It’s nature vs. science in the high-octane, hard-to-put-down upcoming series Operation: Iron Coffin. Out July 8th, readers and comic shops have until June 1st to get their orders in for what has to be the coolest grindhouse action horror mashup of the year. For a story with classic character Dracula as its main character, writer Kenny Porter and artist Tyrell Cannon make him ultra powerful, quite cool, and…sympathetic?
Operation: Iron Coffin #1 is an interesting blend of thrill-ride level nonstop action and a deeper story at work. The two don’t usually blend so well, yet they do here. That’s partly due to the story dropping you into a situation with Dracula being dropped on a Nazi train and doing his worst to make his way from one end of the train to the other, but there’s clearly care taken to make the story more than an action comic alone.
The vibe is Snowpiercer chaos with John Carpenter vibes and the insanity of Planet Terror. Throw in Crank for good measure, while you’re at it. The deeper story isn’t necessarily about society as a whole, but it has deeper character roots, as Dracula has some humanity somewhere in that cold, dead heart.
A big draw for readers will be the over-the-top violence, from Dracula, whose strength allows him to pop heads off with ease, slash faces off, and never break a sweat. Given his power set, the creative team sets up an ample threat on the train, though in this first issue, much of his fighting is against normal human Nazis. The monsters hidden away on the train, paired with the cliffhanger, create strong possibilities for the action and violence going forward.
Courtesy of IDW Dark.
As for Dracula, key flashbacks help establish his persona here. We’ve seen this character in many renditions over the years, and this one feels a bit more human. There’s also quite an interesting interaction with a supernatural element that further enhances the weirdness of this creative team’s approach.
Running 40 pages, this issue is extra packed with action and story. Between Cannon’s detailed art and Porter’s layered story, this book elevates Dracula to near-superhero levels of intrigue, with a redemption story to match.
Operation: Iron Coffin #1 is a ferocious, stylish debut that knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers. Kenny Porter and Tyrell Cannon fuse grindhouse action with a surprisingly thoughtful take on Dracula, creating a book that moves fast but still leaves room for character. The hook is immediate, the action is relentless, and the promise of what is lurking deeper in the train gives the series plenty of runway. If the next issues build on this foundation, this could be one of the most memorable horror comics of the year. This is pure action horror with adrenaline pumped in for good measure.
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