Posted by
Decapitated Dan
|
Ghastly Awards - September 2013 Update
Horror comics are becoming more and more frequent in our reading culture, and the Ghastly Awards are here to recognize, through Horror Comic submissions, those that shine the brightest. We encourage all Comic Creators to take the time to head over to www.ghastlyawards.com and submit your work for 2013 Ghastly Award Nomination consideration.
Creators
please remember that you can submit your Horror Comic work through out
the calendar year! For the month of September 2013 the judges are
recommending you take a look at:
The Walking Dead #114 (Image Comics) - In this issue we once again find Rick at the mercy of Negan and his men, but this time some surprising allys end up lending a helping hand. Although we have see Kirkman put Rick and Negan together in similar scenarios Kirkman still always manages to add those extra elements in the setting that make each interaction between these two characters suspense filled. Negan is a well crafted S.O.B that you don't know whether to cheer him on or hope he gets sniped from a bell tower and that my friends is what a good comic is all about. - Spaced (http://youknowyourcertifiable.
The Walking Dead #114 (Image Comics) - In this issue we once again find Rick at the mercy of Negan and his men, but this time some surprising allys end up lending a helping hand. Although we have see Kirkman put Rick and Negan together in similar scenarios Kirkman still always manages to add those extra elements in the setting that make each interaction between these two characters suspense filled. Negan is a well crafted S.O.B that you don't know whether to cheer him on or hope he gets sniped from a bell tower and that my friends is what a good comic is all about. - Spaced (http://youknowyourcertifiable.
Dinosaurs Attack! #2 (IDW) -
After a rather talky first issue the dinosaurs finally attack - and
it's well worth the wait. There's plenty of carnage on display here as
human bodies are torn, ripped, chewed, dismembered, trampled and crushed
in gruesome detail. The story - what there is of it - lacks the wit and
involvement of sister title Mars Attacks!, primarily because it's a bit
harder to make the dinosaurs as gleefully kooky as the martians. Still,
a bit more effort could be made to make the humans a bit more
compelling. Nevertheless, the true selling point of the book is the
dinosaur mayhem and in this respect it definitely does not disappoint. –
Pedro
Cabezuelo (http://www.rue-morgue.com/)
Grimm Fairy Tales presents Zombies The Cursed #3 (Zenoscope) - I haven’t been a fan of the GFT series. Too much unnecessary, stupid and pointless upskirts/slutty outfits/boob explosions. Yeah, there’s a market for that in this genre, but seriously. Gimme slutty, barely there outfits when the characters call for it, not just because a character happens to have a cootch. But with Zombies the Cursed, the bimbo has been dialed way back, letting the story take front and center. It’s a pity this was only a three part series, though this issue promises more of zombie hunter Elijah in the Unleashed storyline. Loved the cuts between “present day” and Elijah’s first meeting with Samantha and company. 3martstudio does well with coloring both worlds, keeping readers focused on story, and not trying to figure out where the action is. Good work. I’m hoping for more. - Denise Dutton (atomicfangirl.com)
Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein #1 (Dark Horse) - Well if you're not totally convinced within the first five pages of this comic that it deserves a lot of praise for being absolutely ghastly, you shouldn't be reading horror comics. As if pregnancy isn't terrifying enough for women, Steve Niles and Christopher Mitten (reunited and it feeeeels so goooood!) have just seriously raised the bar. Move over, the film GRACE. Move way, way over. It's quite unreal and if you miss out on it then you're just wasting everyone's time. SFX: BOOM! Haha. Couldn't resist. Okay moving on. It's always nice to see Mo and Cal back together with their Odd Couple-type relationship. Mo is obliviously stoic and Cal is his typical jackass self. But the brotherhood between them almost outweighs the horror. Well maybe not outweighs it, that's ridiculous. But it adds a silver lining. As with most first issues of a comic book series, this is a set-up issue and we don't see much meat of the plot. But also... true to form with a Niles and Mitten comic book series, we got a whole lot of EVERYTHING from the first issue. There are a few central themes going on here. 1.) something is up with Cal, not saying anything else there. 2.) Niles has pretty much killed whatever he can so what else can a comic creator kill when everything else is dead? 3.) The title. It comes into play in the most unexpected way possible. This is a game changer in Cal's life on several levels. Niles has unapologetically put Cal through hell over the years, which the dialogue and Cal's inner narration really reflect--in a good way. It's very comfortable, it's funny, it's emotional, it hits the mark, and it's just so damn true to the character. The art is truly phenomenal. There are pages that need nothing more than a SFX and Mitten to stoke a blazing fire of emotion. There's a strong sense of familiarity in this issue. Reminiscent of some of the very first Criminal Macabre issues. It felt like coming home. But I guess only a true horror junky would call this place home... Anyway, go forth and read. It's brutally awesome. – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)
Grimm Fairy Tales presents Zombies The Cursed #3 (Zenoscope) - I haven’t been a fan of the GFT series. Too much unnecessary, stupid and pointless upskirts/slutty outfits/boob explosions. Yeah, there’s a market for that in this genre, but seriously. Gimme slutty, barely there outfits when the characters call for it, not just because a character happens to have a cootch. But with Zombies the Cursed, the bimbo has been dialed way back, letting the story take front and center. It’s a pity this was only a three part series, though this issue promises more of zombie hunter Elijah in the Unleashed storyline. Loved the cuts between “present day” and Elijah’s first meeting with Samantha and company. 3martstudio does well with coloring both worlds, keeping readers focused on story, and not trying to figure out where the action is. Good work. I’m hoping for more. - Denise Dutton (atomicfangirl.com)
