals. What happens when he comes across the real deal.
The only reason I did not give this this stars is I would have Batman to display more of his fighting skills. The action in general did feel a bit rushed in this book, but the story made up for it. -
The art in this book is quite strong, using both gothic and post-apocalyptic imagery add atmosphere to the book. This gives the book a heaviness as well as a pulpy feel that works with the subject matter. That said, the pacing is too quick, and Dracula, in particular, feels undeveloped. Furthermore many elements of the plot are essentially a series of dues ex machinas that undermine the normal resourcefulness of Bruce Wayne character. As an Elseworld series, I know that Doug Meonch did interesting things with this premise in later returning to this setting; however, this particular version is more style than story. I would read Batman: Vampire, which compiles more of this Elseworld run, and Batman: Gothic for better takes of Batman in a 90's style gothic setting.
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Visually, very Gothic and influential; artist Kelley Jones' take on the Dark Knight is very striking that it came to define 90's Batman as he went on to do the covers of the Batman books for most of that decade. Also, Vampire Batman has become an official variant of the hero in one of the 52 worlds that comprise the DC multiverse.
In away, Batman is influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula and to have writer Moench pen his fateful encounter with the king of vampire was a great idea. Though this a great horror comic, I dare you to read this at midnight, it has an unexpected environmental theme.
A great read and one of the better Batman stories. -
This one was just okay... The Batman-Dracula dynamic should have made for a great story, but the book didn't live up to the potential for me. The art had a nice Gothic flavor, but some details were silly, like the bat-ears on the cowl being foot-long pointy things like antennae that would make it impossible to walk through a door, and the Batmobile looking like a Soapbox Derby mini or a carnival bumper car. And was Tanya the vampire dressed in a swimsuit or like a Purdue Golden Girl baton twirler for any particular reason? She looked attractive but not like a fearful creature of the dark. There were a couple of cute bits I appreciated, like the sound the gun firing made was "Bram! Bram!," but nothing Dracula and his minions did was impressive enough to drive Bruce to blow up his whole world in reaction. Batman has faced plenty of more impressive foes without wrinkling his cape.
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How do you follow up the well-received, and well-done, Gotham by Gaslight where Batman meets Jack the Ripper? With Red Rain where he faces yet another of history's killers: Dracula.
Set in a Gotham I've never seen before--there are mentions made of Oprah and Elvis, yet all the buildings look like old English castles and the Batmobile looks like a roadster out of a 60s movie--Red Rain is the story of an unseen evil in Gotham City. The homeless are turning up dead, their throats slashed. So far 4 have been reported, but Batman and Commissioner Gordon soon learn the count is actually closer to 20.
Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is having the same dream night after night. A woman comes to him, whispering to him, "real, we're real".
When Batman finally catches one of the murderers in the act, he's surprised by the strength of the woman. "Even on uppers or devil-dust, NO woman of her size should be that powerful . . . stronger than anyone I've ever faced." He chases her around a corner, into a dead end, but she's gone. The mysterious killer, and the double puncture wounds in the victims neck, lead him to begin researching vampires. The search leads him into the sewers where he finally comes face to face with the evil behind the deaths in Gotham. From beneath a pile of rotting bodies, something stirs, then climbs out of the mess. Batman is chased by vampires only to be saved by even more vampires, these "Others" working on the side of the good, sporting stake-shooters and led by the woman Bruce has been dreaming of, Tanya.
Why is it always a band of renegade vampires equipped with stake-shooting guns? And it's always the same story. I was a vampire. I got off the junk. I developed an antidote to my bloodlust, now I hunt vampires. Maybe in 1992 this wasn't such a played out idea, but 10 years later, it's been done to death.
So anyway, to make a long story (and at 96 pages, this was a long story) short, Tanya, the leader of the rebel vampires, explains to Batman how she's been coming to him every night for a month, giving him what he needs in order to prepare him for his showdown with Dracula. What she brings are increased strength and some very cool wings growing from Bruce's shoulders.
The showdown at the end was great, full of action, and even beautifully-drawn, despite Kelley Jones as artist.
In the end, underneath all the action and plot twists and the big names of the characters, perhaps there's a bigger story here. Because it's all well and good to see Batman fighting Dracula, one bat against the other, but we might stop and ask how did it happen in the first place? How did Dracula survive for so long without being noticed? As Tanya explains to Bruce, "It was never possible for him to prey, undetected, on such a vast scale--but now, in a large modern city, with "normal" blood atrocities so prevalent, so accepted, horrible death as a way of life, and with so many homeless making such easy victims . . ." So maybe it's a story warning us against our own contempt or indifference for those less fortunate. After all, if the crimes had been detected sooner--like on victim #4 instead of 20--maybe everything could have ended differently (and believe me, despite the victory in the end, things didn't go smoothly and there were many losses suffered). Maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of control. But, after all, it was only the homeless, and what difference do they REALLY make in our daily lives?
