Over the years there has been plenty of Nazi stories, as well as plenty of Dracula or vampire tales. However, writer Kenny Porter and artist Tyrell Cannon take the best of both worlds and blends them into a brutal and unique horror story in Operation: Iron Coffin.
The recently resurrected Dracula, one of the world’s greatest monsters and most infamous vampires, is hell-bent on redemption. The mission he takes to make that redemption possible? Teaming up with British Allied forces during World War II. They’ll air-drop him onto a Nazi train containing a horde of soldiers, augmented villains, and a vampire plague that, if released, will create a new generation of vampire terrors. Dracula will have to battle his way through the train, confronting his past sins and facing off against the wicked Hazel and Ivy, who are calling the shots for the Nazis…and who have a vested interest in Dracula’s failures.
When IDW Dark launched the publisher announced titles such as the sequel to Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees as well as series based in the Smile, Event Horizon, and 30 Days of Night universes respectively. Although, IDW also dropped news about Operation: Iron Coffin as well. My excitement for the known commodities was easy peaked, but the new title was the one I had the least expectations for. Not for any real reason, just wasn’t connected to a successful series or larger franchise. Now, Operation: Iron Coffin might be one of the better stories to come from IDW Dark so far!
Porter crafts a tale that blends what we know about Dracula and the Nazi regime during World War II create something unlike anything I have recently read in comics. It’s a story of defeating the Nazi’s and Hitler’s vampire horde, but also a story of redemption and another side of Dracula you might not expect. What takes place within the first pages of this premise issue is spectacular and gruesome, but with depth and appreciation for the Dracula source material.
Operation: Iron Coffin has excellent pacing and while it offers the foundation for the rest of the series, Porter gives us so much more packed into the first issue. Dracula kicking some serious ass after being dropped into the Nazi Gold Train from the many mysteries of World War II.
Cannon’s artwork has a playful style, but is truly brutal, gory, and overall gruesome. Tyrell pulls no punches when it comes to vicious kills and blood-soaked imagery. This style of artwork lends itself well to this story, allowing for some unsettling visuals, but something that if any more realistic themed artwork would be overwhelming and stomach churning. Cannon’s style gives us just what we hope for and doesn’t make you have to turn away in disgust.
Operation: Iron Coffin comes out of the gate swinging with a unique premise that delivers far more than ever expected. Kenny Porter and Tyrell Cannon give us a Dracula that isn’t just here for the carnage, although we get plenty of that, but for a compelling redemption arc wrapped in a fast-paced, blood-soaked WWII setting. IDW Dark may have some heavy hitting titles in its first year as an imprint at IDW Publishing, but Operation: Iron Coffin stands out as one of the best.
Operation: Iron Coffin #1 hits local comic shops on July 8, 2026 (FOC: June 1) from the IDW Dark imprint at IDW Publishing.
Operation: Iron Coffin #1 Covers
