Yet Another Comic Geek Update

The third issue of IDW's GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS continues introducing more monsters (Battra emerges by two mysterious young French girls) and we're promised the unleashing of Mothra in issue 4.  There's some humor thrown in courtesy of a pop star named "Girly YaYa" who advocates monster rights (!), and it was nice to see Anguirus smash two rednecks to death with its club-like tail.  Phil Hester's artwork is fine (although at times it seems a tad rushed) and Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh's script promises more fun to come.  My only complaint is the 3 variant covers that seem to come with each issue...the above one is what I found at my local comic shop, but it's not the better of the bunch.  I wish they'd stick with one design.

Dark Horse's KING CONAN re-vamp ends with the 4th issue, concluding the classic Robert E. Howard story THE SCARLET CITADEL.  With the help of the sorcerer Pelias, Conan arrives just in time to save his kingdom from attack.  Tomas Giorello's pencils are among the best ever to render the barbarian, here in all his head-lobbing, face slashing glory.  The death of Tsotha is quite epic here, and it all ends with a great quote from author Howard dated march 10, 1935.  Great stuff.

Meanwhile, the 5th issue of Dark Horse's CONAN: ROAD OF KINGS rages on with another action packed, brutal issue.  After narrowly escaping a gigantic DUNE-like worm made of gold, Conan manages to catch up to Olivia and her captors, only to face the axeman who's scheduled to decapitate them the next morning.  We're also introduced to super-bitch queen Sophonesba, who along with her astrologer friend Necrodemus, influence the King of Aurolla.  We're left off on a potential head-crushing cliff hanger for the 6th issue, and also news that Dark Horse will be doing a 2-issue Conan tale titled CONAN: ISLAND OF NO RETURN, before returning to the ROAD OF KINGS series with a new story arc in issue 7.

Another Double Dose of Keenemageddon

ENTOMBED by Brian Keene (2011 Camelot Books / 204 pp / limited edition hc)


I don't splurge for limited editions too often, but when I heard Keene had written a sequel to DEAD SEA, I just had to have it.  While this takes place in the same "world" as DEAD SEA, I really wouldn't consider ENTOMBED a "sequel;" there's no zombie whales or people adrift at sea.  However, it takes a turn I never saw coming and made me happy despite the slight disappointment this wasn't the type of sequel I had in mind.


Told from the point of view of Peter (who gave guided tours of a former fallout bunker located beneath a posh hotel before all hell broke loose), this is one of those zombie tales where the undead take a back seat to the living: there's limited zombie action, but Keene's claustrophobic tale of a man bent on survival against those he thought were on his side is quite grim and difficult to put down.


When they realize starvation is nigh, the 17 trapped survivors in (said) bunker agree cannibalism will be the only way to survive.  They vote for Peter to be the first one to be killed; but a friend lets the cat out of the bag and Peter finds time to hide before the hungering humans could take him in his sleep.  As Peter kills for self defense (and survival), someone refers to him as a "serial killer," causing Peter's mind to shoot in dozens of directions.  IS he really doing this to survive, or is he also enjoying the power killing seems to brings him?


ENTOMBED is a violent, satisfying tale of survival in the face of the apocalypse, although those looking for an all-out zombie story might be a bit disappointed.


There's a bonus second story here titled WHITE FIRE, where a tornado knocks over a van and unleashes a virus that's basically a suped-up meningitis.  While killer virus stories are nothing new, Keene injects a fine supernatural element that adds a bit of mystery to the whole thing, and there's a few nods to other Keene shorts that'll have fans grinning in end-time glee.


Glenn Chadbourne provides some great interior artwork, while Gak's cover captures the main tale to the tee.  Camelot Books did a fine job with the production here, as did the author who once again proves he's hard to beat when it comes to end of the world horrors.

iS iZombie Losing iT?

Vertigo's iZOMBIE starts anew with the 12th issue.  "Ghost Stories" centers around ghost girl Eleanor listening to stories told by her ghost friends in the cemetery.  Unhappy when she tells her own story, she meets a zombie girl (Gwen) in this telling of how the two met.  While Guest artist Gilbert Hernandez does a good job, Mike Allred's stylings were missed.  The issue is also cut short for a preview of another Vertigo title, so I'm hoping this medicore offering isn't a picture of things to come.

Issue 13 is more like it---although this time it's cut even shorter for a new mini-series titled THE DEAD PRESIDENTS (that I really didn't care for) and another preview for another vertigo title.  Seriously--if Vertigo can't fill an entire issue with an iZOMBIE story (which we're paying for), then perhaps it's time to call it quits?  Too bad, because the short and sweet tale here, "ARRIVALS AND EXITS (part one)" is the kind of thing that has kept me and all fans of this comic series glued to the pages since the first issue last year.  Mike Allred is back on the artwork and Chris Robinson's writing is as addictive as ever.  Here's hoping for fewer previews and more of Gwen and the ghouls...

