Posted by Decapitated Dan |

Horror Comic Roundup - 11/5/2013

Horror Comic Roundup Image drawn by Travis Wayne Pursell, colors by Decapitated Dan

Welcome to the Horror Comic Roundup! Join Decapitated Dan,  Billy Dunleavy, Denise Dutton and friends each week as they review new and old Horror Comics that you will either be dying to read or terrified to check out!

Ash and the Army of Darkness #1 (Dynamite)
Decapitated Dan: I’m a BIG fan of the original 2 Evil Dead movies, and I do admit that I like Army of Darkness, but I did think that it was no where near as good as the first two movies. So going into all Army of Darkness comics, I do have a bit of a bias towards not really caring. When I saw that a new #1 was coming out, I was not afraid to give it a try, but I did have an idea of what to expect. What I enjoyed about this issue was the direct take off of where Army of Darkness left off. I think that Niles did a great job of making it a seamless transition into this new chapter of the story. Steve also did a great job of nailing the voice of Ash from the AOD movie, but that is what I thought was overkill in terms of the movie, so the overall still did not appeal to me. I did enjoy the art of Calero. His style seemed to fit very well with the story. Overall I think that team did a great job on this issue. I think they captured the AOD spirit, but it really is just not for me. - Dying Breath 4.0 out of 5.0

Body Count #1 (Aircel - 1989)
Decapitated Dan: Have you ever dug through a 50¢ box and found a hidden gem? You know, a comic that was so good you had no idea why on Earth you found it in that cheap box? Well for me Body Count is that book. I came across this book a few years ago, and due to another book I read this week, I decided I had to finally write this review. Plain and simple, this book is Copper Age Gold! The artwork by Dave Cooper is just GORE-Geous. There is not a single page that didn’t give me eyegasms. The story by Barry Blair is this over the top over-sexual  horror tale. It has so many great jokes, both visually and through the dialogue. It’s so entertaining from start to finish, and I am only talking about the first issue. The rest of the series gets even crazier. This is Copper Age perfection, there is no way around that. So do me a favor, open up a new browser window and find a copy of this issue. Call you LCS and see if they have one, because this is a series you do not want to miss as a horror fan. - Dying Breath 5.0 out of 5.0

Dept. of Monsterology #1 (Renegade Arts Entertainment)
Billy Dunleavy: A deep sea dive is underway in the South Pacific Seas. A one woman team is searching for something, but what she finds, is a whole other story! By page four of this book, you see a horde of underwater creatures that reminds me of the Creature from the Black Lagoon and also the frogs from BPRD. That’s not a knock either, but a very high compliment on the artwork by PJ Holden & Steven Denton. Now, back to the story. It seems as though everything is going to revolve around the ocean assignment, but halfway through, we get to see another team of operatives, and they’re dealing with a menace in Budapest. This really threw me off for a minute, but then was very exhilarating, because you realize there’s a bigger picture than just the ocean story. Psychics, a robot with a human brain inside it, and ancient Chinese soldiers that appear to have been dead for centuries, are what makes this book a winner!  Rating 5/5

The Devil’s Dog #1 (Monsterverse)
Decapitated Dan: The first thing to say is that this issue was a fast read, but a damn good one. Artist and writer Scott Youtsey just nails it on this FANG-Tastic werewolf tale. The artwork was the real highlight of the book, because it is really what the book consisted of. I loved the action scenes when the werewolf was attacking. I thought that he nailed showing the speed of the attack, and that made the book very cinematic over just being a flat panel on the page. Scott was able to tell most of the story through the artwork, and the wording played into that nicely. His dialogue did a great job setting up what was to come. Overall this was a great issue to get me hooked, and now I will just have to calmly and patiently wait for more to come.... ARGH!!!! I WANT MORE NOW!!!!! - Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0

Drumhellar #1 (Image)
Decapitated Dan: Well that was a trip and a half! Riley Rossmo and Alex Link are back with Drumhellar, and I think it’s safe to say that they have another winner on their hands. When it comes to the story, I think they did more then enough to hook anyone who picks up this issue. They story does start off by being confusing, but as things play out it all begins to make more sense. It also made me want to come back to find out more about what was going on here. It’s a great hook to lure you back. Rossmo’s artwork is perfect for this type of story too. He does an amazing job with the colors to make everything seem more trippy, and just depicting all this strange stuff comes off so well. There is so much to just enjoy with this issue, and I can only hope that every issue coming up will do the same. Amazing start, I can not wait for more. - Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0

