Still reeling from his clash with Taboo, Jack Russell journeys to Transylvania with his new companion, the sorceress Topaz. Despite Topaz gaining a level of control over Jack’s Werewolf side, he seeks a cure for his curse. But the vampire Dracula is also about to make his return to his home turf to stock up on fresh coffins of soil after a run-in with Blade…
SCROLL DOWN to the bottom for the KEY COLLECTED EDITIONS for this event!
Crossover: This is a standard two-part crossover.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- ISLAND OF THE DAMNED (1972) – Jack learns of Russoff family castle
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Tomb of Dracula #18
- ✔ Werewolf by Night #15
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| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Tomb of Dracula #18 Two days after they set off from America, Jack Russell and Topaz arrive in Transylvania. Dracula also returns to his homeland for the first time in three years. After Jack becomes the Werewolf and kills a thug in a bar, Dracula comes to design Topaz’ blood. Her subtle magic drives Dracula away. The next night, Jack and Topaz’ search takes them from Russoff Manor to Castle Dracula. The Lord of Vampires swoops in and takes Topaz. The full moon transforms Jack into the Werewolf. He pursues Dracula, but is overpowered. Dracula prepares to drain his blood. In Paris, Quincy Harker finds the defeated Blade and prepares to stake him before he can become a vampire after his fight with Dracula… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Werewolf by Night #15 The Werewolf breaks free of Dracula’s hold, giving Topaz the chance to mentally persuade the him to flee. The next day, Jack reads his father’s diary and learns how, in 1795, his great-great-great grandfather Baron Grigory Russoff put a stake through Dracula’s heart for killing his wife. Russoff freed a prisoner from the castle who turned out to be a werewolf. She attacked Russoff, giving him the werewolf’s curse. Dracula somehow finds out Jack Russell has found the diary which is actually the ‘Second Book of Sins’, and is more powerful than the Darkhold. Topaz strains to give Jack control of the Werewolf when he transforms, giving him an edge against Dracula. He breaks off the fight to try and claim the diary from Topaz. But vampire-hunters Rachel van Helsing and Frank Drake have followed Dracula to Transylvania. They save Topaz and Rachel takes the book from her. As she escapes via helicopter, Topaz and the Werewolf can only watch as Dracula gives chase… |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Tomb of Dracula #19 (1974) Rachel van Helsing’s helicopter crashes in the snowy Transylvaian Alps, so she and Dracula have to rely on each other; Dracula leaves the Second Book of Sins/Russoff’s Diary in the snow; presumably taking place nights earlier, Blade stops Quincy Harker from driving a stake through him and explains he’s immune to vampire bites. | |
| Werewolf by Night #16-17 (1974) Jack Russell and Topaz’ journey home is interrupted in Paris where the Werewolf clashes with the Hunchback of Notre Dame; Jack and Topaz go their separate ways to avoid burning out Topaz powers and to keep her out of danger. | ||
| Werewolf by Night #19 (1974) The Werewolf clashes with vampires again. | ||
| ✔ | Giant-Size Werewolf #3 (1975) Jack Russell returns to Transylvania to answer a call for help from Topaz; Jack meets his paternal grandmother; Topaz partners up with Jack Russell again. | |
| Tomb of Dracula #62-64 (1978) Having returned to Transylvania, Topaz summons Dracula to solve the mystery of what lies beneath Satan’s Hill; they find a gate to Hell; Topaz clashes with Satan (Mephisto) while Dracula escapes to the land of the living, only to find he’s become human again. | ||
| ✔ | Doctor Strange #60-62 (1983) The Darkhold is used by Doctor Strange to end the threat of the vampires, including Dracula himself. | THE MONTESI FORMULA |
| ✔ | Doctor Strange #75 (1986) A flashback reveals how the death of Mephisto at the hands of Franklin Richards upset the balance of power in Hell; with Mephisto dead, Topaz was able to escape Hell; Topaz is restored to human form by Doctor Strange. | |
| ✔ | Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #9 (1989) It’s revealed that the Second Book of Sins was recovered from Transylvania by Morgan le Fey; the book was taken from her by Magnus and somehow ended up in the hands of Modred the Mystic; it’s possible, though, that the book that passed between them all is in fact the Aelfric Darkhold, rather than Russoff’s diary. | |
| Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme #15-18 (1990) Topaz assists Doctor Strange in trying to prevent the return of the vampires when Marie Laveau uses the Darkhold to restore them. | ||
| Franken-Castle #21 (2010) Werewolf by Night next clashes with Dracula, this time as a member of the Legion of Monsters and with help from the Punisher. |
See how this story fits into the wider Marvel Universe continuity with these reading orders:
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Avengers/Doctor Strange: Rise of the Darkhold | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Tomb of Dracula vol.2 | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Marvel Masterworks: Werewolf by Night vol.2 | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Tomb of Dracula Omnibus vol.2 | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Tomb of Dracula: The Complete Collection vol.2 | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Werewolf by Night: In The Blood | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Werewolf by Night Omnibus | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
| Werewolf by Night: The Complete Collection vol.1 | Tomb of Dracula #18 Werewolf by Night #15 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
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