DC; October-November 1975
Cover uncredited

Title: “Valley in the Shadow of Death!”
Synopsis: Satanic sorcery. Grendel. One of the Lost Tribes of Israel. And the origin of Dracula. Beowulf has his hands full.

Writer: Michael Uslan
Artist: Ricardo Villamonte

Review: The original Beowulf story was a mix of ancient Norse elements and Anglo-Saxon Christian themes. Writer Michael Uslan’s 1975 reimagining of Beowulf for DC Comics stays true to this mashup tradition, while adding Dracula, as well. Against the backdrop of Robert E. Howard’s Conan – and the popularity of Marvel’s adaptations of that material – this story is both an obvious product of its time and a bit of a mess. Ricardo Villamonte’s art is likewise a mixed bag; there are some striking panels but the Peruvian artist’s work often lacks the dynamism necessary for a top shelf barbarian book.

Grade: C-

Cool factor: Ooooh, might this story be a forerunner to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen?
Not-so-cool factor: Umm. No. No, it is not.

Character quotable: “Dracula will be the first of the undead! As I am, the prince of darkness, he will be the count of a race of human vampires that will walk the Earth for all eternity!” – Satan, naming his heir

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