From Zombos' Closet

LOTT D: Horror Comic Crypt

The bells strike the midnight horror. Dare you enter the comic crypt with The League of Tana Tea Drinkers to dig up the dirt on horrifying comics (and those others)? Who knows what you may discover buried deep between the covers. Make sure your flashlight's batteries are strong, pack a good midnight snack, and mind the rats. Now let's go.

The Walking Dead (Cinema Suicide)

You see, everyone thinks that just because I’m a horror fan and I run a website where the bulk of the writing is dedicated to the genre that I am automatically a drooling zombie fanboy because they happen to be the monster of the moment.

The Evil Dead Rise Again (Monster Land)

With permission from Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, writer Mark Verheiden set out to do what seemed like the impossible, and recreate the celebrated 80s cult film hit Evil Dead as a comic book.

Six Creepy Alt-Horror Cartoonists (Robot 6)

For my money, the most reliably disturbing and disquieting work in the genre over recent years has come from artists who produce what you'd consider to be "alternative comics."

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (Love Train for the Tenebrous Empire)

I'd like to think I'd make a really kickass vampire hunter.  I've got a low tolerance for weepy Anne Rice melodrama and an array of fabulous hats that make me an ideal candidate for that role.

Majestic-XII (TheoFantastique)

MAJESTIC-XII is the story of a team of superheroes charged with fighting a secret war against alien invaders. One has to wonder how these aliens–who already control most of the universe–can possibly be held off by a handful of superhumans, who seem to do nothing but engage in chaotic fist-fights with other superhumans, and moon over each other in constant, maudlin interior monologues.

Peter Normanton Speaks From the Tomb (Zombos' Closet)

His love of the dissolute images and outrageous stories that spring from the unsavory pages of horror comics, to linger in our minds long after those pages have yellowed with age, makes him the kind of person we like to be interred with...for a little chat.

Comic Book Review: The Ghoul 1

Zombos Says: Good (But more 'comic book' needed)

I'd worked with the Bureau, hell, since its creation in 1908. They found me hiding in the sewers of old underground New York and instead of hunting me or trying to make a show of me like so many others had before, they took me in and offered me a job. (Steve Niles, My Ghoul)

With only 16 pages in this $3.99 comic book devoted to The Ghoul's illustrated adventure, a 5 page continuing text story, My Ghoul--peppered with three small graphics--and 10 pages devoted to IDW ads and news, it took a lot of effort for me to read this one even if Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson are the perpetrators, and the gimmick is one very big special agent for the supernatural arm of the FBI.

You know the drill: mysterious big guy with attitude (The Goon, Hellboy, insert your favorite here), who usually works for a 'secret' organization and packs muscle--some wit, but better at relying on the muscle--and enjoys kicking monster and freakazoid butts too big for regular folk to handle. Leaves all the thinking to the small guys, who, in this case, would be rolled into one Lieutenant Detective Klimpt. Klimpt does the cerebral work while the Ghoul does the muscle work. Both wear trenchcoats. The Ghoul's is tailor-made and would probably make a good emergency tent if the situation warranted it.

Okay, so I'm spoiled. I expect a big comic book when I buy one, and I expect big names to deliver big things when charged a big price for the issue. Niles and Wrightson are big names. Only Wrightson fully delivers the goods; he gives the irritating, ill-mannered Ghoul more than just enormous size and a trenchcoat. I won't say heart (or even gruff charm) because Niles hasn't written that in yet, but Wrightson's characters and settings evoke more noir than Niles can muster in his story and dialog. Maybe because Niles is on auto-pilot with this first issue. Maybe he'll get the gas pumping in issue two. 

Okay, I admit this is a pet peeve of mine; comic book format implies an illustrated story between the covers, not ads or text-stories that fill up half the pages. Niles' My Ghoul story is important to read as it provides much background to the Ghoul's character; but it should have been illustrated instead: comic book, right? I would rather see and read this background story in comic book format.

As for the current story, Klimpt calls in the extra muscle for a hunch he has on a case--more of a theory as he calls it. While the Ghoul searches for some munchies and mugs a sour demeanor throughout their first meeting, Klimpt fills him in on his theory. It involves the Atwoods and their three generations of "uncanny actresses." Only the three generations may not have involved so many dames and there may be more than just three generations. That easily tops the 'uncanny' part. Tom Smith provides lots of evocative colors, creating ample shadows and light sources for Wrightson's characters to breath in.

