Superman #344
Published and © by DC, February 1980
Title: “The Monsters Among Us!”
Synopsis: Superman struggles to protect blind medium Cassandra Craft from the twin terror of Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster.
Writer (story): Len Wein
Writer (script): Paul Levitz
Penciler: Curt Swan
Inker: Frank Chiaramonte
Review: There’s a germ of a good story hiding somewhere in these pages: Superman struggles due to the magical nature of Dracula and the Frankenstein Monster, while his Kryptonian blood offers powerful promise to the legendary vampire. But that potential is undermined by unanswered questions and deus ex machina: Who are Cassandra Craft and the other supporting characters? Are these really the famous monsters of yore? Wait, Superman can create a miniature sun with a helium balloon? And the Phantom Stranger can just wave his cape and save the day? Despite its potential, this horror hodgepodge is quite a mess.
Grade: C-
Cool factor: That José Luis García-López cover is quite striking.
Not-so-cool factor: The Frankenstein Monster runs amok … to eat cake?
Collector’s note: According to the Grand Comics Database, there is a Whitman variant and a 15p British variant of this issue. … According to MyComicShop.com, there is also a Mark Jewelers variant.
Character quotable: “It has been many years since we were banished from this fair globe … but we are still prince of darkness and man’s greatest nightmare! Ha ha ha ha!” – Dracula, the proverbial prince of darkness
Editor’s note: This review was written Oct. 22, 2024.