The Eighth Seal: Chapter 5 (Thrillbent/Digital)
Decapitated Dan: ARGH!!! Web comics drive me crazy people. I find some that are so damn good, yet I always forget to keep up with them. The Eighth Seal is just flat out a DROP DEAD GORE-Geous comic. What makes this book shine so bright, is reading it online. Yes you can download it, but it does not read the same way. The creative team really nailed how this book needs to be read, because of all these creepy ass pop ups, and subtle changes in panels as you click through the pages. This horror/mystery story by James Tynion IV is so addicting. I have no idea what is going to happen next. I don’t know what is real or imaginary, and I love every second of it. The art team Jeremy Rock, Michael Spicer and Troy Peteri are beyond top notch. This is seriously a comic you need to be reading, and you get to do it for free, so enjoy it! - Dying Breath 5.0 out of 5.0

The Final Plague #3 (Action Lab)
Billy Dunleavy: This insane zombie/plague/epidemic story is nothing short of gruesome! After two issues of this all out gorefest, we get to see the more scientific side of things. Don’t let that foo you though, because one scene in particular makes this entire book from a horror standpoint. We get to see a deer, and not just any deer, but one that is infected with the virus. And this deer decides to show a couple of drunk hunters, what it’s like to be on the receiving end of some punishment!  Rating 4/5

The Raven and the Red Death (Dark Horse)
Billy Dunleavy: Here we are for another adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe! These books have been pretty good, and if you’re a fan of Richard Corben, you’re in for a real treat! The tale of The Raven, is one of my personal favorites, and seeing it visualized for the first time was incredible! A bloody mess in the last couple of pages! Then, an uninvited guest to a grand party, leaves the guest dying for more...literally! Rating 4/5

Decapitated Dan: Oh Corben, my Corben, why is your artwork so? SO DAMN GORE-Geous! I said it before, I am not a fan of Poe, but when Richard Corben works on these Poe stories how can anyone pass them up? What I loved about these two stories was that they are the Poe stories I really don’t like at all, and yet I loved them here. The way that Corben told the Raven story was fantastic. He removed all the repetitive nevermore lines, and in turn presented it as a more readable tale of loss for me. When it came to The Masque of the Red Death adaption, I thought that the artwork was stronger then the story. The way he presented the Red Death and how it afflicted people was jaw dropping. The story was good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s just not a story I really enjoy. Overall, this is another great adaptation issue, even if you don’t care for Poe stories. - Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0

The Sandman: Overture #1 (Vertigo)
Billy Dunleavy: OK, I’ll admit this up front, right now, so we can get it over with...I’ve never read Sandman before. I have read Gaiman before though, and thought he was quite good, so I gave this a shot. First things first. Is this supposed to be a jumping on point for new readers? If so, it was a miserable failure on that front. Now, that being said, it did have a very strong story, and artwork that fit the bill. The first few pages of some psychedelic stuff totally lost me, and I couldn’t finish reading it. After skipping to the panels with the characters, the dialogue was enthralling. Maybe slightly boring at times, and difficult for a new reader to pick up on, but nevertheless, quite strong. These characters are certainly intriguing, and worth a look at another issue for sure.  Rating 3.5/5

Wilder #1 (Monsterverse)
Decapitated Dan: What? NO!!! Nope, no way. You can not be serious Kidwell and Mangum, this needs to be a mini-series or an on-going, but no... not just a ONE SHOT!!! ARGH!!!!!!!! I don’t know what I want to gush about more first artwork or story, story or artwork... it was all so good. The story here is so damn good, and is left so wide open and screaming “I HAVE MORE TO TELL YOU!”, that I can not believe this is just a one shot. Now don’t get me wrong, this issue does everything right. It builds to this big payoff and is totally complete, but after you read it you will say the same thing... I want more! And seriously can Kidwell not tell a good war/horror story? The artwork is so MOTHER Fµ©%!ñ¶ GORE-GEOUS! My favorite visual thing, and yeah it might be silly, was that the female werewolves had 6 tits. Now why do I point that out? Because they are part dog people! I’ve read a lot of werewolf stories, but I don’t ever recall seeing someone throw that in. This book really has it all, and I mean that. The story is solid, the artwork is perfect... so guess what... it’s a PERFECT BOOK! Now lets all harass these creators to give us more! - Dying Breath 5.0 out of 5.0

Zombie War #1 (IDW)
Decapitated Dan: Let’s start this one off with just a simple summary... YEAH BABY! Some people know that I am a Copper Age Horror Comic junkie. I really think that this period was the high of the genre, but that’s just me. So when IDW reprints a classic like this one, I get excited. The story still holds up, but it only holds up if you know what to expect. I could honestly see people picking this one up and over thinking it. This is soooo B-Movie that it is perfect. Now that being said, there was one thing that I thought took away from how good this book is, and that was the addition of color. Now that is me being nit picky, I get that, but man this book was amazing in black and white. Honestly if you have never had a chance to check out this story, you need to. Eastman, Skulan,Talbot and IDW have been kind enough to bring this gem back, so do yourself a favor and read it. - Dying Breath 4.5 out of 5.0