Before Klimpt makes a move to investigate further, the Ghoul needs to take care of business. Seems it's a special night; the type of night devils and beasties roam the earth unfettered from their tour duty in Hell. The Ghoul needs to do some tour duty of his own. The last panel shows him holding a mother, son, and daughter of a gun even Hellboy would drool over.

Maybe I'll stick around for issue two. I'm a pushover for big guns, sultry dames, and demonic monsters mixing it up.

Comic Book Review: Victorian Undead 2

ZC Rating 4 of 7 (Very Good)

Issue 1 Review

Capital. Simply capital. With issue 2 of Ian Edginton and Davide Fabbri's story pitting Holmes and Watson against a horde of the undead, the mystery deepens as more threads of this weird skein of malevolence, plotted by a criminal mastermind, are woven.

For Sherlockians, there are a few pleasant surprises in store. A certain relative of Holmes leaves the Diogenes Club to put in a timely appearance, and a certain Colonel of ill-repute (bad heredity according to Holmes) has the Great Detective and his Boswell squarely in his gunsight.

Edginton's pacing and dialog, while not as flamboyant or outrageous as Robert Downey's Sherlock Holmes, ratchets up the tense situation methodically, providing a lively encounter with mobile corpses in the London Underground while introducing important new players into this deadly game of hide and go seek; for what reason are the undead being created and stockpiled? (I wonder if Edginton's influence for this came from reading Jonathan Maberry's Patient Zero?)

There is a well-toned classic horror movie sensibility to how Edginton and Fabbri lay out their story. I still find Fabbri's art too clean; his layouts are quite good, but perhaps a touch of  Downey's Holmes' flamboyance would sharpen the edginess. There is a bit of that stiff upper lip overdone here. Edginton and Fabbri's splash-page finale is superbly and quietly melodramatic, showing the Napoleon of Crime at the heart of this undead conspiracy.

Providing much of the atmosphere for this issue is Carrie Strachan's colors, especially when Holmes, Watson, and zombies meet underground. More attention to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's literary details would be appreciated: Sherlockians may gasp in horror when they see Holmes' old mouse-colored dressing gown replaced with a bright red and gold-cuffed one.

But this series, so far, is the one I would have liked to see onscreen. Even with Robert Downey. I daresay even Johnny Depp playing Holmes, directed by Tim Burton, mixing it up with zombies, would be exquisite.

Comic Book Review: A Very... Zombie Christmas 1

Zombos Says: Very Good (especially with hot chocolate)

While I prefer my Christmas toasty warm and eggnoggy smooth, there is something a tad enjoyable to having a little bit of zombie fear in all that holiday cheer. So put on your Snuggie, take a sip of your hot chocolate, and settle down by the fire with Antarctic Press' A Very...Zombie Christmas one shot.

I would have probably missed this issue if Glen, the owner of my local watering hole for comics, Fourth World, hadn't dropped it on my pull pile. He knows I like horror a bit and is always on the lookout for comics and magazines I might miss.

The three stories drawn in black and white are written with an eye toward leaving the reader with a little lump of coal among the candy in his or her stocking: short and sweet with a tart ending. My favorite is The Littlest Zombie Meets Santa by Fred Perry. In a world overrun by zombies, with survivors barely surviving, it's Christmas Eve and there is more than mice stirring around one particular sanctuary. The stylish illustration and story is like a big gingerbread cookie; cute to admire, but ready to bite. 

In Unholy Night, Joseph Wight makes sure to hang the stockings with care and leaves the children wide awake with dread in their beds after Grandpa Foster tells them his wartime experience with the undead on a snowy night. A two-page battle scene and decrepit zombies trampling the snow provide the visual treat as Wight takes full advantage of the black and white medium to convey the carnage.

The last story, David Hutchison's You Better Watch Out..., shows a heist gone bad using an EC-spiced ending to bring the boys together for the holidays. The inking over his pencils is very light, and his panels open up here and there to give his characters room. Some of his character positions reminded me of Steve Ditko's style, especially on the first page. The last panel is a cheery picture of togetherness that brings home the spirit of the holidays; for horror fans, anyway.

