The internet can be a dark and nasty place...Lovesick #1 (w/a: Luana Vecchio) Publisher: Image Comics I almost didn't write about this one because I was having a hard time organizing my thoughts. This book is weirdly powerful in a lot of different ways. First, much like Piskor's Red Room, it takes a look at a (possibly) dramatized idea of these dark corners of the internet and the horrible things people say or do there. While I'll leave the validity of "red rooms" up to those more familiar with the Dark Web than I, I have seen first hand the disgusting things people can say online when protected by a wall of anonymity. In books like this, it's always the realness of the chatrooms that hits me. I admit to feeling a bit triggered at first in a "wow, they're gonna really GO there" kinda-way, but it's worth it. What seems like shock for shock's sake is an important call out. If you've never experienced some of the more hate-filled corners of the internet space, it might be easy to write off the things said in the chat windows of these books as over-the-top or unrealistic, but it's really not. It's time we start making these communities, these hate-filled men the true villains of the story. Much in the way the She-Hulk made the more misogynistic side of Marvel fandom the literal villains of her series, so too do these books shine a light on these dark, vitriolic communities. Sure, it's no secret that the internet is full of shitty people, but too often I feel it just gets written off as "trolls" and not taken as seriously as it should. Our art and media should reflect that reality, that danger. This book also takes a wild look at consent as a concept. CAN consent have a dark side? What happens if you consent to too much and lose yourself along the way? Whose responsibility is it to dial you back? In this book we have men gleefully signing up to be victims of torture and murder. They want their final moments to be broadcast to an audience of thousands. They consent to this fully and are given what they ask for. We know little about the process at the moment, but it's assumed that there are lists and rules. I think there is an incredible analysis here both of the nature of social media and how it relates to things like violence and suicide, namely the idea that people will do incredible things for so called "clout," but also the idea of consent as a weapon wielded by a group of women. I won't get too involved in picking this analysis apart here (though I'm tempted to do a deeper dive if I'm being honest), but there is something to be said about the shift in power dynamic of women demanding consent from men to perform horrible acts, whereas the inverse in our real world often finds consent ignored, dissected, or discarded. Finally, I think the character of Domino is absolutely fascinating and refreshingly unique. In the back pages of the book, Vecchio discusses her early concepts and sketches for the character. She mentions that a friend of hers once asked why the character always looks so sad. It's that morose quality that fascinates me. Often characters in these spheres, either that of BDSM communities or of the darker and deadlier internet side, exist as one of two tropes: the repressed and rage-filled animal or the playful, lusty controller. Domino holds more of a somber quality. She seems to want to do what she's doing, and certainly seems to enjoy it, but her focus seems to be more on the emotions and results of the action than the action itself. In a way, I liken her to more of a Pinhead character than that of a lingerie-clad slasher. She seeks to give something back to those she performs her work on. She also seems to want something in return, and I am excited to watch Vecchio perform a deep analysis on this character. Sara Lone #1 (w: Erik Arnoux, a: David Morancho) Publisher: Sumerian Comics A story of mobs, murder and mystery. Joy Carruthers, whose stage name is Sara Lone, is called back to Texas from New Orleans with the death of her father, who was found gruesomely murdered on a beach. This kicks off a series of events that finds Joy in the crosshairs of the mob, manipulated by a shady federal agent, and wrapped up in a potentially cursed treasure. This book has a lot going for it, from a very nostalgic (at times old-fashioned) serial feel to a very pleasant art style. It's a hefty, text forward book and is definitely worth checking out for noir fans out there. Sure, at times it relies a bit too heavily on themes of it's period, basically turning every male character into a manipulative piece of crap, but I'm interested to see if going forward the creators let Joy shine as a strong, driven female lead. They've laid the foundation for an eventual rise above the misogyny, but we don't see it happen in book one. Still, this was a fun read, and there are a whole bunch of threads happening that will be fun to see conclude. Damn Them All #1 (w: Simon Spurrier; a: Charlie Adlard)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios Well then - I guess Si didn't feel like he was done with Constantine, either. Remember how mad I was when it ended, and I wanted more? Remember when I complained because it was basically my favorite book and I felt we just didn't get enough and that only Spurrier truly understood how to write that grumpy bloke the right way? I'm getting the vibe he felt similarly. This has all that tasty, foul-mouthed, magic-doer goodness, but gives us a female "protag" (heavy air-quotes there, for now anyway) in Ellie, who works for a bunch of mobsters and has about the same level of self deprecation that big John C. always had. It's all that spicy UK underworld stuff mixed with demonic underworld stuff and I'm just so excited this book is happening I'm not really sure what to do with myself. If this book could last forever? I'd be down. If they wanted to give it a TV show? Even-bloody-better.
