There's nothing more ingrained in shared continuity super-hero storytelling than the crossover. It's been going on since the 1940s, and as Marvel's House of M and DC's upcoming Infinite Crisis attest, it's not going anywhere. But the crossover isn't limited to the world of comics. From Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein to Freddy Vs. Jason, from J.B. Fletcher's visit to Robin Masters's Hawaiian estate to hanna Barbera's Laff-a-lympics, other media have embraced the concept of the crossover over the years as well. In this comic book, creators bring together two legendary characters from fiction and myth together. The pacing is off and the premise to bring the two title characters together is a bit hard to swallow, but ultimately, the end result is a professional effort that's a good bit of fun.
King Arthur has established Camelot, a paradise of civilization for its time, and evil forces cannot abide by something so good and decent serving as a shining example to others. The Devil himself reaches out across time and space and recruits a commander to lead an assault against Camelot and Arthur. That man is Vlad the Impaler, and Lucifer grants him dark powers of vampirism and the means to travel back in time in order to wreak havoc on Arthur's world. Meanwhile, Arthur receives a vision of the Holy Grail and a mission from God to protect it from falling into the hands of evil.
Overall, the art here is pretty standard stuff. The storytelling is capable and clear, but there's no one or two moments that pack a real punch, that really make the reader sit up and take notice. Still, for a small-press effort such as this one, a clear, polished, professional style is quite satisfying. Honestly, my favorite visual element in the book was the demon dogs that serve as Lucifer's messengers. The artist manages to capture both a cuteness and a grotestque quality that's appealing.
I think the biggest mistake the writers make in this book is how long it takes to get to the point. For some reason, they dwell on Dracula's origin, and little of it has anything to do with the conflict promised in the comic's title. The king of vampires versus the warrior king of Camelot... getting more familiar with the characters really isn't important. It's clear the creators have done a fair bit of research, but authenticity really isn't the point.
Fortunately, when the story finally gets going, the book turns into a fun adventure. Dracula's encounter with Morgana and Mordred was great and it really whetted my appetite for more. Introducing a gothic element into the seemingly idyllic world of King Arthur is a great idea, and fortnuately, the creators don't seem to take it too seriously (though they don't mock the material either). 6/10
