I first became aware of the animosity between Dracula and the Wolfman after watching Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Since witnessing that movie back in the day, I have always expected werewolves and vampires to be natural enemies. I'm in fact stunned when in fiction werewolves and vampires are portrayed as allies, or when werewolves serve a vampire master. To be sure, there are some examples of these scenarios to be found in various media, but one must look hard.

Subsequent viewings of the comedy/horror epic have led to better comprehension. It wasn't the monster that despised Dracula. It was the man. Larry Talbot, portrayed by the far too underrated Lon Chaney Jr., wanted to destroy Dracula. That desire informed the wolf in the man.

Steve Niles' Dracula Meets the Wolf Man is simpler than the story that fuels the horror/comedy. In Niles' story, man loves girl. Dracula is hungry. Well-meaning parents send girl to meet a Count. Their hope for a better life for their daughter ends tragically, and revenge takes the form of a wolf.

Larry Talbot's thirst to destroy Dracula was borne out of altruism. He simply believed that the world wouldn't last long if Dracula succeeded in making the Frankenstein's monster his slave, which is why Dracula sought out the simple but controllable brain of Tubby, played by Costello. The werewolf Nicolai, on the other hand, duels against Dracula for personal reasons.

Neither motivation is better than the other, but there's a certain kind of poetry in Niles' motive for Nicolai that gives the conclusion, which would otherwise seem tagged on, its strength.

I've previously spoken highly of Black Coat artist Francesco Francavilla. His sepia washes are particularly potent in this clash between classics, and they recall the look and feel of old celluloid.

Francavilla captures the innocence of doomed love. He illustrates ferocious attacks from both parties that while stalemating never seem monotonous. Francavilla is at home in period Hammer pieces and modern-day settings. His art also gels with the general style of Frank Frazetta, whose masterpieces of fantasy art inspired the book's publication.

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