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Justice for Ice Cream Man! Stupid Quibi...
It's been flop after failure-to-launch after cancellation when it comes to comic adaptations lately, and boy has it left some pretty big sticks in our collective craws. Today, we're talking about the three things that keep blocking the successful paths of comic IPs to the big or silver screens: a lack of marketing, good writing, and advocacy.
Okay, I don't write comics, but if I did, they'd have a samurai...Hack/Slash Hot Shorts One Shot (w: Tim Seeley, Daniel Leister, a: Felipe Sobreiro, Triona Farrell, Carlos Badilla) Publisher: Image Comics Look, I'm always gonna want to talk about Hack/Slash. This series is one of my long standing favorites and while it hasn't always been perfect, I just can't get enough. This book features 3 short stories set in the H/S universe. The first follows Johnny Cash (not named such in the story but obviously Johnny Cash) as he has a weird vision of Elvis's death at the hands of demons and/or otherworldly beings. He decides at that point to dedicate to fighting evil. Story #2 is simply Cassie and Vlad, seemingly early in their relationship, washing blood off each other. The final story follows Mary Shelley Lovecraft, a reality skipping villain who feeds on fiction, who has found herself trapped in a superhero universe and absolutely hates it. The stories themselves are definitely more targeted at the fans of H/S, as I don't know if they'd be as fun if you didn't already have some familiarity with the content. That said, it's Halloween time, so some fun little bite-sized tales of a sexy monster hunter can't be so bad. Also, there's a bunch of Dynamite cameos, so that's neat. The Approach #1 (w: Jeremy Haun, Jason A. Hurley, a: Jesus Hervas, Lea Caballero) Publisher: BOOM! Studios It's like 30 Days of Night meets the Thing. This book has a really cool premise right off the bat. A small airport is receiving a plane for of passengers that got diverted in a snow storm. They go through the motions and we see that they are clearly not prepared for this kind of emergency. As they are taking in the passengers, a mysterious single-engine plane crashes to the runway. They manage to pull out the pilot, who unfortunately perishes from his injuries. What chaotic night, right? As the power goes out, the crew prep for a long, cold night. At least it couldn't get worse. Until the tower researches the tail number on that small plane... and someone goes to check on the deceased pilot... Hitomi #1 (w: HS Tak, a: Isabella Mazzanti) Publisher: Image Comics Oh dang, this is a cool book. A samurai tale of vengeance and regret. We follow a young girl on her journey through the cold mountainlands as she seeks out a samurai that killed her family. Meanwhile, we follow said Samurai as he is currently older and employed as a sumo wrestler, traveling with his small group from town to town in hopes of earning a charter back home. Eventually, the two paths collide as the Samurai saves the girl from frigid waters, unaware that her quest ends in his blood. This book was described as a Kurosawa/Tarantino fusion, and I can't honestly think of a more fit description. The art is absolutely beautiful, just dripping with respect for the culture and history of the world in which the story takes place. This is some top tier comic work and it is NOT one to miss. Chilling Adventures of Salem (One-Shot) (w: Cullen Bunn, a: Dan Schoening)
Publisher: Archie Comics You can always count on Cullen Bunn to come in with a Halloween goodie, and you guys know I can't pass up an Archie Horror book. This one is simple, classic, and perfectly paced - Sabrina's cat Salem, who was formerly a magician/warlock who got bound to being a cat for doing something nefarious, finds out someone is trapping demonic entities inside people's lost pets. Normally I shudder at this kind of thing, being an animal-lover and all, but I can't get mad when the bad guy gets what's coming to him. The art is that same delicious vintage-gothic-Sabrina flavor, and the writing is perfect for the spooky season. A quick read, but a good one to get you in the Halloween mood. As beautiful as the jazz it portrays...