A Very...Zombie Christmas left me wishing it t'were twice the number of pages. These stories are well written and drawn. Now just imagine what you could do with a concept like a festival of zombies: eight days of terror...maybe next year, perhaps. Or how about George Bailey finding himself in zombie-town in It's a Terrible Life. Zombies. The possibilities are endless.

Graphic Book Review: Young Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom

Zombos Says: Good (but is it Lovecraft?)

Blasphemy? Heresy? Bruce Brown and Renzo Podesta are treading very thin ice by making the anglophilic cosmic horror of Howard Phillips Lovecraft palatable for kids in the graphic novel Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom. Or perhaps, by their adolescent-themed story based on Lovecraft's Mythos they may instill a fresh appreciation of those eldritch horrors that have become the first base and potent home run in much of horror fiction? Perhaps. But missing in the atmosphere created by their words and illustrations are the Gothic Noir and Rococo stylings--the stiffly starched shirt, rumpled cuffs verbiage Lovecraft is either praised or damned, but always noted for.

Drawing on Lovecraft's own tragic childhood, young Howard, in the company of his mom, pays a visit to Butler Sanitarium to see his raving mad dad. His father comes out of delirium long enough to implore Howard not to read that book, you know, the quintessential one that keeps getting every acolyte, neophyte, and unfortunate slub stepping into Lovecraft-land into terrible trouble. Here, it is his father's hand-written journal, containing the fruits of his occult explorations. Howard's mom, ironically, dumps that book into his little hands that same night for some bedtime reading enjoyment.

Comic Books for Horror Fans Gift Ideas

Here is a list of gift ideas for that comic book fan in your life. You know, the nephew you thought would love Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes because that helpful patron in Borders--the one who thought Myra Breckinridge was a cook book author--insisted he would. Now you know better.

No need to check over this list twice; every book is a surefire winner that will light up the holiday for any devout comic book reader, especially the horror-minded ones.

1000 Comic Books You Must Read
by Tony Isabella

Starting briefly with Superman in the 1930's, then into the Fighting Forties, Tony Isabella provides cover shots and brief synopses of many notable issues categorized by decade up to the present. Archie and Millie the Model, super heroes and horror mix it up in a sumptuous memory lane experience for older fans (like me) and a wonderful, if-you're-so-smart-what-about-that-issue, reading list for younger ones (like me, too). Some older issues will, of course, be harder to find by themselves, but with so much of historical and reading interest being reprinted today in archived volumes, it's becoming easier to catch up on all this sequential art goodness.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Books 1 and 2
by Vertigo and DC Comics

Horror never had it so good until Alan Moore decided to explore its elements in Swamp Thing. I recently received Book 2 from DC Comics for review. With Moore's depth of storyline and penchant for bringing in familiar DC characters, and Stephen Bissette and John Totleben's expressive illustration gallivanting across panels--and printing it all on superbly non-slick, dull, pulpy paper to retain the original sense of coloration and tactile nuance, this hardcover edition, along with Book 1, is essential reading for any horror comic fan.

Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, Vol. 1
by Dark Horse Archives

This hardcover archive collects the first four issues of Boris Karloff Thriller retitled to Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery. Sara Karloff provides a brief introduction and bios of the creative people involved are included. Confined to static panels, five per page, the artwork is a tidy balance between adequate story-telling and heavy-inked momentum. The stories come with morals or little twists of fate. Boris the Uncanny introduces each one and sums up the lesson afterward. Not overly scary or expressively artistic, this volume will either bring back delightful memories for older fans or provide a good example of what bread and butter comic art and story are all about for others.

Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean
by Douglas Wolk

For the hardcore comics fan who's not squeamish about exploring what lies under the panels, Wolk's book will irritate, infuriate, and possibly elucidate. Agree or not, you will find plenty of reading-list material here, many thoughts to ponder or pummel, and inspiration to delve more deeply between the lines or write that great American graphic novel and put Alan Moore to shame.

