panelology.info - More Fun with Comic Book Studies and Research

Applied Panelology #1
(DEC 2009)
(DE-)CONSTRUCTING THE COMIC BOOK COLLECTOR'S MARKET
COLLECTING COMICS INSIDE (AND OUTSIDE)
A SPECULATOR'S MARKET

Applied Panelology #2
(DEC 2009)
INTO THE TOMB OF DRACULA
THE ROOTS AND PARADIGMS OF MARVEL'S
MOST SUCCESSFUL HORROR COMIC BOOK TITLE

Applied Panelology #3
(JAN 2010)
THE TOMB OF DRACULA
ISSUE BY ISSUE SYNOPSIS AND CRITICAL GUIDE TO MARVEL'S MOST SUCCESSFUL HORROR COMIC BOOK TITLE

Applied Panelology #4
(JAN 2010)
MARVEL'S MONSTER MASH
MARVEL'S BRONZE AGE STRUGGLE WITH THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER

Some comic books are so well made that you'll remember the story and the art for years, if not forever, and re-reading them will only add to the entertainment pleasure to be found in those pages. It's the stuff that comic book nostalgia and comic book fascination are both made of.

Tomb of Dracula #26 is precisely such a comic book. As Marvel's most popular and successful ongoing horror title of the 1970s, Tomb of Dracula weaved an ongoing saga plotting the lord of vampires against a group of vampire hunters which was vividly brought to life by Marv Wolfman's gripping storytelling, Gene Colan's dramatic pencils, and Tom Palmer's atmospheric inks. The artistic outcome of this teamwork made Tomb of Dracula Marvel's outstanding contribution to the genre with 70 issues published from April 1972 through to August 1979.

Issue #26 is an exceptionally entertaining comic book, and taking a closer look reveals a surprisingly multifaceted approach by the creative team involved as well as insights into what exactly went into the overall fabric which made the series what it is by today's perception: a comic book title which shaped and influenced comic book history in many ways.

So roll up your favourite easy chair in front of your monitor, sit back and read all about the mysterious artefact called the chimera, how Dracula employs every possible contraption to gain possession of it, and how the vampire count ends up trapped in a situation surely even he cannot escape - and why and how Marv Wolfman delves deep into Greek mythology and Talmudic admonitions, and why Gene Colan was completely at ease when making it all come to life through his artwork.

And oh, just in case - don't forget to hang up your garlic and check your wooden stakes... .

Adrian Wymann

read all about it...

Any feedback you may have is always welcome.

PREVIOUSLY FEATURED

Applied Panelology #9
(JUNE 2010)
"BRING ON THE BAD GUY"
THE DAY STAN LEE MET FREDRIC WERTHAM - IN THE PAGES OF SUSPENSE #29

Applied Panelology #8
(APR 2010)
"HE WAS A PSYCHIATRIST, SO PEOPLE LISTENED"
FREDRIC WERTHAM'S PSYCHOPATHOLOGY OF COMIC BOOKS - LEADING THE ANTI-COMICS MOVEMENT OF THE LATE 1940s

Applied Panelology #7
(MAR 2010)
STORING COMIC BOOKS
PRACTICAL ADVICE ON SAFE AND SENSIBLE STORAGE

Applied Panelology #6
(MAR 2010)
SUPERHEROES FROM THE CRYPT
MARVEL'S BRONZE AGE WORLD OF HORROR

Panelology Reviews #1
(FEB 2010)
GRAILPAGES
STEVEN ALAN PAYNE (2009)

Applied Panelology #5
(JAN 2010)
MARVEL UK
THE MIGHTY WORLD OF BRITISH BRONZE AGE MARVEL

panelology.info - it's all about having fun with serious comic book studies

Panelology is a hybrid term coined by Dr Jerry G. Bails (1933 - 2006) in the 1960s, incorporating the English noun "panel" (as one of the most salient outward feature of comics) and the Greek suffix "-logia" (meaning "the study of").

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Site launched 13 November 2009