Death Ship
Book Review: Bram Stoker’s | Death Ship | Dracula’s Voyage to England
Written By: Gary Gerani
Art By: Stuart Sayger
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is easily my favorite movie so when I saw this graphic novel in the thrift store for ¼ what it would normally cost I considered it a sign. I read the whole book while waiting in the car for my daughter a little while after purchasing it. A sex scene on the first page [sex sells] and the effortless flow of the story both as a spin off from Bram’s Dracula and as a standalone story is most likely the reason.
Death Ship is a semi-detailed account of the Demeter’s journey from Varna [Near the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast] to Whitby, England, a trip that only ended well for Dracula and his 6 crates of native soil. Within the pages of Death Ship all 24 lives were lost to the undead cargo stored bellow. More importantly, all souls were tested and tormented, making Death Ship a bit more spiritual than other tails of horror.
Finding peace with G_d was a common thread that connected the Demeter’s crew to each other and with their killer. Dracula, based on the life of Transylvanian Price Vladimir Tepes and his fall from grace while defending his country against Islamic invasion is also a tale of coming to grips with the strained relationship between G_d and man. The Demeter, a symbol of constraint amidst the vast freedom of the open ocean looks to me to be a metaphor for Religion. An illustration of free will and it’s ominous shadow; consequence, the judgments that befalls us when we stray. Faith in G_d is a rule of Christendom. No man aboard Death Ship died without first questioning his faith and in the end doubting his sanity.
The art, though the images were more reminiscent of classical art than cartoons, was still overpowered by the story. This I would consider to be a good thing. There is a gallery at the end of the book showcasing the immaculate work of the cover artist Cliff Nielsen and a little movie trivia about the many versions of Dracula and how and/or if the Demeter scene made the final cut.
Death Ship is a welcomed addition to my library, not so much because it is the type of story that needs to be reread periodically but because I consider this entire composition of research, layout, writing and moral of this story a valuable reference to have on hand while working on the Blacksun Bloodmoon project.
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Tags: books, Death Ship, Mister Gary Gerani
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