The Curse of Monte Cristo: A Reimagining of the Novel by Alexandre Dumas

Dumas’s vengeance-driven 1840s drama has appeared many times in graphic novel form, from Classics Illustrated–type versions to Ayize Jama-Everett’s futuristic The Last Count of Monte Cristo. This stunning new version written by Dabel (cofounder of the comics and graphic novel publisher Dabel Brothers Productions), who was inspired by the Haitian heritage he shared with Dumas, and Holder (Depths of Savages) fits the plot and characters within the historical transition from the rule of Saint-Domingue by racist, white colonizers to an independent, Black-controlled Haiti. Hero Edmond Dantès escapes enslavement, becomes a sailor, and falls in love with the beautiful Mercédès, but he is betrayed by jealous rivals and condemned to confinement at the Château d’If prison. There, a seeming fellow prisoner reveals himself as the demon Faria and offers Dantès freedom, vengeance, and riches as the Count of Monte Cristo—but likely at the price of his soul. Unexpected twists and plot interconnections simplify yet add different depths and meanings to the story. The excellent glowing art by Lentz (Unicorn Vampire Hunter) and Catraca (Daniel Reyez and His Inner Thief) breaks up the page in eye-catching ways, working brilliance and darkness to dramatic effect.