Dracula: Vlad the Impaler #1 (Topps Comics 1993)

Dracula: Vlad the Impaler #1 (Topps Comics, 1993) delivers a complete 32-page historical origin story, packaged with a protective polybag and three bonus trading cards.

Technical Specifications

• Writer: Roy Thomas
• Interior Artist & Cover Illustrator: Esteban Maroto
• Format: 32 pages, full color
• Packaging Contents: Single comic issue, clear polybag, three trading cards
• Original Cover Price: $2.95

Narrative Focus

Launched under the “I Am Dracula” banner, this inaugural issue redirects attention from Gothic vampire folklore to the documented timeline of Vlad Tepes in medieval Wallachia. The script follows the young lord through Balkan court politics, shifting alliances, and early military engagements, detailing the calculated brutality that ultimately earns him the title Vlad the Impaler.

Maroto’s visual approach prioritizes period-faithful architecture, armor design, and battlefield geography, giving historians of comic books a verifiable reference point for how 1990s publishers adapted European medieval history. Because the story concludes here, buyers receive the entire introductory arc without needing supplementary reading orders. The attached polybag and untrimmed trading card pack keep the item in factory-original condition, which streamlines storage and maintains consistent grading standards for shelf displays or archival portfolios.