A BLOODY Good Time

BLEED by Ed Kurtz (2011 / 390 pp / tp)


Walt's a young man with a promising future: he has just purchased a fix-er-up house out in the sticks, yet close enough to his new job as a high school English teacher.  He's also planning on proposing to his girlfriend Amanda.  He notices a spot on the ceiling one day, and after not being able to get rid of it, the spot begins to grow.  At first it becomes a bigger stain, then eventually, it turns into a pulsating lump.  And as it grows, Amanda notices Walt starting to act strange.  She ends up leaving when she witnesses the ceiling lump eat a cockroach one night; Walt refuses to leave the house or the strange thing that is rapidly taking control of him.


If David Cronenberg and Frank Hennenlotter decided to remake LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and HELLRAISER, BLEED would be the result.  It reads like an 80s-styled horror novel with the gruesome feel of a classic splatter film--but where most gore-film inspired novels falter, BLEED finds its strength.  The reader cares for Walt, despite him becoming a murdering slave to the blood-thirsty creature, while at the same time we're cheering for Amanda as she attempts to escape the clutches of her now crazed boyfriend and his ever-growing monster.


For a first novel (self published, no less), Kurtz has done a fantastic job, seldom seen even among the best of professionally-released horror novels (i.e. there's NO filler here).  While there's a couple of typos and POV issues, the story is well told, the suspense and gore work side by side, and the touches of Henenlotter-like dark humor work like a charm.  It was also great to see a couple of characters introduced more than halfway through the novel actually work and add to the satisfying conclusion.


I had an absolute blast reading BLEED, and you can tell the author had a blast writing it.  I'm keeping my eye on Ed Kurtz, and hope to see another winner like this from him again soon.

No Dark Things: ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN take Irving Plaza

In 1982, despite being (mainly) a fan of metal and hardcore music, there were several bands I had become a “closet” fan of thanks (primarily) to a local college radio station: Missing Persons, Bow Wow Wow, and, among a host of others, the oddly named ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN.  Their 1980 debut album, ‘Crocodiles,’ blended punk attitude with Goth vocals and pop sensibilities; several tracks from it have become among my all-time favorites.  I quickly ran out and found (on cassette) their second album, ‘Heaven Up Here,’ and while it has a bit of a darker, different flavor than the first release, it grew on me in no time.  ECHO went on to record some amazing albums, including their 1983 ‘Porcupine,’ which in my opinion is one of the greatest pop/punk/neo-Goth albums ever recorded.

For whatever reason(s), ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN is one band I always seemed to miss when they came to my area.  To be honest, footage I had seen of them over the years didn’t seem too exciting; I’ve loved their music for years, but on stage they rarely move or do anything to get the crowd going.  But I just had to get to see them one of these years.

Thanks to a good friend of mine (love ya, Sheri!), I was invited to see them this past weekend at Irving Plaza in New York City.  But it wasn’t an ordinary ECHO show: the band performed their first two classic albums in their entirety. The idea that I’d actually get to see two of my favorite albums played live made the 2-month wait for the show almost unbearable.

I attended on the first of their two night stint.  By the time the band was three or four songs into their set, I understood the fascination those who have seen them multiple times have.  While Vocalist Ian McCulloch spends most of the time chain smoking between the lyrics, he has that certain “thing” that makes a singer cool; his nearly indecipherable between-song banters in his native British tongue were quite funny (when understood), and despite being a bit under the weather, he managed to do a fine job as the band hoisted him through the 2 albums, then five encores.

The most impressive member of the band is guitarist Will Sergeant.  His constant change of guitars and effects gave each song a unique feel, his fingers sliding through the tracks effortlessly.  His sound on tracks such as ALL THAT JAZZ and OVER THE WALL were almost identical to the album, yet still sounded as fresh as ever.

Some other highlights (for me, anyway) was an extended version of LIPS LIKE SUGAR during the encore, NO DARK THINGS (an amazing Goth-tinged track) and the title track to CROCODILES, one of the band’s fastest songs, which had the place hopping around like a den of rock n roll…bunnies!

‘Twas a bloody good show…nearly 2 hours and 30 minutes of BUNNYMEN goodness.  After finally seeing them live, and 29 years of listening to their albums, even their goofy name is actually starting to sound cool…

(The drummer was the only band member to have a spotlight, making picture taking quite difficult.  These came out decent...)

Rampaging Rapists attack Washington!

BLOOD BORN by Matthew Warner (2011 HW Press / 497 pp / tp)


When several girls go missing in the Washington, D.C. area, detective Christina Randall goes on the case; the girls who are found have been the victim of rape...but that's far from the worst part.  It seems each victim of this serial rapist has been impregnated--and are experiencing excelerated pregnancies.  Within one week, each victim gives birth to a primate-looking creature that immediately turns and devours its mother.


Margaret Connolly's daughter is now missing.  Margaret works at the CalPark Fertility Clinic, and has been trying to understand the outbreak of bizarre pregnancies.  She begins to loose her marbles when her daughter is abducted, but she eventually meets up with detective Randall and the two begin to piece things together.