That's just a thought. More than likely, though, it was just a story about Batman meeting Dracula.
The story was well-written, thought out and brought to life. The art, however, is a different story. I've never been a big fan of Kelley Jones, even when he was doing Sandman, but there are certain times during Red Rain where his heavy-shadow style are suited to the story being told. As far as "Elseworld" stories go, this may not have been the most original idea in the world, but it was still one of the better-executed. -
I take back everything I said in my first review of this book. Batman & Dracula is awesome. Very few people know that one of the influences on Bob Kane and Bill Finger when creating Batman was Dracula. So why not have them have a fight. ....brilliant idea.
I changed my mind about Kelly Jones' art. It's very dark and gothic which is perfect for Batman.
The only thing I still don't like was the way Jones drew Dracula. He just looked like a normal dude in regular clothes. At least when Superman fought Dracula he had a cool outfit.
I have not yet read the sequels to this book, but they will be on my tbr shelf. -
This sucked donkey dick.
The story was standard vampire drivel, and many of the story elements were very predictable. The only slightly creative parts were batarangs made of silver and a scene when Batman drew an image of a cross on a wall using his own blood so that it both compelled and repulsed Dracula, causing him to be immobile (why the story didn't end right there, I don't know). Other than that one scene, however, this is a stupid version of Batman - he intentionally starts multiple fist fights with someone stronger than him and who can mentally control him after he was bitten by a vampire himself. Dumb.
Regarding the art, I think someone should call DC Comics and suggest to them that they re-make this comic book, similar to the way movies are we re-made a few decades later, because this thing definitely needs to be redrawn completely! You, whoever you are reading this review, you could draw better than Kelley Jones even if you were quadriplegic and you had to draw with a pencil in your mouth.
You would think that I comic about Dracula and batcaves and deserted scary alleyways in Gotham would be dark, but it's not! You would also think that a professional artist would know how to draw things like a car, or human anatomy, but you would be wrong in this case.
story sucks, check
artist sucks, check
inker sucks, check
colorist sucks, check
editor sucks, check
Need I say more? -
Interesting Batman/Dracula story. Not a bad story overall and the artwork had a nice gothic feel to it. I am not sure why I didn't like it more than 3 stars. Probably because the story was a little bit too simplistic but I leave that for readers to judge.
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A very interesting plot twist to the Batman story. I am not a big fan of the art used but the story is very good. Recommended
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https://youtu.be/GB-y_GiA8G0 -
BATMAN & DRACULA: RED RAIN (5/5)
“In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places. Some that have existed, or might have existed, and others that can’t, couldn’t or shouldn’t exist .The result is characters that are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow.”
Hell of an intro, right? It’s included in such tales along with the special imprint. When you see that weird star thing on the cover, you know the book is free from its main character’s continuity, free to take him/her to dazzling trips to the vast “maybe”. You see crazy things happening? Your favorite hero is dead by the end of the story? Don’t sweat it; it happened somewhere far away from here.
Pretty clever idea actually. Take a character of Batman’s magnitude, hand him over to some talented writer and give the man permission to do whatever he wants to in order to write an entertaining story. Though “Elseworlds” didn’t last more than a decade and were abandoned with the coming of the 21st century, they left a grand legacy behind. Even if the events they describe never took place.
This story in particular is probably the best of its kind. Though not the first to be published, it did come out pretty early (1991), kicking off the trend with its sheer awesomeness. As crazy and impossible as an “Elseworlds” is supposed to be, while always maintaining a touch of realism (mainly by not altering the classic characters’ nature) and never crossing the line and becoming ridiculous. Perfect balance.
The devil comes to Gotham city. Actually scratch that last, Dracula does instead; although, given the way the famous bloodsucker is portrayed here, there isn’t much of a difference between the two. So, the lord of vampires himself abandons Transylvania (or wherever the hell he lives) and decides to pay a visit to America. And what better place to start his tour than cheery old Gotham? Naturally, he does more than just sightseeing; excuse the horrible joke, I don’t know what’s wrong with me in this review.
(Come to think of it, I’m not even sure if Gotham has any sights worth-seeing, except maybe Crime Alley or that Ace Chemical plant.)
Anyway, Dracula decides he likes Gotham after all and starts spawning his family of vampires by targeting homeless people and slurping their blood. With no one from the official authorities caring enough to pay attention to the nature of the killings, our villain gets his minions in no time. And as far as the unofficial authorities are concerned, the Dark Knight investigates every single murder but gets no close to an answer; besides the obvious one which he does not want to admit.