The Walking Dead Compendium, Vol. 1
by Image Comics

Run, don't walk, to add this baby to your comic fan's Christmas stocking or gift basket. Just measure the stocking or basket first; this book is big, heavy, and filled with enough zombie mayhem, soap opera nuance, and humanity to keep anyone up all night. Without color and tights, it's amazing how much power and terror Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn, and Tony Moore can quietly generate in this us-against-them-and-us series. Volume One collects the first 48 issues in a hefty softcover format that's easy to read and retains the gory black and white illustration in all its glory. Larger formats and hardcovers are available, but having all these issues in one book is a reading pleasure and a great way to introduce someone, who is not familiar with the series, to The Walking Dead.

The Dylan Dog Case Files
by Dark Horse Comics

Seven stories in digest-sized format fill close to 700 pages in this compendium of Italy's supernatural detective Dylan Dog (though he lives in London). Written by Tiziano Sclavi and illustrated by various artists, anyone who has seen the movie Cemetery Man already has a sense of the surrealism and classic horror Sclavi brings to the comic. Being Italian, Dylan Dog is a romantic, although he can never seem to hold onto any of the women he meets from story to story. Maybe it's the annoying screaming doorbell to his flat on Craven Road that keeps them away. The black and white art rarely strays beyond the 5 or 6-panel pages, but it's crisp and vibrant; and filled with Dylan Dog's phobias, untidy habits (though he does play a mean licorice stick), and monsters.

Comic Book Review: Victorian Undead 1 Sherlock Holmes vs. Zombies

Zombos Says: Good

The game's afoot once again for Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, although this time around it is much gamier; downright putrid, in fact. Not so elementary zombies are prowling the fog-bound streets of London in this steampunk and Inverness coat-dressed pastiche from author Ian Edginton and illustrator Davide Fabbri.

In Part One, The Star of Ill-Omen (Issue 1 of 6), Holmes and Watson are brought into the investigation of peculiar and inexplicable events occurring around Baker Street by Inspector Lestrade. In the opening pages, Holmes tangles with an adversary well-versed in the scientific arts of automata--a certain Professor perhaps?--while a green comet sets the stage for the undying detective to meet the undead, who are becoming more common on the streets than hansom cabs.

The story moves quickly, leaving enough mystery to hold promise. The artwork is adequate, but lacks the edginess the world's first consulting detective and his vibrant London warrant. The scenes of 221b Baker Street are perfunctory, and Holmes' visage and dress borders on the dashing; unusual for someone of his spontaneous and somewhat untidy habits. The color palette used for London is also far too chipper.

But this is Holmes and Watson against zombies, a capital idea; so I anticipate an exhilarating adventure grander than his encounter with the Giant Rat of Sumatra.

Review copy courtesy of Wildstorm/DC Comics.

Graphic Book Review: High Moon Vol. 1

Zombos Says: Very Good

Werewolves and hoodoo in the Old West; two notches on the gunbelts worn by both the bad and the good guys. I found that an intriguing premise for David Gallaher and Steve Ellis's High Moon, a webcomic series appearing on Zuda.com, and now in print by DC Comics. The story moves briskly through the small towns of Blest--which is not--and Ragged Rock--which most certainly is--as former Pinkerton detective Matthew Macgregor is chasing after werewolves and other night-born beasties. Macgregor is a brooding, mysterious figure who wears a tartan scarf in spite of the heat, is short on words and temperament, and carries enough supernatural baggage to fill a railway car all by himself.

Three chapters, beginning with the 100 days drought-plagued town of Blest, keep the Macgregors busy. Yes, there are more than one. I cannot explain too much on this point, but Gallaher and Ellis start with one Macgregor on a mission, or vendetta, or perhaps a soul-ride to salvation, and bring the rest of the clan in as the plot unfolds its deeper pleats. It is not made clear exactly what drives him, but flashbacks give us little clues along the way.

Ellis's gritty art is tightly packed with heavy pencil and ink lines that can become murky at times when saturated with the dry earth and desert sand daylight colors in the first two chapters, and deep blue nighttime snowy landscapes in chapter three. But his style reminds me so much of a sheriff's sooty wanted poster and the animated opening credits to the television show The Wild, Wild West, and even those illustrations in  penny-dreadfuls, or as Deputy Jeb calls them, dime novels, that his gaudy style is in step with the Old West theme.

