Scout Comics 2020
Written by Matteo Strukul
Illustrated by Andrea Mutti
Coloured by Vladimir Popov
Lettered by Joel Rodriguez
As Vlad prepares for the final battle with his brother Radu, Vlad finds himself barricaded and trapped within his own fortress in the Carpathians and everything seems to be lost. Wallachia and Transylvania are now on their knees and there is no place for escape or shelter for Vlad. His only lifeline is Katharina, his one true love, but a final act of treachery could become fatal for the Impaler.
I sincerely hope that this is just the opening salvo in what will be a series of arcs to come. Having the chance to see Vlad be the most feared ruler around, so much so that those who are supposedly his allies refuse to help and claim support in his efforts to defeat the Ottoman Empire and bring Christianity to the Heathens. The betrayal from all sides including his brother really sets the stage for what I would consider the next stage of Vlad’s existence. I have no idea if there are plans to take him to becoming Dracula, though he does refer to himself as such, but in all honesty I really want to see what happens to him next.
The way that this is being told is beyond what we have come to expect in currently storytelling. The way that this is structured and how we see the layers within the story revealing themselves while simultaneously bringing things to a close as well leaving threads for things yet to come. The story & plot development that we see moving ever forward through how we see the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented beautifully. The character development is absolutely stunning. It feels very much like we are seeing a part of the past and history as it was, if that were possible. The pacing we see is superb and as it takes us through the pages revealing the events that we see it’s easy to see how well everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow.
I am completely gobsmacked by this whole book. The writing, the layers within the story and how we see a version of historical fiction unfold as if it were actual history is simply stunning to see in these pages. Scout is delivering time and time again some of the most amazing storytelling you’re going to see in comics.
The interiors here are bloody gorgeous. Andrea is one of my favourite artists working today as is his ability to create and utilise the linework and it’s varying weights and techniques to bring about such amazing detail work. I mean the imagery that we see is an important feature in showcase the brutality Vlad was infamous for. So that we see the backgrounds utilised in such a fashion to highlight this is brilliantly rendered. The emotions and feelings this work evokes enhances the story tenfold, just as it should. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels shows a mastery for storytelling. The colour work is amazing to see. How the colours are applied through the techniques and how they utilise the hues and tones to create the shading, highlights and shadow work. The mood, tone and feel of the work we see is some of the most amazing out there.
Vlad Dracul was a real person and he was a ruthless butcher according to all the history books. He didn’t have an easy life as he was sent as a child to the Ottoman Empire by his father to save their kingdom. This is a brutal look into the man known as Vlad the Impaler and I have to say I couldn’t have asked for anything more from this book than what we got. I sincerely hope there’s more story to be told.