Doug Moench writes a tale so unbelievably epic that there are really no words to describe it. How to describe the steady, overwhelming pace, the amazing script you want to read twice or the engaging mystery that piques your interest?... All that while flawlessly handling two of the greatest characters of global literature.
And let’s not forget the artist, Kelley Jones. I swear to God, this man was born to draw Batman (and keep in mind this is coming from an atheist). Dark, gothic, beautiful and unreal. Picture that, if you can. Forget today’s Batman, full of toys and wearing super soldier suits. This is Batman as he is meant to be, a true Bat-man, a terrific figure of the night, an urban legend. Also, observe the way he draws the Batmobile. You might not like it (although it matches the general artistic tone), but you just have to admit; this is the epitome of originality. Simply iconic.
If you want to get a taste of what “Elseworlds” were, look no further than here. Read this masterpiece and you’ll have learnt all you need to know. -
I have the hardcover edition, but couldn't find an adequate description on goodreads, so...
Batman & Dracula: Red Rain is a 1991 graphic novel by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones, in DC Comics' Elseworlds line of alternate reality stories. It spawned two sequels by the same creative team; Batman: Bloodstorm and Batman: Crimson Mist.
Investigating a series of murders of Gotham's homeless, the victims' throats having been slashed, Batman discovers that the murders are being committed by a family of vampires led by Dracula himself, still "alive" and well. With the aid of a rogue vampire called Tanya—who was once a member of Dracula's brood until the sight of an innocent child drove her to flee from him, creating a "blood substitute" to spare her from the cycle of death and murder—Batman, himself bitten by a vampire (Tanya herself, who seeks his aid in defeating Dracula as all Vampires created by Dracula are powerless against his abilities and mental powers), is able to acquire the strength necessary to stand against Dracula's minions while still retaining his humanity. Determined to destroy Dracula's minions, Batman lures them into the Batcave, where Tanya and her followers keeps them occupied until Batman detonates multiple explosive charges, destroying Wayne Manor and exposing the cave to sunlight, destroying all the vampires within it. Using his new bat-like wings, Batman flies to confront Dracula, eventually impaling the vampire lord on a tree that has been destroyed by lightning, but at the cost of the last of his humanity as Dracula drains the last of his blood. However, after his "will" has been read by Alfred, Batman assures his old friend that he has nothing to fear. Bruce Wayne may be gone, but the Batman, thanks to his vampiric powers, will now go on forever. -
This is one of Batman's "Elseworlds" adventures, as opposed to the "real-life" Batman adventures. As you might guess from the title, Batman meets Dracula. DC probably had to step carefully to avoid treading on Marvel's copyrights on the Dracula character, and that results in a seriously underwhelming villain. The art, heavily influenced by Bernie Wrightson (and I'm being very kind here), is interesting, but Kelly Jones has never learned to draw human beings in proper proportions: Thalidomide flipper limbs sprout off mutant musclebound torsos, and bodies twist around in knotted, impossible contortions. Doug Moench apparently never got the memo that comix grew up, so he continues to write florid, overwrought funny book prose. One character even throws his head to the sky and bellows, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" The balloon-breasted heroine, for no good reason, wears a skintight one-piece and thigh-highs. Nothing about this book elevates it from geeky juvenilia.
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This alternative storyline to the Batman franchise was surprisingly interesting. "Red Rain" tells the story of how Batman must face off against Dracula and the overwhelming influx of vampires invading Gotham City. While the dialogue is a bit dated, the story that unfolds is engaging, gory, and even sensual. Dracula is indeed a foe that challenges Batman, and there are interesting parallels between the two that the comic touches upon rather nicely. Certainly when Batman finds himself infected and turned into a vampire - that ups the ante for both the action and the engaging premise.
"Red Rain" is the first book in a three part series. I felt immersed enough within the scheme of events to want to keep reading more of the series. For now, taken as a stand alone story, I liked the progression and the artwork as well.
Overall score: 3.5/5 -
Boy, Batman and Dracula, one would think it was a match made in, um, well, heaven. BUT, turns out it is just an average read.
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The title says it all; Batman takes on the biggest baddie bloodsucker, Dracula. In this elseworlds story Gotham is being struck by a new serial killer and their signature is leaving their victims throats slashed. There’s enough cases to get the attention of the Dark Knight and he puts his detective cap on (it’s actually always on). It all leads to the inevitable as Batman thinks he found the killer hovering over a victim seeming to be biting at their neck. He underestimates the killer and is out matched by their incredible strength and speed. This surely wasn’t a normal person, no, Batman just fought his first vampire. He survives the encounter however he comes out of the fight different. He feels stronger and can’t seem to sleep at night. You can probably guess what’s happening to him. It all leads to him coming fang to fang with the big daddy of the vampires, Dracula. He only barely escapes their first encounter as he’s saved by a group of vampires who are trying to stop Dracula, cause you know “not all vampires are bad.” Together they must make sure Dracula doesn’t succeed in overtaking Gotham and making it his domain. They must stop him before the red rain floods the streets.
