It's a battle of monsters that is a Universal theme, but here is the tale of the first battle of the creation of Frankenstein and the lord of the vampires, Dracula...
...brought to you as only the mighty Marvel could at the time!
The Fury Of A Fiend!
There was a bit of a set up for this, in
Frankenstein #7 (November, 1973, by
Gary Friedrich,
John Buscema and
John Verpoorten, with
Frank Giacoia). The Monster, in the later 1800s, fell in with a group of gypsies, falling for the beautiful Carmen Burnemissa. Working with her grandmother, Madame Marguerita, the Monster went along with them, heading to Transylvania in the Monster's pursuit of the last surviving Frankenstein (as the Monster wanted to end his creator's bloodline).
Secretly, Marguerita was a vampire, feasting on the village....and bringing down their wrath on the gypsy caravan. The Madame led the monster to a cave, where she said the last Frankenstein lay dead....but, after the monster cleared the boulder blocking the cave, they found her true goal....the undead body of Dracula!
My Name Is...Dracula--
Here, the battle has truly begun, in
Frankenstein #8 (January, 1974, by
Gary Friedrich,
John Buscema and
John Verpoorten, with
Buscema inking his own cover). The Monster, enraged by the trickery of the Madame, ends up fighting Dracula (surprised by the monster's strength, and still weak from his own resurrection). The sounds of the battle drew Carmen to the cave, where threatened by her own grandmother, the monster slew the madame, revealing to her granddaughter that she was a vampire.
The battle ended as Dracula disappeared in the melee, with the monster and Carmen discovering that the villagers had slain all the gypsies. Furious, the monster left to attack the village, leaving an unconscious Carmen behind. Meanwhile, Dracula searched the village for sustenance, but the villagers were prepared to ward off his attacks. So, wandering the countryside, Dracula found the unconscious Carmen, and fed. The monster set upon the village, who were also ready for him, and bound him to a lamppost, building a fire around him to end the monster.
The Vampire Killers!
The battle ends in
Frankenstein #9 (March, 1974, by
Gary Friedrich,
John Buscema and
John Verpoorten, with cover inks by
Tom Palmer). The monster is able to escape fiery death as the villagers rush to face Dracula, who was attempting to feed on another female victim. The villagers rally against Dracula, but fail, as the count goes to secure a new coffin for his cave. The monster lets the villagers know he will end Dracula, and that they should not attack him. Back at the cave, the monster encounters the now vampiric Carmen, who attempts to feed on the monster, paralyzing his vocal cords.
Overcome with grief, the monster ends Carmen's undead experience. Dracula is angered the monster would end one of his brides, and fights with the monster, with the monster successfully defeating Dracula (for now). Even better, at the end, the monster comes into contact with the last surviving Frankenstein (Vincent)....but that is a story for another time.