There is a starting the story in the middle of it approach used by Gallaher. Macgregor enters the small town of Blest looking for an outlaw he has tangled with before. A little girl is missing, and vicious attacks on the townsfolk at night have set everyone on edge. But there is something else driving Macgregor; a bigger mission beyond his hunt for the outlaw. After a preliminary search of the missing girl's room, he knows it was not men or werewolves who took her. More clues found in an abandoned silver mine, and more flashbacks regarding the San Saba Expedition, hint at a great evil unleashed. The inevitable showdown between Macgregor and that evil reveals a darker truth lurking in Blest.

In chapter two, a train robbery, a traveling sideshow with one deadly oddity, and another well-mannered, stove-pipe hatted, steampunk-outfitted Macgregor add more mystery to the saga of Ragged Rock, another town suffering under its burden of nocturnal miscreant monsters.  Macgregor's past comes back to haunt him, and there are tantalizing glimmers of hoodoo in his background. Gallaher and Ellis keep it moving toward the big-nasty showdown, in-between two brothers fighting over the same woman, an eye-plucking revelation of cosmic proportions for one Macgregor, and a gift of immortality that may just be a curse in disguise. Old-time references--like the Harvey Girls (waitresses in the Old West)--and slang--catawampus (things gone awry)--give the characters a tidy period finish. At this point, you either pay close attention to the flashbacks and hints of backstory tossed your way, or you will become lost in the shuffle because Gallaher and Ellis keep piling it on as they move into chapter three and more trouble in Elk Canyon in South Dakota.

Here, in the snow-bound opening scenes of an Indian massacre, pictures convey the action without words. It is a dramatically-charged sequence, but words would have helped clarify the situation. Or maybe Gallaher does not want clarity just yet? As it stands, the marauders, dressed in horns, black clothes, and blood--the leader looks like Conan the Conqueror's Thulsa Doom leading his pillagers--are searching for something. Before you can bat an eye, the story moves on, leaving more mystery to ponder. Young Raven is in search of a champion and seeks Macgregor to combat the cavalry that is killing her people. But there is more behind the cavalry's actions than genocide, and Young Raven is more than she appears to be. An odd symbol, found on the bottom of a bottle, turns up providing another piece to the puzzle of Macgregor's higher mission, and his encounter with a bird-faced, godlike being leaves him questioning his purpose; along with a bit of cosmic enmity that probably will not do him much good in the long run.

I am not sure where Gallaher and Ellis are leading with all this but more developments to the story (you can read them online at zuda.com), which include a meeting with a certain Saucy Jack and Dr. Bell (Sherlock Holmes' fans pay attention), keep invigorating this steampunkish Western or British or Scottish story of bug-eyed beasties and chaps: the ones you wear and the British kind. The artwork melds with the story more than well, and if printed in a larger format, I would even hazard a smashingly to describe the balance between art and word. While you can read the story online, I recommend picking up the book. I was going to--honest--before DC Comics offered me a review copy. The paper choice for the book is that rough, dull-finished paper, which fits the overall tone of High Moon to a tee.

It is heartening to see a storyline about unglamerous werewolves at a time when Goth-beautiful vampires and endless zombies seem to rule the horror genre roost in comics and movies.

Comic Book Review: North 40 1 2 3 In the Mouth of Conover County

Zombos Says: Excellent

The residents of Conover County are in the grip of an eldritch, surreal, horror like the one John Trent faced in John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness. Changing everyone into demons, devils, or potential deliverers from the green sticky spawn of the stars, the-sleeper-awakened, Cthulhu, writer Aaron Williams and illustrator Fiona Staples leaven their apocalyptic despair with dry humor and back end o' the Bible bad monsters.

Now Entering Conover County, North 40, Issue 1 -- The water here must make people retarded...

One very bored Goth girl, Dyan, and her eager to please, slow-to-glow, acolyte, Robert, wile away the time by reading from a restricted--but cool looking--book at the local library. Robert remarks "D&D geeks make things like this all the time out of old dictionaries and epoxy resin." Paging through it, they inadvertently read that spell; you know, the one that opens the gate-never-to-be-opened that lies between our backyard and theirs.

And theirs is some backyard.

