Popular culture

Dracula has been a recurring character in many comic books, most notably, the Marvel comic Tomb of Dracula written by Marv Wolfman and primarily drawn by Gene Colan for Marvel Comics in the 1970s. In recent years he has even appeared as a villain on the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

In the anime series Hellsing, the vampire Alucard (note: Dracula spelled backwards) may actually be Dracula himself, having been magically bound into servitude by the Hellsing family rather than being destroyed outright.

Like Frankenstein, Dracula has inspired many literary tributes or parodies, including Stephen King's Salem's Lot, Kim Newman's Anno Dracula, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire, Fred Saberhagen's The Dracula Tape, Wendy Swanscombe's erotic parody Vamp, and Dan Simmons's Children of the Night. Mina Harker is a member of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a pastiche comic book and movie featuring numerous Victorian characters.

Dracula has even been adapted for children's literature and entertainment, serving as the basis for several vampire cartoon characters over the years. Dracula (or at least his portrayal by Bela Lugosi) is the basis for the Muppet character named Count Von Count on Sesame Street. Cartoon vampires based upon the Count also include Count Duckula and even Count Chocula, the animated mascot of the breakfast cereal of the same name. On the comedy "TV channel" SCTV, Count Floyd, played by the station's newscaster with a cape and a ludicrous painted widow's peak, hosted horror movies.

Dracula is also the main antagonist in Konami's Castlevania series of video games.