As two English majors talking about media on a weekly basis, it is super exciting when we get a graphic novel like this one that gives us something to really sink out teeth into. This book is beautiful, creative, subjective, and leaves so much up to the reader. From the use of color, to the nonsequential storytelling, to the subtle weaving of music the whole way through, this title has so much to offer. Definitely not one to miss!
A horror theme park with a dark... well, everything...West Moon Chronicles #1 (w: Frank Jun Kim, a: Joe Bocardo) Publisher: Scout Comics Korean folklore gets aggressive in the back woods of Texas. Jae-Sun and his grandfather embark on a journey to uncover why the various folk creatures they've worked with and against for years are getting so surly lately, while also possibly journeying to a land of magic to rescue Jae-Sun's daughter. There's goblins, shapeshifters, racists, swordfights, dragons and much, much more, and this is only issue one! It's "Once and Future" meets "God Country" with a Korean cultural spin, and I am absolutely adding it to my file. You should do the same. Dark Ride #1 (w: Joshua Williamson, a: Andrei Bressan) Publisher: Image Comics I see you, Joshua Williamson. You think I don't, but I do. You think it's cool to just reach into my brain and pull out a book that hits on most of my favorite things? Just invade my subconscious mind and create a wonderful comic that I'll love and cherish? Thank you, you psychic bastard. Dark Ride is one of the coolest Indie-Horror-Film-Adjacent comics I've read in a while. We open with a theme park ride designer named Arthur Dante murdering his wife before striking up a mysterious deal with an unseen force. Flash to the future, Arthur has built an theme park empire around the idea of horror: Devil Land. Whereas most theme parks are about family fun, however, Devil Land is about all things creepy, spooky and scary. We follow new employee and Devil Land superfan, Owen, as he embarks on his exciting day one of employment. Eventually, he meets Samhain Dante, son to Arthur and current head of the park. They eventually both run into Samhain's bombastic and boisterous sister, Halloween. As we begin to see that the park may be in dire straits, Owen winds down his work day as something calls to him from the depths of the park's oldest ride, Devil's Due. Owen does not fair well by the end of this book. It's dark, it's spooky, it's got compelling characters - it absolutely rocks. This book drips with "Shudder Original," which is said as a compliment for anyone who doesn't know how much I love Shudder originals, and could only truly be improved with the addition of a badass soundtrack. I very rarely feel impatient for new issues to be released, but I am going to be biting my nails down to a nub waiting for the #2 of this series. 3Keys #1 (w/a: David Messina) Publisher: Image Comics So, okay, I like this book. I like the art of this book. I like the premise of this book. I like where this book is promising to go. However, I don't love the main character nor do I love the first half of this book. Honestly, it was Messina's insanely detailed art and wonderful use of layout that kept me going. The first few pages are an absolute SLOG of exposition since we're starting in media res. After that, we get a presumably comedic conversation about how much comics and nerds suck, which was more cringeworthy than anything. The cringe continues when we establish that the main character's personality is effectively "party booze city sex" and a handful of background characters spend two pages arguing about whether she is straight or not. I don't know, I just am not really feeling the direction here. It's like 14 pages dedicated to hefty, clunky exposition and then "hey, look how edgy and possibly queer my main character is! Neat, right?" Lotta cringe, gotta be real. We then meet our second main character in Dale and her mentor Jacob. They end up fighting this horrible demon and the action is awesome. This is what I was promised by the solicitation for this book and it paid off here. I'm definitely gonna give #2 a try, but Sandra's character is my biggest hang up. I get that the whole "savior of the world is also an addict and their mentor has to struggle to keep them on track" is a popular trope, but it's just not for me. If you want a book that has some great art, a good bit of sexiness and some cool monster designs, pick this one up. If you're looking for a lot of character depth, probably best to give this one a pass. Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at the Crow's Head (w: Mike Mignola, a: Rachele Aragno)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics If there's one thing Mignola knows how to do, it's take concepts we're very familiar with - horror tropes, classic creatures, historical events - and make them feel completely new and original. In this instance, we're introduced to a casket that's been shipwrecked and washed ashore, filled with a not-so-dead young girl, suddenly bringing joy and vigor to a previously-lifeless town. We're all ready for her to drink somebody's blood, right? WRONG. And that's what makes this book so cool. I adore a horror book that mixes familiar tales with just a little bit of the unexpected. It feels exciting but also exactly like what I was looking for. Another one bites the dust... sigh.