Events happen quickly in the hayseed town of Lufton. People start changing in one of three ways: loathsomely, powerfully, or not at all. Sheriff Morgan falls into the not-at-all category, but he must deal with the people who fall into the other two. For them, the transformation can lead to bad personality traits becoming really bad for everyone else.

Helping the Sheriff is Luanne, who is powered up with a World of Warcraft kind of far sight, so she can tell him what's happening around town and direct him accordingly, and Wyatt, who can fly and becomes impervious to harm. Stirring up trouble is David--make that a giant-sized trouble--and his backroads kin, and the townsfolk who have metamorphosed into nasty hungry creatures or undead ones.

The witch, Marguritte DeVris, instructs her apprentice Amanda--a halfie--from the shadows. She empowers Amanda with a symbol of authority, a scythe, and the always-useful-in-chaos-magic sigils to battle the darkness.

Staples disarming artwork is both humorous and serious when needed--her character's faces are full of life--as Conover's predicament worsens, and Williams dialog and narrative are concisely measured for each character and situation, and especially for Sheriff Morgan, who remains unrattled by the chaos around him and surprisingly (suspiciously?) resourceful at handling its more challenging moments.

An' the Word Was Law, North 40, Issue 2 -- Somethin' went wrong with the world in Conover County last night, and folks was just startin' to see how deep this well was...

In issue two, Amanda arrives in Conover County to join the fight for salvation, Wyatt tries to come to grips with his couch-potato dad who has turned into a potato on the couch, sprouts and all, and the local high school dance is still on in spite of the dangers. Teenagers. Sheriff Morgan also has his hands full with the redneck, misbehavin' Atterhulls and David, who can toss around big cars like Matchbox die-casts.

The opening gruesome splashpage sets the tone, and while I am not sure whether Staples and Williams did the panel layouts together or it is just Staples' arrangement, each page moves the story smoothly along with an economic, yet stylistically expressive, visual storytelling. The colorization for daylit scenes is comprised of rustic tones, reinforcing the small town countryfide quality of Lufton.

A Time to Mourn, an' a Time to Dance, North 40, Issue 3 -- Conover County's past is steeped in hate n' blood. The lines was drawn over a hundred years ago, an' nobody's erased 'em since...

Night. A giant robot. Zombies crash the high school dance. The Atterhulls get help from Granny, who can now see with her new eyes (a very clever way to also give her far sight), and Dyan--filled with the spirit of vengeance--becomes a key player in the fight to save Lufton, but for the wrong side. Williams and Staples ante up with issue three; there is more dialog, more tension on every page as the situation worsens. Old rivalries heat up and Sheriff Morgan needs Wyatt to focus more on helping him rather than spraying his dad with a water bottle. Staples draws the variously afflicted teenagers--some are glowing ghosts, some are stalk-eyed, some are just plain undead, humorously terrifying.

North 40 flips the black flavors of American Gothic's relationships and characters, salt's them with the simplicity of The Walking Dead's direness, and then runs amok with monsters, mayhem, and a Stephen King's worth of darkness stretching across the landscape. And with all of this powered by Lovecraft's leviathan from the stars, the reading experience is exhilarating.

Comic Book Review: Lenore A Cute Little Dead Girl

Zombos Says: Excellent

Work with me here.

Take a deep breadth. Close your eyes. I need you to imagine cracking open a New Yorker magazine from way way back and coming across a Charles Addams cartoon. Feel free to smirk, laugh, chuckle, or whatever the thought forces your lips into doing. Now it gets a bit harder. I need you to mime opening the Witch model kit from Aurora. I suppose one of those reissues will do, but those Aurora cardboard boxes had a unique smell that's hard to recapture. Then again, maybe it's just me and the way I remember it. You will need to uncap a Testor's tube of glue and take a whiff--but just a very very small one. I know it's just in your imagination, but let's not get carried away. Now envision all those creepy, Gahan Wilsonesque, plastic pieces painted in garish, shiny,colors--no matte finishing allowed. We want it bright and surreal and Def Leppard soft in tone. Exhale. Now open your eyes.

Welcome to the weird world of Lenore, the cute little dead girl.

