CULT OF DRACULA #4 – An Honest Review

In CULT OF DRACULA #4, available from Source Point Press on June 30th, 2021, Dracula’s biblical origins are revealed, and Lucy’s first hunt as a vampire takes a surprising turn.

The Details

• Written By: Rich Davis
• Art By: Puis Calzada
• Colors By: Trevor Richardson
• Letters By: Dave Lentz
• Cover Art By: Gyula Nemeth (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: June 30th, 2021

Was It Good?

Yes, it was bloody good (pun intended).

We here at Comical Opinions are big horror fans, so we jump on any chance to review horror comics that aren’t afraid to pull punches. When you throw biblical connections into the mix, so much the better.

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Davis’s story, which ties the demonic leader of the cult to a biblical character, gives the scope of the story a strong sense of age and weight. The present-day setting feels like the latest chapter in a very ancient story. That gives the existence of the cult more importance and makes it feel more epic, bigger.

The art is solid, and it gets bloodier and gorier with each issue. In this issue, the first turning is not for weak stomachs. And there’s just so… much… vomiting. This issue is right up your alley if you’re a gorehound.

See for yourself in our CULT OF DRACULA #4 preview.

To be fair, there’s not a lot of movement on the main plot with the detective from issue #1. However, you get plenty of backstory on the origins of the cult and several blanks are filled in from the night of the massacre, so this is a very satisfying entry in the series.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a flashback to two naked women living in a cave. One is sleeping on the floor, the other is conjuring a brew in a cauldron.

A host of angels arrive demanding the conjuring witch come back to ask for forgiveness from Adam. The conjurer is Lilith (Adam’s first wife), and the woman sleeping on the floor is Eve, who has come to Lilith for refuge.

Despite the angel’s demands, Lilith refuses to submit and is cursed for all eternity. Eve chooses to return with the angels for fear of being cursed.

In the dark of night, Satan arrives to offer Lilith the power to exact pain and torment on those who cursed her if he would accept her blood offering… in the form of a dead fetus. Yeah, they went there.

Lilith ultimately feeds to seal her allegiance to Satan, and she turns into the vampiric monster plaguing humanity since the dawn of time.

cut to the night of the massacre. Renfield, anguished over Mother’s refusal to grant him immortality, kills some of the cult members. While he does his unholy work, the three brides enter the sanctuary and feed on every living member. When a young mother makes a run for it, she’s cut down before she makes it more than a few paces outside, smothering the child she’s carrying as her body falls to the ground.

Although it’s a small part of the massacre, the young mother’s death exactly ties back to an observation made by the detective in the first issue. This is a nice example of maintaining continuity and paying attention to the datils.

Harker and Van Helsing hear crying from the nursery and move to investigate. They find nearly all the children have been slaughtered, and Lucy is crouched in the corner, trembling. Harker assumes Lucy is in trouble, but he’s soon proven very wrong.

We conclude with a fight between Lucy and Harker and Van Helsing that has a surprising ending.

How Does It End?

Nobody wants to argue about a positive result. The three brides are not happy about what they find. “May we feed you now?”

Final Thoughts

CULT OF DRACULA #4 ups the epic scale and history of the cult to biblical proportions. The art is gloomy and gory, and the writing fills in plenty of blanks to answer open questions in a satisfying way.

Score: 8/10