Criminal Macabre: The Eyes of Frankenstein #1 (Dark Horse) - Well if you're not totally convinced within the first five pages of this comic that it deserves a lot of praise for being absolutely ghastly, you shouldn't be reading horror comics. As if pregnancy isn't terrifying enough for women, Steve Niles and Christopher Mitten (reunited and it feeeeels so goooood!) have just seriously raised the bar. Move over, the film GRACE. Move way, way over. It's quite unreal and if you miss out on it then you're just wasting everyone's time. SFX: BOOM! Haha. Couldn't resist. Okay moving on. It's always nice to see Mo and Cal back together with their Odd Couple-type relationship. Mo is obliviously stoic and Cal is his typical jackass self. But the brotherhood between them almost outweighs the horror. Well maybe not outweighs it, that's ridiculous. But it adds a silver lining. As with most first issues of a comic book series, this is a set-up issue and we don't see much meat of the plot. But also... true to form with a Niles and Mitten comic book series, we got a whole lot of EVERYTHING from the first issue. There are a few central themes going on here. 1.) something is up with Cal, not saying anything else there. 2.) Niles has pretty much killed whatever he can so what else can a comic creator kill when everything else is dead? 3.) The title. It comes into play in the most unexpected way possible. This is a game changer in Cal's life on several levels. Niles has unapologetically put Cal through hell over the years, which the dialogue and Cal's inner narration really reflect--in a good way. It's very comfortable, it's funny, it's emotional, it hits the mark, and it's just so damn true to the character. The art is truly phenomenal. There are pages that need nothing more than a SFX and Mitten to stoke a blazing fire of emotion. There's a strong sense of familiarity in this issue. Reminiscent of some of the very first Criminal Macabre issues. It felt like coming home. But I guess only a true horror junky would call this place home... Anyway, go forth and read. It's brutally awesome. – Bree Ogden (agentbree.wordpress.com)
Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #19 (Bongo) - October must be coming, as Bongo Comics delivers three glorious anthology style tales under one cover starring everyone's favorite freaky yellow family from Springfield-- The Simpsons! Zombies, aliens, mad science, and even Apu as a werewolf-- plus the spectacular stand-out story of the bunch written by Len Wein featuring the gorgeous painted art of Dan "Nocturnals" Brerenton is seriously one epic H. P. Lovecraft / Simpsons fan's wet dream-- aye, carumba! – Steve Banes (http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/)
Kiss Me Satan #1 (Dark Horse) - I do love me a good New Orleans spook tale, and Victor Gischler is cooking up a mighty hot one with "Kiss Me, Satan". The backdrop of New Orleans is not uncommon for horror stories given the supernatural history of the place, but it's hard to capture that environment properly. The first issue of "Kiss Me, Satan" manages to show what New Orleans has to offer with a fallen angel, werewolves, and plenty of supernatural magic. While seeing otherworldly creatures fighting each other is not the most novel of concepts, Gischler manages to pull it off with some unique characters and his own mythos. Juan Ferreyra’s artwork is top notch, as always. Not only does he draw a mean werewolf, but he also captures the Crescent City in all its glory. This is shaping up to be a big, action-packed horror series, something we haven't seen since the likes of the first Underworld film. – Lonnie Nadler (www.Bloody-Disgusting.com)
The MAD Life and Fantastic Art of Al Feldstein by Grant Geissman (IDW) - EC historian Geissman has taken a long overdue look at one of the industry's most important figures (and a personal hero of mine) with this full color, 400+ page, luxurious tome. Many many never-before-seen photographs and the whole story of Feldstein's life make this the ultimate look at the man, but it is the artwork within that makes this a must-have! Though Feldstein himself doesn't think of himself a great artist, Geissman's selections throughout this book prove otherwise. From the gorgeous black brushstrokes in his comic work to the fine art that he does in his Golden Years, this book collects it all. Feldstein's iconic horror art might not be the reason that he is a Ghastly Awards Hall-of-Famer, but leafing through this book shows that had he not written, edited and created the best line of horror comics ever, his artwork alone would have gotten him in anyway! A pricey acquisition, this book is worth every penny... about $30 on Amazon, and that price is worth it just for the picture on page 389 of my left arm, tattooed with Feldstein art! - Mike Howlett (http://eeriepublications.blogspot.com/)
Locke & Key: Alpha #1 (IDW) -This is it, folks! The clash of the titans, so to speak! This is the main event that we’ve all been waiting for. Cliché villain exposition moment aside, we are treated to a very well-paced battle that will keep you white-knuckled until the end. Careful not to wrinkle those pages as you clench your fists! When things finally begin to wind down, you’ll find yourself deep in bleak reflection. I am anxious to see how the last half of this finale will tie everything up into a tidy little bundle of comic gold! - Rachel Deering (https://twitter.com/racheldeering)
John Carpenter's Asylum #2 (Storm King Comics) - Oh mama, where has this book been hiding! I could start with the art by Leo Manco and just say GORE-Geous! Then I could jump to the story by Bruce Jones and just say AGHH-Mazing! And like that the review could be over, however I need to say more, I need to tell you dear reader, that if you missed #1, you need to go find it and buy this issue too. I need to tell you that reading this book is like having the comic gods present you with all that you will ever need in a horror comic. I need to tell you that after reading this issue you will probably go around punching things in anticipation for issue #3 to come out. So why do I need to tell you all of that? Simple, this book is just that damn good! GO BUY THIS BOOK! - Decapitated Dan (www.decapitateddan.com)
Creators and Publishers please make sure to go over to www.ghastlyawards.com to submit your books for 2013 Nomination consideration! More informaiton on how the submission process works can be found here http://ghastlys.blogspot.com/2010/10/submit-your-horror-comic-to-be.html