Written by Doug Moench, who is no stranger to writing Batman, he gives us his usual dark vibes for the character. In this case for very obvious reasons. I found Moench brought this fun idea to the page fairly well, with my only gripes being that some of the plot points felt cliche. There’s also just nothing in this story that really shocked or wowed me too much. I mean it’s really cool to see these two kinds of worlds mix together, but a lot feels predictable and just seems to take us from point A to Z. I think Moench wrote this as well as any other writer could’ve, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting more.
The true shine in this book (or in this case, darkness) is the artwork by Kelley Jones. Probably most known for his 90s covers of the Dark Knight himself, his style is very dark and abnormal. Making him a perfect fit to add the horror elements to the story. His character designs in this one are remarkably terrifying and left me with chills down my spine. His design for Dracula’s bat hybrid form, alone, was straight up nightmare fuel. Nothing is over the top gore wise, but it’s just enough to give you an eerie feeling and in hopes to never see anything like this in real life. It’s truly some great spooky stuff.
Overall; The story, although not bad, feels like it could’ve been better. The artwork however is stunning, and alone should be the reason you check this read out. -
i liked the art but the story kinda dragged 😵💫
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Batman and Dracula fighting eachother mid-air, that's peak literature if you ask me
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Una de las mejores historias de Batman que he leído. Me encanta el ambiente que le imprime Kelley Jones con su arte. Batman contra Drácula... ¿Hace falta decir más? Mucha sangre y mucho horror corporal en este cómic. Recuerdo que cuando lo compré, la señora que atendía me dijo que no era bueno que un niño leyera algo así... tengo la teoría de que pensó que era un libro de magia negra, debido a la contraportada que mostraba una calavera con una vela derretida encima. ; )
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Usually, this type of crossovers come up extremely cheesy and lame. This one, fortunately, does not. Sure, it has it's cliché moments as expected (and the all-time-classic lame woman costumes that cover nothing, but...90s) but the story makes up for a fun read and the art is beautiful with some exceptional one-pagers. The Jones brothers really captured the essence of the image you have in your head when you think batman being a vamp. Check it out, it's better than some "top-25" bats stories out there, by far.
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Batman is a vampire, or rather, becomes the next Dracula.
The caption :Vampires are real...but not all are evil;
Captures Batman perfectly.
This book breaks tradition, it being an Elseworld publication (amazing series, really, they take characters and put them into new places, settings or times ... like imagine bringing Superman in the time of the dinosaurs that kind of thing).
So this books takes Dracula, from Europe, to Gotham City.
He prays on the many homeless people, that many Gothamians hate (one rich person called them lazy lots!) and with them as an army (Dracula bites em' all, including destitute women), they are on the verge to take Gotham into Dracula's 'care'.
What's awesome and crazy is that Batman dies, destroys his manor to capture and kill all the vampire followers, loses his romantic interest - a good vampire who does not suck human blood but on animals and plasma - and that he himself GROWS BAT WINGS. He becomes the next Dracula, you'll see his fangs.
Even though Bruce Wayne is over, The Batman still lives (in the shadows!).
Good meaningful read. Nice plot twists, and imaginative characterization. -
As an Elseworlds' story, I'm aware of the fact that certain liberties will be taken creatively in interpreting well known and loved characters. Having said that and having read other Elseworlds stories, I found this one less of a page turner and more of an exercise in tedium. This probably would have done better (in my opinion) as a single or double-issue one-shot as opposed to nearly 100 pages. I know it's pretty critical and having said that, I would counter with the truly unique and horrific art style in the book. Glorious looking stuff reminiscent of horror and crime comics of the Golden Age.
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Batman has always been my favorite super hero. I think part of that is because he doesn't have super powers like most other super heroes and his to use his brains and his own strength and determination. But his dark gothic nature has also always appealed to me as well. I also enjoy vampire stories a lot. In spite of this, I had never considered what if Batman fought a vampire --- what if he fought THE Vampire, Dracula?
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This was my first time reading this book since my teens, well over a decade ago. I definitely appreciate the story more now then I did the first time around. A very bleak and dark story--even for Batman. Moench and Jones present a very compelling gothic horror story.
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Where it all begins..
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This is a thought provoking, different take on Batman, that I really appreciated and enjoyed. the art is dark and impressive at the same time. the story is really one for batman fans to read.
