DRACULA'S BRUNCH CLUB

If there’s one thing that can bridge the human/undead divide, it’s donuts.

Upon returning from a successful “worldwide jelly donut tour,” Count Dracula, vampire and world-class baker, is outraged to learn that his human-inclusive brunch club has been overtaken by the towering, glowering vampire Constantine, who’s banned people. Worse, Dracula’s entire store of “the crimson-red, blood orange jelly all vampires crave” has been raided. Local farmers have no blood oranges—a blight has destroyed the crops. This proves disastrous even as Dracula tries to regain his brunch-hosting ground—kale is no substitute for delicious, energizing fruit jelly. The shortage also jeopardizes his standing with his crush, the human Elena, since he’s promised to donate a year’s supply of jelly donuts to her charity auction to help sick children. Something must be done—and it might just involve blood. After all, Count Dracula is a vampire. This book will greatly appeal to young readers looking for comics with a little edge: The gore is mild and cartoon-silly, and there are plenty of jokes to lighten the mood. The story moves at a measured pace, and the fun, kid-friendly artwork adds depth to the narrative. Gaybba’s color palette predominantly contains cool, moody tones that make the occasional spots of red—mostly jelly and blood—pop. Human and vampire characters have skin in varying shades of blue and purple.

A friendly, funny vampire story with a little bit of bite.