Dracula's Brunch Club (Family Comic Friday)

I started off my Halloween reads of 2025 with a fantastic book. Dracula's Brunch Club blends humor, horror and culinary arts in a story that takes everything you know about vampires and flips it around 180 degrees.

Count Dracula has won international fame. Not because he's the king of the vampires but because he's a world renowned donut maker! His sugary delights have forged a peace between humans and the undead. He even hosts a weekly brunch club where even werewolves can't help themselves for a taste of Dracula's famous crullers.

Dracula's claim to fame are his blood orange jelly donuts. It gives all of the vampires that partake a needed boost of late night energy. However, everything the Count has built threatens to come crashing down when his supply of blood orange jelly is stolen. Unable to make his signature dish, it provides an opening for a rival vampire to become the head of the brunch club, which is now full of mysterious new members. And he's even banished all of the human members from the club!

With jams, jellies and fruits on short supply, now Dracula and his trusty French Baker Chef Jeleu (Jelly in French) must create a new gelatin filled donut. Without it, the town's children's hospital fundraiser will be ruined, the Count will lose the coveted Spirit Award for excellence in baking and worse! No longer be a member of the very brunch club Dracula created! 

Writer Brian Gonsar and artist Keenan Gaybba make their graphic novel debut in this 2025 work from Oni Press. It has a spooky vibe with liberal amounts of silliness and humor. The entire foundation of vampire folklore is in this book; from their inability to reflect in mirrors to their love of A,B and O positive and negative blood. A few townsfolk get turned into creatures of the night. But it's all done off scene. There's a little bit of fisticuffs between Dracula and his rival. But it's nothing that's too scary or violent. 

Recommended for readers aged 8-12 on Amazon, I can support that suggestion. This book fits right in that kind of sweet spot for kids of that age who like scary things as well as really silly reads.

I love the cover. It's an image of a box of donuts. The fang marks on the jelly donut is hilarious. The plastic window in the shape of a coffin is genius. And the Dunkin' looking font was so clever. It perfectly hints at everything you should expect from this book: horror and humor.

I really thought I made a great choice with this book to start off my October of Halloween reads. This book isn't set during Halloween. But unlike a Christmas read, does a read for All Hallows Eve have to be set on October 31st? I don't think so. As long as there's that supernatural vibe, whether terrifying or not, a Halloween read can be set during any time of year. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Santas From Around The World: Global- Hanukkah Harry (Advent 2020, Day 10)

Tonight will mark the first night of Hanukkah. As my wife is half-Jewish, the festival of lights is observed to some degree in this Madman’s household. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, finding gelts at our traditional shopping won’t happen as the long-time Durham, NC peddler, Morgan Imports closed its doors for good this Summer. Oh, don’t worry. We’ll find those chocolate coins.

Somewhere.

Hanukkah Harry was given life in December, 1990. Jon Lovitz appeared as the curmudgeon replacement for Santa. With Santa sick with a stomach flu, Hanukkah Harry takes over gifting all of the good little Christian boys and girls with gifts. Only these gifts are more noted for what Jewish kids receive during Hanukkah. Stuff like socks and slacks. At least Hanukkah Harry didn’t forget the gelts and a dreidel!

Hanukkah Harry is dressed like a traditional Rabbi. Only his hat is blue and lined with fur like Santas.

Harry’s workshop is located on Mount Sinai. Instead of a sleigh, this gift giver drives an old wooden cart, like they do in Fiddler on the Roof. And forget about reindeer. Hanukkah Harry has a trio of flying donkeys named Moische, Herschel and Schlomo. 

And if the Easter Bunny ever needs a substitute, Harry got no problems spreading cheer during Easter either. 

While a fictional creation of SNL, Hanukkah Harry has become a new addition to many Jewish families with some parents dressing up as the holiday grumpus to pass out Hannukah delights to boys and girls who stayed of the Kosher naughty list. With the character being referenced on several TV shows and recently deemed the personification of Hanukkah by NPR, it looks like Hanukkah Harry might just be here to stay!

By the way, we celebrators of all things Jewish do really eat cookies during Hanukkah. Due to the importance of oil in the story of the miracle of lights, a good ole fried donut does the trick for us! Here’s a recipe from Better Homes & Gardens for Sufganiyot- a jelly filled donut that is fairly easy to make.

Enjoy!