This episode is both necessary and super sad. You may have heard that the Prime Video adaptation of Paper Girls has already been cancelled after just one season. While it may not have been the best new show to drop this year, it was a solid rendering of the story and a lack of renewal is a huge loss of potential. Just another hit to comic-based TV... sigh.
You can't kill the metal...Briar #1 (w: Christopher Cantwell, a: Germán Garcia) Publisher: BOOM! Studios Cantwell's strength has always been his ability to look at narratives from a creative, often unexpected angle, and Briar is a perfect example of this. This book is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty wherein the princess was never awoken by love's true kiss, or whatever fairy tale nonsense. Instead, she is left in perpetual sleep as her family's kingdom falls to ruin. When the shattered remains of her castle are raided by a lone thief a hundred years later, the thief decides to steal a smooch in addition to stealing her necklace, which awakens Briar Rose into a horrible, twisted new world full of danger. She soon meets a Norrish woman who calls herself "Spider," and the two women are thrust into a campaign of survival. Dripping with style and Cantwell's brand of subtle humor, this book is an absolutely fascinating tale beautifully rendered by the softness of Garcia's art. Incredible book and easily the next big thing. The Roadie #1 (w: Tim Seeley, a: Fran Galán)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Cringe lyrics and bad takes on music aside, this is a pretty fun book. It comes in with a very Tim Seeley premise: A Heavy Metal roadie who is the son of a warlock and travels around with bands so he can banish the demons they inadvertently summon with their gosh dern devil music. Mixed in is a commentary on the evolving nature of the music industry and what it's like being those that have been left behind. Now, it's possible that said commentary could go in the "thems was better days, darn this hip hop music" kind of direction, and while we see two characters dunk on rap music, it's possible that line of thinking is just limited to the characters themselves and establishing their POV instead of that of the creators, which I'm hoping is the case. Time will tell. Anyway, our lead man Joe is living a mostly boring life as the tide of Heavy Metal has slowed in recent years. He works at a car shop and lives modestly - until he is contacted by a demon and drafted into saving the world from a rising demonic power out to assassinate a daughter he never knew he had. It's old school heavy metal versus MAGA vs pop music. It's weird, but I dig it. Any excuse to get into spooky season!Creepshow #1 (w: Chris Burnham, Paul Dini & Stephen Langford, a: Chris Burnham & John McCrea) Publisher: Image Comics I love me some good B-Horror. This book is honestly nothing revolutionary and that's mostly what I dig about it. Creepshow is like coming home. It's that cozy, warm fireplace with a snuggly blanket in the middle of a dilapidated house wherein all your friends and loved ones were just devoured by a monster of their own design. The book consists of two stories from different teams. First up is Chris Burnham doing the words and pictures of a story titled "Take One," wherein three douchey teens come across a bowl overflowing with full-sized candy bars on Halloween night. However, the bowl comes with ominous orders from the unknown in the form of a cardboard sign that reads "Take One." The boys of course do NOT and what follows is a predictable and silly traipse through gore and mayhem. It is seen coming from a mile away, but not all good things have to be surprising. If you're waiting for a bus, would you rather have it arrive exactly when expected or do you want it to surprise you. Like I said, b-horror is comfort horror. It's the full-sized candy bar after a long day of trick-or-treating a getting nothing but raisins and those unbranded strawberry candies. It wasn't a super creative story, but I didn't necessarily hate the shock value of it. The second story was certainly more creative and definitely went more for the silly. In this story by Paul Dini and Stephen Langford, title "Shingo," we see a mother at her wits end trying to find a performer for her daughter's birthday party after her ex-husband dropped the ball. Her prayers are answered as she receives a mysterious card from a performer named Shingo, a large costumed character with a huge gaping maw. Shingo arrives