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Annihilation 2099 continues to bring more depth to the 2099 Marvel Universe! After crash landing on the planet Mightus, Dracula 2099 and his Captain’s find themselves tortured and experimented on by corrupt leaders. In his weakened state Dracula must find the energy needed to escape before his Captain’s die of starvation!
- Written by Steve Orlando
- Art by Dale Eaglesham
- Colors by Raul Angulo
- Letters by VC’s Corey Petit
- Published by MARVEL Entertainment
Dracula 2099 on Mightus
When we last saw Dracula in issue #1 of Annihilation 2099, his coffin had been intercepted by space scavengers. Dracula unleashed his power and vengeance on the crew, turning them into his Captain’s and in the process crashing their ship into the nearby planet. Now, on the planet Mightus, the shipwreck has been hauled into the city and is being deconstructed for parts and examination. The local government is keen on discovering a way for them to space travel, and they’ll go to any means to figure it out. This includes torture and experimentation on “Aliens”.
The Wrath of Dracula 2099
Dracula 2099 lives, but in a weakened state, doing all he can to examine the his surroundings. He looks into the minds of his captors and gains knowledge of their home and their language. Once he senses that his Captains are in the same predicament as he, he becomes hostile towards the scientists. He also senses another creature of the night being held below. It’s something BIG, something DARK, and something POWERFUL.
When he finally puts everything together he realizes that the corrupt rulers of this world are using everyone here to further their own greedy, selfish goals. It takes a true “Hail Mary” plan for Dracula to escape and bring his wrath down upon the people and rulers of Mightus. He takes the throne for himself, turning everyone into vampires and creating an army of his own.
Steve Orlando Brings Dracula to Power!
Honestly, I forget how powerful Dracula is all of the time. In one and half issues, Steve Orlando has quickly reminded me that this being is not one to underestimate. He’s shifted into various forms, easily handled strong foes, and has quickly become the apex predator of his new planet. Not only that, he is a brilliant strategist and tactician. The way he quickly examines his surroundings and quietly peeked into the minds of his captures for information was brilliant. His last ditch effort to free himself and his Captains was brilliant and fun. I’m kind of ashamed of myself that I didn’t realize what he was doing the whole time.
What made the whole story, and the character of Dracula 2099 more layered was the inclusion of a corrupt and oppressive type of government. The 3 rulers of this world had convinced everyone that everything they did was for the pride and achievement of the people through the “Core Mandate”. However, they were all really just part of the machine used to bring money and power to the people in charge. To see Dracula try to reason with them and explain how he would die for his people was a great addition to what most would just call a monster.
The Art and Color of Annihilation 2099
Dale Eaglesham was tasked with bringing horror to the reaches of space and definitely achieved that goal. Even the world of Mightus was a excellently designed setting for a Techno, Gothic Horror story. The Trinelance reminded me so much of Barad-dur, but looming over a space colony. The people have purple skin, but often their faces are covered in what I believe is an attempt to remove a bit of their “humanity”. The 3 rulers however are adorned in gold and beautiful robes to drive home the fact that there is a huge discrepancy in the way they live.
Everything in this world feels so dark and cold, which is all thanks to the color work of Raul Angulo. It’s actually extremely rare to see Dracula stand out as a warm figure in contrast to a cold environment. In fact, he seems the most “human” out of everyone here. I’d like to believe that that was done on purpose. Is he a monster capable of great death and pestilence? Yes. Is he also a loyal and caring ruler to his subjects? Also yes. With that being said, on this world, the later of things would make him stand out.
Everything Points to 8.5/10
This issue of Annihilation 2099 brought a lot of depth to Dracula 2099 and set up something that could be much bigger going forward. His character development was handled really well and the angle of the societal issues was a great tool for that. To see Dracula in a tough spot in which he had to use strategy was also fun and engaging. The artwork did a fantastic job or merging a futuristic space environment with elements of horror. Eaglesham’s work on Dracula in his emaciated form was gruesome and cool. I’m not sure where the story goes from here, but I’m definitely invested!