BLOOD BORN features genetically-created bigfoot-like creatures who are on a sole mission to breed.  They rape without remorse, causing a quarantine of the D.C. area.  Among several nightmarish scenes is a highway packed with cars trying to escape the city being attacked by the creatures; the blood and guts fly, yet Warner keeps the chills on target without getting silly.  You'd think a novel with rampaging monsters raping women with over-sized penises would garner some laughs...but BLOOD BORN doesn't.  It's serious horror written at a break-neck pace, and despite a larger than usual roster of characters, the reader is never lost.


While BLOOD BORN is a fun monster mash, I wish Warner would've let us in a but more regarding what caused our Third Reich-worshipping genetics doctor to tick; his creatures were "born" from a mistake in an attempt to create the perfect human...but we learn so little of Dr. Nicolae Schaefer that he truly takes a backseat to his unholy creations (it's suggested Schaefer may even be of supernatural origin, leaving things wide open for a sequel).  But regardless, Warner's 3rd novel is a serious scare-fest, blending police procedural thrillers with plenty of blood, guts, and some of the horniest monsters to hit our nation's capital since the Clinton administration.  You've been warned...

Meanwhile, the Cimmerian Rages on...

Torture's the name of the game in the 4th issue of Dark Horse Comic's CONAN: ROAD OF KINGS.  While in Belverus, the capital of Nemedia, Conan is lured into a trap by a sexy messenger girl who has managed to steal a secret pass phrase.  When Conan is brought before Belverus' king (and refuses to give up any information), he's given over to Arixtheus, the city's chief inquisitor.  Before long Conan's placed in an iron maiden, and just as its spikes begin to enter his flesh, he's "rescued" by a bunch of thugs who have been sent by Shadizar to kill him---only he finds himself fighting alongside his assassins as the city's guards begin to flood Arixtheus' torture chamber.  With a sad ending, a killer cover by Doug Wheatly, and some very well done panels by artist Mike Hawthorne, this stop on the ROAD OF KINGS delivers the barbarian goods big time.

The 3rd issue of Dark Horse's KING CONAN re-vamp continues with the adaptation of the Robert E. Howard classic, THE SCARLET CITADEL.  King Conan continues to tell the story of what he experienced in the dungeons beneath Tsotha-Lanti's citadel: this time how we rescued a man from a hell-spawned plant (that makes the plants in THE RUINS look like chia pets), and how this man, Pelias, a sorcerer and rival to Tsotha-Lanti himself, had been prisoner for 10 years before Conan's rescue.  As Pelias' power comes back, they find Tsotha's looking crystal, and see that Conan's city is coming under attack.  With no normal means to get there in time, Pelias conjures a flying creature (who under artist Tomas Giorello's pencil, looks like a suped-up Cthulhu) who Conan mounts and heads off to free his people.

This tale concludes with the next issue,  but I wish the folks at Dark Horse would keep this title going; between Giorello's phenomenal artwork and Timothy Truman's writing, this duo has been producing some of the best Conan comics ever to see print--BY CROM keep this series alive!

The Nobody is Something

THE NOBODY by Tom Piccirilli (2010 Crossroads Press & Macabre Ink Digital / 100 pp / ebook)

This is the umpteenth noir tale I've read from Piccirilli, and he always manages to craft broken down protagonists you can't help but cheer on.

This time, a man nick-named Cryer comes home to find his young daughter gutted and his wife in the tub with her throat slashed.  To make matters worse, he almost grabs the killer as he's fleeing out a window, only to have a 3-inch blade slammed into his forehead, almost killing him and wiping out his memory in the process.

Much of THE NOBODY features Cryer regaining his memory in various institutions as he searches for who he was before the stabbing, while simultaneously searching for the person who killed his family.  Suspects abound and at times the tension gets as high as I've ever read in a Piccirilli tale.  You probably won't guess who the killer is until the page he or she is revealed.

I'm LOVIN' these brutal, pulpy crime dramas from Mr. Pic...

(NOTE: This was released as a limited edition trade paperback and hardcover in 2008 by Tasmaniac Press, both  now long sold out)

A Haunted Possession?

TORMENT by Greg Chapman (2011 Damnation Books / 61 pp / tp and ebook)


In 1984, Deacon Douglas Mackinnon performs  an exorcism on his wife; she dies in the process.  Police believe it's a case of cold-blooded murder, and Mackinnon's young daughter, Jessica, is left traumatized.


25 Years later, Jessica travels to Scotland with her husband and son when they learn of her father's passing.  They've been called to assess the Deacon's mansion and decide if they want to sell it.  Of course things quickly go wrong when Jessica decides it'd be a good idea to spend the night at the house; her son is haunted the first night, her and the hubby quickly afterward.


TORMENT features some genuinely scary moments and keeps the reader guessing if it's a possession or a haunted house tale (or a combo of both).  The brief 61 pages could easily have been stretched to novel length, but considering how slick this reads, perhaps it's current size works for the best.


I want more from Chapman.