and plays and laughs and sings and starts devouring things and sings some more and where did Joey go? and dances some more and has anyone seen my sister? This story has a lot going for it in a short time. It is self-aware, genre-aware and very tongue-in-cheek. It takes a look at the nature of the "oblivious character" trope in horror, wherein terrible things are happening to one or a few characters and other closely connected characters seem just absolutely unaware of any danger or supernatural happenings at all. This trope often happens in kid-focused horror, in which the parents and adults are the oblivious ones. Think all the parents in Stranger things minus Hopper and Joyce. This short tale analyzes just how silly that trope has to be as the kids are fully sold on the danger basically from the jump and all the adults just faffing about, waist deep in their own drama and a few glasses of wine. This one gave me strong Pooka vibes for obvious reasons but had it's own thing going, and I respect it. Eternus #1 (w: Anastazja Davis & Don Handfield, a: Karl Moline) Publisher: Scout Comics This book is "Created by Andy Serkis and Andrew Levitas," but I can't help but notice they don't have a writing credit, so what does created by even mean? Anyway, here we have another comic pushed thanks to connection to a celebrity, which is becoming quite a common things these days, to varying degrees of success. This one, however, is an absolute hit. It is just all around a really, really cool book. I'm guessing it exists because a movie will eventually, which is the reason for most of these celeb tied books. I'm down with that. Eternus is a mythological tale that takes place during the rise of Christianity. In this world, the myths and gods of ancient Greece are very much real and are struggling to find their place in the new world as the Christian God assumes control over more and more of the modern world. In the wake of Zeus's death, the gods struggle to find what power they can as all their energy and life force comes from belief. When both Hera and Athena's temples are sacked by a rogue centurion, it is up to Heracles and the help of a blind child to find the man who may have murdered the father of the gods. Also, Dionysus gets people wasted and meets Caesar. It's a crazy good read and definitely a file add. Crashing #1 (w: Matthew Klein, a: Morgan Beem)
Publisher: IDW Publishing This book has a lot happening and every time I thought I understood where the thrust was, it took another twisty turn. I loved it. Crashing follows Dr. Allison Osler, a doctor a Mass General Hospital who loves some caffeine and has a history of struggling with addiction. We follow her as she takes control of an ER suffering from the fallout of a super-powered conflict at a government building. Allison kicks ass, saves some lives, gets chewed out by her boss and gets offered drugs from a coworker, all before going home to be "on call." What we soon learn is that "on call" may not be what it seems, and Allison's history comes back to haunt her and challenges her very morals. On the surface, this is an interesting take on the hospital drama genre set in the backdrop of a superhero universe. Dig a little deeper, and we instead have a very clever piece on the nature of addiction, the nature of good and evil, and an analysis of what it means to save a life at any cost. It's a fresh super story you don't want to miss. We got to review a HORROR film and we're really excited about it.
Grab your pumpkin spice lattes and Halloween soundtracks - it might only be September, but we're going full spooky season with this Shudder original, Revealer. Released with a comic promo/tie-in from Vault, get ready for an apocalyptic romp through the 80s, packed with religious zealotry and exotic dancers. This movie was super fun and we are REALLY hoping Shudder does more titles like this!
Back to school... with shadow gremlins?
It's back to school season, so we thought we'd pick up a family-friendly graphic novel this time, and BOY did it deliver! A story about new schools, bullies, magical glowing wisps and evil shadow monsters, this book might be a little scary for the smallest of readers, but it offers a lot of joy and beautiful graphics for a younger age group.
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Cover B PodcastChris & Tee host this weekly comic-focused show, providing insight on new comics, entertainment news and more. Archives
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