In the Macabre Malevolence of Mortimer Fledge, Lenore's shocking rebirth into dead-dom is illustrated shockingly by Roman Dirge, for her move over to her new publisher, Titan Books. And this time her deathly pallor is given some color to liven things up. Just enough to keep the embalming fluid that sprays out of her autopsied body a nicely pale yellow, the Aliens' cargo loader--controlled by Ragamuffin (immortal vampire turned ragdoll. Really.)--a seedy mustard shade, and Mr. Fledge's Balloon Bug Hat quite festive.

Comic Book Review: Creepy 1

Zombos Says: Good

Heh-heh, Welcome--Welcome to the comic world's newest, most exciting and most imaginative magazine in 10 years. I'm Creepy, your nauseating host! I've scrounged around the lowest places imaginable to dig up the comic industry's greatest and most fiendish artists! -- Uncle Creepy (Creepy Magazine No. 1, 1964)

Uncle Creepy is back! And this time around he brings his bad-blooded relations, along with Sister Creepy, to punk out the night with four new stories oozing black and white terror, one loathsome lore, and one reprinted story. And let's not forget the Dear Uncle Creepy letters section, too.

The artwork is all very good, with Angelo Torres pencils visualizing Dan Braun's Hell Hound Blues, and Alex Toth's reprinted Daddy and the Pie lending some classy support; but from the lighter lines of Hillary Barta's Loathsome Lore on Faustian Deals and Brian Churilla's All the Help You Need, to Shawn Alexander's The Curse Part One and Saskia Gutekunst's Chemical 13! darker, starker characters, the stories capture the old Creepy mystique fairly well, especially with Uncle Creepy providing the introductions and appropriately quippy last words.

In The Curse Part One, Jude discovers he has a certain knack for making his wishes come true. Unfortunately, his mom has been doing some wishing, too, and Jude is in for a shocking surprise. Hell Hound Blues plays off the Robert Johnson legend, wherein the Devil provides the soulful chords for a price. Or was it really Tommy Johnson who met up with the Devil at the crossroads one lonely midnight? Who the devil knows? The story could have used a few more pages to flesh it out, but the ending is classic Creepy. In Chemical 13!, the Nazis get exactly what they bargained for, and Delia Gold gets the fat farm treatment--to the max--in All the Help You Need. The only problem is the farm next store prefers to chew the fat more than lose it.

On the Dear Uncle Creepy letters page is a family snapshot promising some interesting happenings with oddball relatives popping up in future issues. For issue one we are introduced to Sister Creepy, a cool, naughty, Goth who dishes up the Loathsome Lore with relish.

An unexpected oddity for this issue is the reprinted Daddy and the Pie, a story more sci fi than horror. It is a well-executed story but still not horror, so it ends this issue with a whimper instead of a chill. But it is nice to see the classy creepster back in action, and I am sure, based on this first issue, the chill will return soon enough.

Comic Book Review: Post Mortem Studios' Dirt 1, 2

Zombos Says: Good

You don't quite look ready for six feet of cold dirt and hungry worms yet. And I ought to rest a spell, because I got a feeling business is going to be booming directly. So how's about a little story? Just to pass the time (The Digger, Dirt 1)

Scott Nicholson pens the stories for Dirt, the six-issue series from Post Mortem Studios. If you have read Nicholson's short story, The Shaping, in Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet, you already know how he can take a familiar scenario and suddenly veer off in an unexpected and unnerving direction that leaves a chill on your neck or a butterfly in your stomach. Will he be able to capture his terse, poetic, sentence rhythm and narrative point of view within the confining panels and commercially dictated page count of the modern comic book format? Certainly, his penchant for second-person narration provides a natural bridge to using the horror host-styled delivery of story-telling.

For horror comic book fans there is nothing as familiar as the mysterious, often imperious, host introducing each illustrated vignette. Either undead, alive, moldy or loathly, the host helps keep things personal through his or her lively quips and sometimes sardonic observations on the bizarre goings-on and strained social entanglements presented in each story. With Nicholson's North Carolina country-twang writing sensibility potentially loading the shovel-fulls of terror, something unique happening between the panels is possible here as his host, The Digger, turns up each story for us and pats it tightly down when done. Unfortunately, The Digger must have hit pay dirt and quit his day job because, after his appearance in all three stories of issue one, he only appears on the cover of issue two and two panels inside.